Renualt SUV Duster, Honda Amaze emerge hot seller in April

Mail Today Bureau     New Delhi   Last Updated: May 2, 2013  | 00:00 IST

Tags: Renault | Renault duster | Renault SUV | Honda Amaze

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Marc Naseef, MD, Renault India, poses with the Duster at a launch function in New Delhi

With buyers getting more selective, it is Renualt's sport utility vehicle (SUV) Duster and Honda's first diesel offering Amaze , which have emerged as hot sellers. Renault saw a tenfold jump in total sales at 6,314 units during April with the Duster accounting for as many as 5,362 units.

Renault India executive director (marketing and sales) Sumit Sawhney said, "With a total capacity of producing 4 lakh units a year, the company now has over 100 outlets across the country."

Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) reported a 19.97-per cent increase in domestic sales for April 2013 selling as many as 4,852 units of the Amaze with the share of its oncepopular Honda City coming down to 1,917 units. The company sold 1,628 units of its small car Brio.

"Amaze has received tremendous response from customers despite the slowdown in the industry. We are confident that Amaze will drive our growth in this fiscal," said HCIL senior vicepresident (marketing and sales) Jnaneswar Sen.

Mahindra & Mahindra posted flat growth in April with domestic sales of passenger vehicles, including Scorpio, XUV500, Xylo, Bolero and Verito at 20,748 units compared with 20,554 units in April 2012. Chief executive (automotive division) Pravin Shah said that the price increases due to the hike in excise duty to 30 per cent on SUVs have started having negative impact on sales.

Maruti Suzuki posted a flat growth in total sales with the Dzire continuing to do well with a 25.38-per cent increase in sales to 19,446 units from 15,510 units in the corresponding period a year ago.

Tata Motors saw its passenger vehicles sales fall drastically by 48.94 per cent to 11,570 units during April this year as against 22,658 units in the same month last year with M&M having displaced it in the SUV segment and Duster emerging as the new popular model. Hyundai recorded a decline of 7.60 per cent in its domestic sales at 32,403 units compared to 35,070 units in the year-ago period. Toyota Kirloskar Motor reported a 37.36-per cent decline in its domestic car sales at 9,007 units during the month.
PINTU KUMAR OJHA
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