Car makers post rise in Nov sales; Maruti down for 6th time

New Delhi: Major car makers in the country, barring market leader Maruti Suzuki India, on Thursday reported growth in sales in November on the back of new models, notwithstanding a sluggish market.     Maruti Suzuki India recorded sales of 82,870 units in the domestic market last month, down 19.15 per cent from 1, 02,503 units in November, 2010. Sales of the company have fallen for the sixth consecutive month this fiscal.     The company has been hit by dip in sales in its bread and butter segment, mini cars including the M800, A-Star, Alto and WagonR, which fell by 27.24 percent to 38,921 units from 53,489 units in November, 2010.     In contrast, rival Hyundai Motor India said its sales increased 10.97 percent to 35,000 units from 31,540 units in the same month last year.     "In a challenging market, we have been able to grow volumes and market share on the strength of our new launches -- Verna and Eon. Our immediate outlook on the market is not too bright, as interest rates and fuel prices are unlikely to soften in the foreseeable future," HMIL Director (Marketing and Sales) Arvind Saxena said.     Tata Motors' domestic passenger vehicles sales, that include those of Nano, Indica and Indigo cars, stood at 27,737 units in November, up 80.81 percent from 15,340 units in the same month last year.     Toyota Kirloskar Motor reported an over two-fold increase in sales to 13,956 units in November, 2011, driven by robust demand for its latest 'Etios' and 'Liva' models.     "We are very happy with the overwhelming response and confidence shown by our customers in the Etios and Etios Liva. The Etios series has sold a total of 8,271 units in November," TKM Deputy Managing Director (Marketing) Sandeep Singh said.     Another player, General Motors India reported a marginal increase in sales for November at 8,440 units as against 8,376 units in the same month last year.     Homegrown firm Mahindra & Mahindra's November sales grew registered 51.63 to 38,159 units as compared to 25,166 units in the year-ago period.     Volkswagen also reported a 45.75 percent increase in sales for November in India at 6,722 units driven mainly by compact car Polo and sedan Vento.     Another car maker SkodaAuto India also reported 42.69 percent increase in its monthly sales at 2,627 units compared to 1,841 units in the same month last year.     In the two-wheeler segment, market leader Hero MotoCorp reported it’s highest ever sales for November month at 5, 36,772 units, registering a jump of 27.39 percent over the same month last year.Chennai-based TVS Motor Co posted a growth of 7.79 percent in domestic two-wheeler sales at 1, 50,406 units compared to 1, 39,541 units in November 2010.     Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) reported 53.64 percent growth in its total sales at 1,99,154 units in November 2011, while India Yamaha Motor said its domestic sales during the month stood at stood at 28,178 units as against 22,710 units in the same month last year, up 24.08 percent.     Suzuki Motorcycle India also said its sales grew by 23.11 percent in sales in November this year at 31,332 units as against the same month last year.