NEW DELHI (Dow Jones)--Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., India’s largest automaker by sales, posted a fifth straight rise in monthly vehicle sales in May as it sold more Ritz and A-Star small cars.

Sales grew 16% to 79,872 vehicles from 69,001 a year earlier, the Indian unit of Suzuki Motor Corp. said.
Local sales increased 10% to 70,785 vehicles, while exports surged 87% to 9,087 vehicles.
Maruti produces 12 car and sport-utility vehicle models at factories in the northern state of Haryana.
The company introduced the Ritz, its seventh small car model, in May amid intensifying competition from auto makers such as Hyundai Motor Co. and General Motors Corp.
Among the models, sales of Alto, Wagon, Zen, Swift, A-Star and Ritz small cars gained 21% in May to 53,760 vehicles. Sales of the SX4 and Swift Dzire sedans grew 14% to 6,782 units.
However, sales of the entry-level M800 car slid 66% to 2,336 units.
In the two-wheeler segment, Hero Honda Motors Ltd., the nation’s biggest motorcycle maker by sales, posted a 22.5% rise in May sales at 382,678 vehicles, compared with 312,317 a year earlier.
Hero Honda, the Indian affiliate of Honda Motor Co., produces motorcycles such as the Karizma and Hunk at three factories in Haryana.
Anil Dua, senior vice president in charge of marketing and sales at Hero Honda, attributed the growth in May sales to the introduction of new products, expansion of the sales network and forays into new markets.
“Going forward, we will therefore also keep up our relentless effort to reach out to customers spread across the semi-urban and upcountry markets,” Mr. Dua said.
Scooter and motorcycle sales of TVS Motor Co., the third-ranked two-wheeler maker, increased 5.1% in May to 118,574 vehicles.
TVS’ total motorcycle sales fell 2.2% to 53,495 units in the past month, while that of scooters declined 1.9% to 22,486 units.
Exports declined 21% to 11,135 vehicles due to the global economic slowdown, the company said.
Chennai-based TVS said it will introduce a 180-cubic centimeter motorcycle, the Apache RTR, to strengthen its position in the premium motorcycle segment.