Indian Bikes Sales Figures for July 2009

Continuing with our monthly report of the sales figures of Indian bikes, here we present the consolidated results for the month of July 2009. July has been the month which could safely be called as the best month for the Indian two wheeler industry after the black clouds of recession. All the manufacturers performed well and the momentum definitely seems to be picking up. Let’s see how well the respective companies performed figurewise.

Hero Honda: The leader of the industry for a long time now, continues its dominance with a huge gap. They reported an impressive 30.39 percent rise in sales compared to July 2008. Hero Honda sold 3,66,808 motorcycles compared to 2,81,317 sold in July 2008.  The company reported a huge jump of 83.28 percent in its net profit at Rs. 500.11 crore for the previous quarter ended June 30. Net profit for the first quarter for the last fiscal was at Rs 272.87 crore.

With a domestic market share of more than 59 percent, Hero Honda is in the strongest position in the history of Indian market claimed Pawan Munjal, CEO and MD of Hero Honda . With each passing month the strength of the brand gets even stronger and with the company’s concentration on volume selling models, it is expected to just grow bigger. Forthcoming launches expected from the company are ultra low cost 75cc and 110cc fuel efficient bikes which would be priced at Rs. 20,000 along with the much touted upgrade for Karizma.

Bajaj Auto: After some dismal sales for the past few months, July was easily the best month for Bajaj. The company reported almost a negligible drop in sales. Bajaj sold a total of 1,92,835 vehicles this month as compared to 1,93,704 sold in July 08 with a positive change in the total vehicles exported which stood at 68,585 units in July 09 as compared to 67,253 units last July. Individually, Bajaj sold 1,68,163 motorcycles compared to 1,68,836 sold last July and a total of 1,68,731 two wheelers against 169,971 in July 08. With some good results coming their way, Bajaj announced an increase in their Pulsar’s production capacity to 50,000 bikes per month last month. This month, owing to good sale figures and good future prospects along with some dashing recent bikes in the market, Bajaj has announced an increase of domestic motorcycle production by about 25 percent in the forthcoming months.

Bajaj reported that they sold about 10,000 units of the latest 100cc Discover DTS-Si already which was launched on 17 July 2009 and the plans for August are close to 20,000 units. It also reported that with some fantastic launches recently Bajaj has been able to match their year on year sales for the first time after the downturn last year. The company is also expected to launch a new entry level commuter bike along with Avenger getting the 220cc DTSi engine from the Pulsar 220 DTSi, though there is still no word on the launch of the much awaited Kawasaki Ninja 250R.

TVS Motors: Standing third in terms of motorcycle sales in India is the Chennai based TVS Motor Company which posted a 2 percent increase in July 2009. TVS sold 1,20,994 units as against 1,18,545 units sold during the same month last year. If we talk about the domestic sales, TVS sold 1,07,883 units in July 09 as compared to 1,02,530 units in July 2008 registering a 5 percent growth in sales.

Due to a strong demand for the recently launched Apache RTR 180 and Flame SR 125, motorcycles contributed the majority of sales contributing 42,998 units in July 09 but were lower than July 08 wherein the company sold 54,042 units. With the recent launch of TVS Scooty Streak, which contributed a significant part to the overall scooter sales, the total scooter sales increased by a healthy 15 percent with 27,673 units in July 09 compared to 24,156 units sold during July 08. Contrary to the case of Bajaj (where exports have become stable), TVS reported a drop in sales selling 13,061 units of two wheelers in July 2009 against 16,015 units sold in July 08. Forthcoming launches from TVS are expected to be concentrated on the entry level commuter segment and scooters along with a powerful bike.

HMSI: Honda seems to be on a rampage with both of its arms registering impressive growth over the last few months. HMSI recorded its highest ever monthly sales of 1,12,855 units, compared to the 85,343 units sold during the same month last year which included domestic and exports marking an impressive hike of 32.24 percent in total sales. The newly revamped Activa seems to be spreading the same magic as its earlier predecessor did which helped HMSI sell 67,107 units of scooters with Aviator and Dio also adding a bit to the overall pie. Last July, this figure stood at 57,620 units. Motorcycle sales rose to a new high of 45,748 units compared to the 27,723 units sold in July 08, which were a significant 65 percent higher than July 08.

Combined sales of Hero Honda and HMSI were close to 4.8 lakh units which clearly indicate the sort of a premium and trust the biggest brand in the world commands in India. Future launches from HMSI are expected to be a premium 100cc bike which would help the company further in their sales.

Yamaha: It seems like Yamaha has stuck the right chord among the youth with its ultra stylish series of bikes. For many months now, they have been registering a growth in sales, negating the effect of the fact that their bikes are priced at a premium and are targeted more towards the image conscious and performance seeking crowd. This month Yamaha Motor India (IYM) reported a 46.85 percent increase in sales at 17,316 units compared with the 11,792 sold during July 08. Yamaha launched the new variant of the FZ series, the Fazer, this month along with inaugurating a new manufacturing facility at Surajpur, Uttar Pradesh. Forthcoming launches are expected to be more concentrated towards the volume and premium 125cc segments.

Suzuki: Suzuki, the youngest player in India, also recorded an impressive increase in sales of 20.35 percent this July which stood at 12,585 units compared with 10,457 units sold during July 08 majorly lead by the perfectly positioned GS150R. Scooter sales also increased where Suzuki has the 125cc Access.