New Delhi, June 1 : A 39 percent dip in sales of Indian car major Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL)'s bread and butter model - the 800 - was the highlight of its May sales chart that saw a four percent overall fall in car sales.

In all, MUL sold 42,286 vehicles in May 2005, including 2280 units for export, compared to 44,212 vehicles sold in the corresponding period last year, according to data released Wednesday.

While MUL sold 10,016 Maruti 800s in the corresponding month of the previous year, it could only push 6,116 cars of the model this May.

A strong showing in the A2 segment that comprises four models - the Zen, Alto, Wagon R and the newly launched Swift - saw MUL make up the numbers.

This segment accounts for 65.37 percent of MUL's passenger car sales pie chart in the domestic market. The company sold 26,030 A2 segment cars in May 2005 as compared to 21,137 in May last year.

The launch of the new model Swift, which sold 2,981 units, had much to do with the 23 percent boost in sales in the segment.

The mid-level passenger car segment, however, showed healthy growth with 2,236 units sold during the period - a jump of 48 percent.

The export and multi-utility vehicle (MUV) segments took a nosedive with a drop of 63 percent and 42 percent, respectively.

In the domestic market, MUL sold 40,006 units, comprising 94.6 percent of its overall sales and marking an increase of five percent.


(IANS)