COVID-19: Maruti Suzuki Sale Takes A Hit, Sells Only 83,792 Vehicles In March

Sales of Maruti Suzuki India were severely impacted due to a halt in operations because of the nationwide lockdown.

Visitors look at the newly launched Maruti Vitara Brezza displayedat the Auto Expo 2020 at Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi on February 6, 2020. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

New Delhi, April 1: The coronavirus spread has taken a toll on the economy affecting every business sector including the automakers. In its regulatory filing, Maruti Suzuki India on Wednesday reported sales of only 83,792 vehicles in March,  due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The sales were impacted due to the halt in operations because of the nationwide lockdown. The company mentioned that its March sales figures cannot be compared on a YoY basis, due to the prevalence of extraordinary circumstances. According to the filing, the company had sold a total of 1,58,076 vehicles in March 2019. If both the figures are compared, the March 2020 sales come lower by over 47 per cent on a YoY basis. In a regulatory filing, the company said that its domestic sales during the month were recorded at 76,976 units, 47.9 per cent lower than the 1,47,613 units sold during the same period last year. The company said: "The sales during March 2020 are not comparable with sales in March 2019 due to the suspension of operations with effect from March 22nd 2020, in line with national policy." As the auto sector was in the midst of shifting to stricter emission norms, the present COVId 19 pandemic has proved to worsen their trouble. Maruti Suzuki had sold 83,792 units in March 2020 which includes 76,976 units in the domestic market, 2,104 units of domestic OEM sales and 4,712 units of exports. Its passenger vehicle sales in March declined 47.4 per cent in the domestic market, to 76,240 units. On the commercial vehicle front, only 736 units of its light commercial vehicle, Super Carry, against 2,582 units sold in March last year. The company ended FY 2019-20 with total sales of 1,563,297 units, lower by 16.1 per cent on a year-on-year basis.