Leading carmakers Maruti Suzuki (MSI) and Hyundai Motor reported a dip in vehicle dispatches from factories to dealers in April this year over production issues because of supply chain challenges.

Tata Motors, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Skoda Auto on the other hand witnessed a robust growth in vehicle dispatches last month. The country’s largest carmaker MSI said its domestic sales slipped 7 per cent to 1,32,248 units as against 1,42,454 units in April 2021.

Sales of mini cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, fell 32 per cent to 17,137 units compared to 25,041 in the same month last year.

In the compact car segment, sales of models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire slumped 18 per cent to 59,184 units against 72,318 in April 2021.However, utility vehicle sales, including Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga, rose 33 per cent to 33,941 units compared with 25,484 vehicles in the year-ago month, MSI said.

“The shortage of electronic components had a minor impact on the production of vehicles, mainly domestic models,” the auto major stated.

Rival Hyundai Motor India reported a 10 per cent dip in wholesales last month at 44,001 units last month, against 49,002 units in April 2021.

Similarly, Honda Cars India Ltd reported a 13 per cent year-on-year decline in domestic wholesales to 7,874 units for April.

“The customer sentiment continues to show improvement and positivity, which is reflected in strong demand. However, the supply chain issues remain a challenge for the industry, which is impacting the ability to meet the growing demand,” HCIL director (marketing and sales) Yuichi Murata said.

The automaker is hopeful that the situation improves sooner than later so that the demand-supply equation can be more balanced, he added.