Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), the country’s second largest car manufacturer and the largest passenger car exporter, registered an overall 55.7% growth for the month of December, 2008. The domestic sales grew by 19.3% and exports saw a healthy jump of 96.8% over the current month last year.

HMIL’s total sales for December 2008 stood at 38,402 units. The domestic market accounted for 15,602 units, compared to 13,078 units for the same month last year while the exports totaled 22,800 units in December ‘08, against 11,586 units of December ‘07.

Commenting on HMIL’s 2008 performance Arvind Saxena, Sr. Vice President - Marketing and Sales, HMIL said, “Since the last quarter of 2008 the market situation has become extremely challenging. We at HMIL have fared better as we have a strong line up of products in the compact segment which has kept our sales steady. A combination of factors like innovative schemes, established products and a large network is what has helped Hyundai in these difficult times.”

HMIL registered a 49.6% overall growth for the year ending December, 2008 as compared to calendar year 2007. The cumulative sales for 2008 stood at 489,328 units with the domestic markets accounting for 245,397 units which is a growth of 22.4 % over calendar year 2007’s 200,421 units. In the overseas HMIL grew by a healthy 92.5%. The 2008 exports stood at 243,931 units against 126,749 units for 2007. HMIL accounts for around 78% of the total exports for passenger cars from India.

The segment-wise cumulative sales in the month of December, 2008 are as follows: A2 Segment (Santro, i10, Getz & i20) 37,320 units; A3 Segment (Accent & Verna) 1078 units; units, A5 Segment (Sonata Embera) 2 units; and SUV Segment (Tucson) 2 units.

In yet another first mover initiative, India's leading car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited has announced "Fuel Economy Consumer Information" of its full range of 12 brands at the company's dealerships from today onwards.

"The 'voluntary disclosure of fuel economy' is a proactive measure undertaken by the company in customer interest. The fuel economy figures obtained in tests by premier automobile research institutions emphasize Maruti Suzuki's overall leadership in making highly fuel efficient cars. It would enable customers to make an informed choice when purchasing a car in the market¿ said Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), at its Annual Convention held in New Delhi in September 2008, had announced a Voluntary Labeling Program for all member companies to make a voluntary disclosure of fuel efficiency by end of March 2009. Maruti Suzuki is implementing the program on the first day of the New Year.

Maruti Suzuki has got its complete range of 12 brands tested at the three government approved test agencies: ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) Pune; VRDE (Vehicles Research and Development Establishment) Ahmednagar and ICAT (International Centre of Automotive Technology) Manesar. The test results are as under:

Model	Company	Segment	Fuel	Certified Km per Litre
M800	Maruti Suzuki	A1	Petrol	16.1
Omni	Maruti Suzuki	C	Petrol	16.9
VERSA	Maruti Suzuki	C	Petrol	12.7
Alto	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	18.1
Zen Estilo	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	17.3
Wagon R	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	17.0
A Star	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	19.6
Swift Diesel	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Diesel	21.0
Swift Petrol	Maruti Suzuki	A2	Petrol	15.9
Dzire Petrol	Maruti Suzuki	A3	Petrol	15.9
Dzire Diesel	Maruti Suzuki	A3	Diesel	21.0
SX4	Maruti Suzuki	A3	Petrol	15.0
Gypsy	Maruti Suzuki	MUV	Petrol	11.3
Grand Vitara	Maruti Suzuki	MUV	Petrol	11.2

The Fuel Consumption Consumer Information labels displayed alongside the car models in the showrooms would prominently show the test result of fuel efficiency obtained under standard test conditions at the above mentioned test agencies. Maruti Suzuki started the public announcement of fuel efficiency in November 2008, when it announced an extraordinary high fuel efficiency of 19.59 kilometer per litre (petrol), for the A-star. The fuel efficiency for A-star is the highest amongst Maruti Suzuki's own range of petrol cars and could well be the highest in A2 segment petrol cars in the industry. The fuel efficiency of Swift Diesel and Swift Dzire Diesel at 21 kms to a litre of diesel, could also be best amongst the diesel cars in the industry. Keeping a focus on consumer awareness while implementing the voluntary disclosure of fuel economy information across network of over 600 sales outlets in the country, the company has taken a number of initiatives. The company has made an educational Audio Visual film for customers. The film communicates those factors that help in increasing fuel efficiency. The film also explains the test procedures adopted to arrive at the fuel efficiency of a car. At the same time, the company has conducted a comprehensive training programme across country for its 14,000 strong dealer sales force. Through this training, the sales force has been equipped with necessary information that a customer may seek on issues related with fuel efficiency.

About Standard Test Conditions:

The approved agencies conduct tests on all the cars under "standard test conditions". Amongst many parameters, the "standard test conditions" include: 2 persons in the car, AC switched-off; Standard (non-adulterated) fuel; gear changes in a predetermined pattern and at predetermined acceleration levels; standard air pressure in the tyres, wind speed etc. As the "standard test conditions" during tests at the certification agency are identical for all vehicles, irrespective of manufacturer, the customer will able to make correct comparisons of fuel efficiency, across car models.

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited sold 56,293 vehicles in December 2008. This includes 4,264 units of exports.

The company had sold a total of 62,515 vehicles in December 2007.

During the month, Maruti Suzuki's sales volume in the domestic A3 segment went up by 98 per cent.

The sales figures for December 2008 are given below:

Segment	Models	In December			Till December			April'07 - March'08
		2008	2007	% Change	2008-09	2007-08	% Change
A1	M800	2907	7190	-59.6	37307	51985	-28.2	69553
C	Omni, Versa	5350	8034	-33.4	56527	65559	-13.8	89729
A2	Alto, Wagon-R, Zen, Swift, A-star	36831	39575	-6.9	358751	367395	-2.4	499280
A3	SX4, Dzire, Esteem*	6524	3291	98.2	52700	36902	42.8	49335
Total Passenger Cars		51612	58090	-11.2	505285	521841	-3.2	707897
MUV	Grand Vitara *, Gypsy	417	311	34.1	5374	2792	92.5	3921
Domestic		52029	58401	-10.9	510659	524633	-2.7	711818
Export		4264	4114	3.6	44870	37990	18.1	53024
Total Sales		56293	62515	-10.0	555529	562623	-1.3	764842