Automobile companies ended the year on a high note, registering a strong double-digit growth in the month of March compared to the same period last year as rural demand continued to grow. Sales were also robust due to festivals like Gudi Padwa and Navratri, when people generally prefer to make their bookings.

Sales for India’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki, grew by 16 per cent in the month, thanks to strong demand for its new Swift, which has crossed 1,00,000 bookings since bookings opened in January. Sales have also risen due to demand for its compact SUV Vitara Brezza which helped the company’s utility vehicle sales grow by 24 per cent in the month year-on-year.

Sales of mini segment cars, including Alto and WagonR, witnessed a 21.1 per cent jump to 37,511 units during the month under review, from 30,973 units in March 2017. Exports in March this year were up 2.1 per cent to 12,016 units as compared to 11,764 units in the same month last year, the firm said.

Tata Motors’ passenger vehicle sales in the month grew by 31 per cent in the month, owing to robust sales of its compact SUV Nexon.

Domestic sales of Tata Motors’ commercial vehicles grew by 37 per cent to 49,174 units in March, as compared to 35,876 units in the same month previous year. The company saw a healthy growth despite the high base which was due to discounting seen last year in March as the government had banned the sale of BS III vehicles from April 1.

Among two-wheeler makers, Hero MotoCorp crossed the 75 lakh units sales mark in 2017-18 fiscal, becoming the first ever entity to achieve such a feat globally, a company official said. The company had sold 66.6 lakh bikes and scooters in 2016-17.