Maruti Suzuki sales down nearly 21% in Sept

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The country’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki on Saturday reported a 20.8 per cent decline in sales for September to 85,565 units due to labour unrest at its Manesar plant that severely affected production.

The company had sold 1,08,006 units in the same month last year, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement.

"The disruption in production owing to the labour issue at the company’s Manesar plant during September adversely impacted the sales numbers during the month," it said.

The Manesar facility rolls out MSI's high volume compact car Swift that has a waiting period of over four months. The plant also produces hatchback A-Star and sedan SX4.

The National Capital-based company recorded sales of 78,816 units, including utility vehicles, in the domestic market last month — 17.2 per cent fall from 95,148 units in September, 2010.

MSI's exports in September also fell, down 47.5 per cent, to 6,749 units from 12,858 units in the year-ago period, the company added.

The company's total passenger car sales in the domestic market dipped 17.8 per cent to 66,667 units in September from 81,060 units in the same month of 2010, it added.

Sales of the company's mini-segment cars, including the M800, A-Star, Alto and WagonR, fell by 23.5 per cent to 37,324 units from 48,780 units in September, 2010, it said.

The compact segment (comprising Estilo, Swift and Ritz) witnessed a 9.3 per cent dip in sales to 19,722 units from 21,749 units in the same month a year ago.

Sales of DZiRE, however, grew by 9.9 per cent to 9,411 units from 8,566 units in the corresponding period a year ago, the company said.

MSI's mid-sized sedan SX4's sales slipped by 90 per cent to 196 units from 1,965 units in the year-ago month. Luxury sedan Kizashi witnessed sales of 14 units.