Led by Maruti Suzuki car sales upwardly mobile

New Delhi, Jan 8 (UNI) Led by strong sales of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, passenger car sales went up 8.86 per cent to 88,220 in December 2007 as compared to 81,033 in the corresponding month in 2006.

The cumulative growth of passenger vehicles was 13.39 per cent.

Passenger cars grew by 13.26 per cent, Multi-Purpose Vehicles 21.57 per cent and utility vehicles by 10.92 per cent in April-December 2007 as compared to same period last year.

Passenger vehicles sales went up by 8.93 per cent 115,100 from 105,655 while passenger carriers were up by 11.59 per cent.

Total commercial vehicles sales were up by 1.23 per cent to 42,508 as compared to 41,907.

Total three-wheeler sales, however, went down 15.68 to 26,823 units in Dec 2007 as compared to 31,811 in Dec 2006.

Scooter sales went up by 9.82 per cent to 77,494 in Dec 2007 as compared to 70,563. On the other hand motor cycle sales were down 11.44 per cent slumping to 435,924 units in December 2007 as compared 492,288 in December 2006. However, for the period April-December motor cycles sales were up 35.3 per cent to 569,472 in 2007-08 as compared to 420,633 in 2006-07.

Automobile exports saw a growth of 17.37 per cent in April-December 2007 though exports of two-wheeler segment grew by 25.44 per cent and commercial vehicles exports grew by 15.93 per cent over the same period last year, export growth in all other segments was marginal with three-wheeler exports growing by only 1.4 per cent and passenger vehicles exports at 2.77 per cent.

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