Kolkata, Oct 17 (IANS): Maruti Suzuki, India's top car manufacturer, is eyeing a 10 percent sales growth in the second half of the current fiscal, backed by the refurbished design of its best-selling model Alto and festive season sales.
The auto major, which was hit by massive labour unrest at its Manesar plant in Haryana, posted flat sales during April to September, the first six months of the financial year, as petrol prices rose. Most of Maruti's top models are petrol-fuelled.
The company, however, expects that the availability of its diesel vehicles would be better when production at Manesar plant "returns to normal" by November this year.
"In the first half (of 2012-13) sales were flat. As the festive season is coming, we expect the volumes (of sales) would be better. Our expectation is that in the second half, the growth will be 10 percent," Maruti Suzuki India Ltd vice president (parts and accessories) Amitava Roy told reporters here Tuesday evening.
"Overall, we will be able to grow about five percent in the financial year," Roy said.
Maruti, however, had earlier projected 10 percent sales growth for the entire fiscal.
The firm sold a total of 11,33,695 cars in 2011-12.
Roy was in the city to unveil Alto 800, the new form of its biggest-selling small car.
Produced at the company's Gurgaon facility, the new car will be available in petrol and CNG variants.
Although the country's passenger cars industry is currently being driven by diesel vehicles, the auto maker expects that the new small car would create "a lot of excitement" among customers.
According to Roy, the car is expected to be launched in international markets by the end of the year.
He said that the car manufacturer, in the process of pushing up the availability of diesel cars in the domestic market, was aiming to sell 4,00,000 diesel units this year.
"Now with the Manesar plant coming to play, we should be able to produce more diesel cars. At Manesar, we are currently producing 1,400 vehicles per day. By the end of October, I think it would be about 1,500 units. And in November, it would be about 1,800 units. Then the availability of diesel cars will be better," he said.
The riot-hit plant earlier used to make 1,700 vehicles a day, Roy said.