Maruti Suzuki Projects 6% Growth in Its India Sales

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. predicts its deliveries in India will expand 5%-7% in the fiscal year that begins April 1 from an estimated 1 million vehicles in the year just ending.

This year's projected volume marks a 6% gain from the period ended March 31, 2012.

Chairman R.C. Bhargava tells reporters that Maruti's growth next year will come from diesel-powered cars. He forecasts a 16% sales jump in that segment to 465,000 vehicles.

In the current fiscal year, India's auto market is expected to post its first decline in more than a decade in the current fiscal year, dragged down by the country's sluggish economy, high interest rates and steep gasoline prices.

Maruti doesn't expect that trend to change in the coming 12 months, Bhargava says.