Japanese bike makers rack up high sales; Indians stutter

Sales figures for the month of March are out and it doesn’t paint a bright picture for the Indian two-wheeler market. Honda and its Japanese sibling Yamaha are the only two major two-wheeler makers to have registered a growth in sales figures while domestic manufacturers like Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj and TVS have recorded a slide. 

The Gainers:

Honda:

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), which has set a target of becoming the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in our country within the next three years, recorded a 15 per cent growth for the month of March. Honda sold 2,52,773 units in March 2013 compared to 2,20,487 units in the corresponding period last year. The Japan based two-wheeler manufacturer has registered an impressive 47 per cent growth in sales of motorcycles with 1,20,738 units sold compared to 82,353 units last year. Honda, which has recently updated its scooter range with HET technology registered a growth of 18 per cent in scooters with 14,62,962 units sold. Also Read: Honda updates its scooter range

Yamaha:

India Yamaha Motor (IYM) recorded a 20.5 per cent increase in sales in March 2013 with 50,473 units delivered compared to 41,886 units in the same month last year. Domestic sales for the Japan-based company stood at 35,782 units, a rise of 20 per cent while exports climbed 21.75 per cent to14,691 units. Also Read: Yamaha FZ range updated with new colour options

The Losers:

Hero MotoCorp:

March wasn’t a good month for the country’s largest two-wheeler maker with the company reporting a 11.36 per cent decline in sales. Hero sold 4,68,283 units in March 2013 as against 5,28,290 units in the corresponding month last year. Sales for the 2012-13 financial year also went down 2 per cent in comparison to last financial year. 

Hero MotoCorp’s sales have taken a beating ever since its tie-up with Honda ended in 2011, whereas its erstwhile partner has climbed the sales chart consistently in a bid to dislodge the Indian two-wheeler giant from the top spot. Hero had recently launched the Passion XPro in the commuter segment hasn’t done any wonders as far as sales are concerned. Related: Hero MotoCorp launches new Passion XPro

Anil Dua, Senior Vice President (Marketing and Sales) said: "Indian auto industry faced acute slowdown in FY13. It continues to reel under the adversities of persistent inflation, firm interest rates, rising fuel prices and negative consumer sentiment. Going forward, we have planned new launches, new campaigns, capacity addition and network expansion to boost the sentiment of the domestic industry and accelerate growth.” 

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Bajaj Auto:

Bajaj Auto, which is in a constant tussle with Honda for the No.2 position, suffered a blow with sales of its two-wheelers slumping by 10 per cent. The Chakan-based manufacturer sold 3.01 lakh units in March 2013 compared with 3.35 lakh units in the corresponding month last year. Exports, too, which had been going strong, dropped by 6 per cent with 1.01 lakh units shipped. Bajaj’s recent launches include the Discover 100T in the commuter segment, which should hopefully help the company notch up sales going forward. Also Read: Bajaj Discover 100T : First Ride

TVS Motor:

TVS reported a 8.18 per cent slump in sales with 1,62,507 units sold in March compared to 1,80,274 units in the same month last year. Scooter sales also fell with 29,261 units sold in March 2013 compared to 39,395 units in the corresponding month last year. However, there was good news for TVS on the exports front, as it managed to dispatch 23,342 units compared to 20,690 units in March 2012 to record a growth of 12.8 per cent. TVS had recently launched the Phoenix in the 125cc segment though the bike hasn’t resurrect the company’s sales. Also Read: TVS Phoenix 125 : Road Test

Sales in the two-wheeler segment have plummeted from the start of the year and according to industry this trend of negative growth will continue in the near future.