Bumper car sales hit 4.11 million last calendar year

Pune: Sales of cars, the optimum health of the economy, in India, rose 8.3 per cent in the calendar year 2023, clocking a strong record sale of 4.11 million units for the first time in the automobile industry.

In January-December 2022, the auto industry had sold a total of 3.79 million units, data from the Indian automakers showed on Monday.

Buoyed by festive demand, car sales reached record highs in September 2023 and the momentum carried them through November and December.

“For the first time we crossed over 4-million-mark sales of cars in the CY in the history of the Indian auto industry,” Shashank Srivastava told FC. He said the demand for vehicles is stable but with this high level of growth, car sales might be in the single-digit lane next year.

For the first time, Maruti Suzuki, India’s top car maker, crossed an annual sales milestone of 2 million units in calendar year 2023, including its highest-ever calendar year exports of 2,69,046 units. However, December sales fell 5,86 per cent year-on-year (YoY) at 1,10,667 units last month.

Sales at Hyundai Motors jumped 9 per cent YoY totaling 7,65,786 units in 2023, its highest-ever domestic sales in CY. In 2022, the company had sold a total of 7,00,811 units. “We have not just kept pace but surpassed industry growth (estimated at around 8.2%), a testament to customers choosing brand Hyundai as their preferred mobility brand,” said Tarun Garg, COO, HMIL.

Sales at Tata Motors increased 5 per cent YoY at 5,53,000 units. “For Tata Motors, CY23 was the third consecutive year of posting highest ever sales of ~553K, led by its commanding position in the compact SUV segment and strong growth in hatches, despite the hatch segment degrowing at an industry level,” said Shailesh Chandra, MD, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles. Its passenger vehicle sales in December clocked 8 per cent growth at 43,675 units.

Sales at Mahindra and Mahindra grew 28 per cent at 3,33,777 units in CY 2023, up from 2,59,858 units it sold in the previous year. In December alone sales went up 24 per cent YoY at 35,174 units. "We continued to face some supply challenges on select parts. We are working closely with our suppliers to mitigate these challenges going forward," said Veejay Nakra, President of, the Automotive Division, M&M. Passenger vehicle sales stood at 35,174 units for December, up 24 per cent compared YoY.

Sales at Toyota Kirloskar Motor also soared 46 per cent Y-oY at 2,33,346 units, a remarkable milestone. Its December sales also rose 119 per cent at 22,867 units. “Popular models, including the Innova Hycross, Urban Cruiser Hyryder, the New Innova Crysta, and the Glanza remain instrumental in driving our growth,” said Atul Sood, Vice President of Sales and Strategic Marketing at Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

Honda car sales in December increased 12 per cent year-on-year at 7,902 units and exports grew 170 per cent at 3,749 units. “Alongside our best sellers City and Amaze, the Elevate has become our strong pillar of business accounting for over 50 per cent of our total sales currently,” said Yuichi Murata, Director, Marketing and Sales, Honda Cars India.

Retail sales at MG Motor also jumped 18 per cent at 56,902 units in FY 2023. Its Dec. sales grew 13 per cent YoY at 4,400 units.