SUVs drive Maruti Suzuki to its best ever sales performance in September

Maruti Suzuki has clocked its best ever month in India in terms of sales in September. India's largest carmaker sold more than 1.81 lakh passenger vehicles last month, growing by three per cent compared to the same period last year. Maruti's previous best sales month was August this year. The biggest highlight for Maruti Suzuki has been the increase in sales of its SUVs and other utility vehicles. Riding high on the success of Brezza and Grand Vitara among others, the carmaker has seen an increase of more than 80 per cent in the segment. Maruti Suzuki currently leads the SUV segment in India with models like Fronx and Jimny besides the other two.

Out of the 1,81,343 units Maruti Suzuki delivered in September, more than 1.50 lakh cars were sold to customers in India with a two per cent rise compared to September last year. Between April and September, Maruti Suzuki has already sold more than 10 lakh cars across the country. It is the first time that India's largest carmaker has crossed the 10-lakh sales mark within six months in a financial year.

The utility vehicle segment, where Maruti offers SUVs as well as MPVs like Ertiga, XL6 and Invicto, has seen a rise of 82 per cent compared to September last year. Maruti sold 59,271 units of utility vehicles, which is more than what Mahindra and Mahindra has clocked overall. What has worked well for Maruti Suzuki is the fleet of SUVs it has on offer. Brezza and Grand Vitara remain the two of the top-selling models in their respective SUV segments while Fronx and Jimny continue to rise in terms of popularity. The Grand Vitara SUV recently clocked one lakh sales milestone, a feat achieved within a year of launch. It is currently the fastest SUV to hit the landmark.

Watch: Maruti Suzuki Jimny SUV First Drive Review

While the utility segment has been the brightest point in Maruti's sales report in September, the small and compact segment have actually seen degrowth last month. The entry-level cars like Alto and S-Presso failed to find too many takers. Maruti Suzuki ended up selling barely 10,351 units, down by 65 per cent compared to September last year. Similarly compact car sales has also declined from 72,176 units in September last year to 68.552 units last month.

Besides clocking its best sales month in September, Maruti Suzuki has also seen rise in exports last month. The carmaker said its overall export stood at 22,511 units, marginally up from 21,403 units in the year-ago period.