Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest carmaker, released upbeat sales data on Thursday, showing a 14.2% increase in domestic sales in November. Total sales, including exports, rose 12.2%.
These are wholesale numbers – the stocks dispatched by Maruti to its dealers – not what people bought at dealerships, and therefore won’t bear any marks of demonetisation.
The main driver was utility vehicles – Vitara Brezza, Ertiga, S-Cross – whose sales boggled the mind by rising 98.1%. This more than made up for the decline in sales of the Ciaz, the mid-sized sedan that has been leading its segment.
The smaller cars – Swift, Ritz, Celerio, Baleno, and Dzire – did well with a 10.8% rise in sales. The smallest, Alto and Wagon R, held their own with a rise in sales of 8.1%.