Maruti Suzuki recorded 32,903 units in the month of May 2021 as against 13,702 units with 140 per cent YoY sales increase
The Indian automotive industry and the economy as a whole has been going through another rough patch over the last three months with restrictions imposed across the country leading to a temporary halt in retail sales and production alongside facing logistical hurdles but the recovery can be expected in the second half of this calendar year.
The largest carmaker in the country, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), recorded a cumulative domestic tally of 32,903 units in the month of May 2021 as against 13,702 units during the same period last year with a Year-on-Year volume increase of 140 per cent. However, the MoM data led to a massive decline of 76 per cent.
In April 2021, Maruti Suzuki registered 1,35,879 units and when compared to last month, a huge drop in volumes of 1,02,976 units was seen. The Indo-Japanese manufacturer held on to a market share of 31.9 per cent in May 2021 as against 37.5 per cent during the corresponding month last year as well with a decline of 5.6 per cent.
While all of the automakers recorded appreciable Year-on-Year sales growth in May 2021 except for Toyota, the MoM negative sales gave a clear indication of where the industry stands this year as recovery can only be expected when the social and economic activities get back to normal or at least begin to get to that state.
Maruti Suzuki is expected to launch the second-generation Celerio in the coming months and it will be based on the lightweight Heartect platform as in other models like Swift, Dzire, Wagon R, Ignis and S-Presso. It will be powered by a 1.0-litre petrol and a more powerful 1.2-litre petrol engine while a five-speed manual and a five-speed AMT will more likely be the transmission choices.
From this month, we will be able to see carmakers introducing new models that were either postponed in the last two months or scheduled to launch in the second half of the year. Hyundai will bring in the Alcazar three-row SUV while Mahindra will debut the XUV700 around the festive season. Skoda and Volkswagen are also expected to bring in their respective mid-size SUVs in the due course.