Mahindra takes back UV crown from Maruti

NEW DELHI: Mahindra & Mahindra has returned to the top of the utility vehicle segment in May, wresting a position it had conceded to Maruti Suzuki, on the back of demand for the Marazzo, Alturas and XUV300. Mahindra sold 19,524 utility vehicles last month, compared with 19,152 by the local unit of the Japanese automaker. “We have been able to garner the leadership position in the SUV segment on the back of the successful launch of our three products, namely the Marazzo, Alturas and XUV300, all of which have resonated very well with the consumer. (Sales of) our XUV300 continue to grow at a healthy rate with good booking numbers,” said a company spokesperson. Mahindra is hopeful that it could maintain the leadership in the utility vehicle segment as these models continue to see good demand, the spokesperson added. Mahindra, in fact, had taken the top slot in the last quarter of FY19 as well. It had sold 72,413 utility vehicles in the three months through March, as against 69,827 units by Maruti Suzuki, as per the wholesale numbers released by companies. However, Maruti Suzuki took the top slot in the segment with sales of 264,197 units for the fiscal year, and again in April. Shashank Srivastava, executive director (sales and marketing) at Maruti Suzuki, said sales of the Vitara Brezza at the retail level were much better than the wholesale numbers. “At a time, when even retail in the overall industry has declined, Vitara Brezza retail volumes stand at similar levels as last year. Demand for the vehicle on ground remains strong,” he said. “Indian customers not only look at the initial acquisition cost, but at the total cost of ownership which, given our extensive network, aftersales support, availability of spares, gives us an advantage over competition.” He said the company would continue to align its strategy as per customer needs to maintain its leadership position in the segment.

from Economic Times http://bit.ly/2HUGBOe
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