As personal transportation demand remained strong even after the completion of the very profitable holiday season, automakers reported their best-ever November sales, setting the stage for record sales in 2022. The dispatches to dealers for top automakers Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai, Tata Motors, and Mahindra increased by double digits in November, making it the best November ever for the passenger car sector.


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Kia India, Honda Cars, Skoda, and MG Motor also witnessed strong sales momentum last month. However, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Nissan reported a decline in domestic wholesales compared to November 2021.


Also read: Maruti Suzuki retains top-spot, sells over 1.50 lakh units in India: WagonR, Swift, Alto, Ertiga


The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India said its domestic wholesales rose 18 percent to 1,39,306 units as against 1,17,791 units in November 2021. Sales of mini cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, increased to 18,251 units as compared with 17,473 in the same month last year.


MSI said that the company's utility vehicle sales, comprising Brezza, Ertiga, and Grand Vitara, rose to 32,563 units compared with 24,574 vehicles in the year-ago month. Commenting on the sales, Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) Shashank Srivastava said the industry's wholesales grew by 31 percent to 3,22,860 units last month compared with 2,45,636 units in November last year. "This is the highest ever November sales for the industry-beating, the previous best of 2.86 lakh in November 2020," Srivastava stated.


Also read: Mahindra Scorpio-N, XUV700 boost sales, carmaker records 56 percent growth in November


"This is the first time because the previous highest was in 2018 at 33.8 lakh units. Last year in this period, from January to November, the figure was 28 lakh units. So there is a growth of about 25 percent over last year as far as the calendar year is concerned," he added.


He said the projected calendar year sales number, including December, is 38 lakh units. Rival Hyundai Motor India reported a 30 percent increase in wholesales last month to 48,003 units against 37,001 units in November last year.


Also read: Tata Motors records increased sales, electric vehicles lead with 146 percent YoY increase


Hyundai Motor India Director (Sales, Marketing & Service) Tarun Garg said the company is poised to achieve its highest-ever domestic sales in 2022. Tata Motors reported a 55 percent increase in total passenger vehicle dispatches at 46,037 units last month against 29,778 units in the year-ago period. Similarly, Mahindra & Mahindra posted a 56 percent rise in domestic passenger vehicle sales at 30,392 units in November.


M&M President Automotive Division Veejay Nakra said the growth in November sales was on the back of robust demand across the company's product portfolio. "The supply chain situation continues to be dynamic due to continuing international disruptions. We are keeping a close watch and are taking appropriate steps," he added.


Kia India reported a 69 percent rise in total sales at 24,025 units in November this year. The company has been able to post healthy sales figures throughout this year due to improved customer sentiment and pent-up demand, Kia India Vice President and Head of Sales & Marketing Hardeep Singh Brar said.


Honda Cars reported a 29 percent increase in wholesales to 7,051 units last month compared to the previous month. "Riding on the back of relatively better economic prospects, the demand for cars has continued well post the festive season, and this momentum is also visible in our sales numbers," Honda Cars India Director, Marketing and Sales Yuichi Murata said. The company is optimistic that the trend will continue, and it will be able to cater to the growing demand as the country returns to the pre-pandemic mode, he added.


However, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) reported a 10 percent dip in wholesales to 11,765 units in November 2022. TKM has discontinued the compact SUV Urban Cruiser and also paused bookings for the diesel version of Innova, which impacted its overall dispatches last month. Nissan also witnessed a drop in domestic sales, with 2,400 units last month, against 2,651 units in November 2021.


On the other hand, Skoda Auto India reported a two-fold year-on-year increase in sales for November 2022 at 4,433 units. Similarly, MG Motor India saw its retail sales rise by 64 percent annually to 4,079 units in November. The two-wheeler segment reported a 4 percent dip in the total domestic market at 1,52,716 units. TVS Motor Company said its domestic two-wheeler sales registered a growth of 9 percent to 1,91,730 units last month as against 1,75,940 units the previous year.


With inputs from PTI