Here we are, with the sales figure analysis for the month of September 2013. It does appear that the fervour and enthusiasm leading to the festive season has dropped quite a bit of a windfall in the kitties of the auto-manufacturers.
Every two-wheeler manufacturer has posted an upward trend. The industry as a whole seems to be moving towards a phase of heightened activity, even if it might be temporary. To get a complete picture without going into the individual details, scroll down to the end of this article.
Let us begin with the manufacturer which has been making the most of news recently-
Hero MotoCorp
After grabbing attention with their quirky designs and an even quirkier policy of enigma surrounding the product showcase events, Hero Motocorp has finally found the going a bit on the leeward side. They have reported a 15.8% growth in sales for September 2013 as compared to the same month in the previous year. The official figures denote 468,670 despatches in September 2013 as compared 404,787 despatches in September 2012.
Anil Dua, senior Vice-President, marketing and sales, Hero MotoCorp, had this to say :
“Our performance in September is a result of the strong retail growth we have reported throughout the first half of this financial year.”
We still have to see if the new, updated models can continue the trend of strong growth. For a complete coverage on the new, updated models of Hero MotoCorp, click here, here, here and here.
Honda Motorcycles
On the other hand, Hero MotoCorp’s erstwhile partner Honda is moving from strength to strength. Clearly, they are making no bones about the statement that they are gunning for the numero uno status in India. In September 2013, they have rewritten their own record books by clocking up their highest-ever monthly sales figures. They have reported 328,965 unit sales in September 2013. This is 35% higher than the figures clocked up in September 2012 ( 243,107 unit sales ).
We must remark that Honda has been very consistent in its performance, as shown by the plot above. The curve just continues to rise, as Honda betters its own figures in consecutive months. Barring a small jerk in May 2013, Honda’s record appears to be flawlessly clean. Are they really heading to dominate the Indian Two Wheeler arena??
We feel – NO, NOT YET.
Yes, they still aren’t ready to grab the mantle of leadership. Atleast not till the boffins at Chakan are alive. Bajaj Auto will continue to breathe down the neck of Honda as we hoot and cheer along. Honda’s figures might look impressive, but they are built on two planks – Scooters and Motorcycles. Of the 3,28,965 units they managed to sell off last month, 1,63,229 of them were motorcycles. The number of scooters sold stood at 1,65,736. Bajaj Auto, on the other hand Bajaj has no scooters in its portfolio, and as far as our horizon extends they have no immediate plans of reviving the rickety, old, green two-wheeler christened upon Maharana Pratap‘s war-horse.
Bajaj Auto:
Last month was an eventful one for Chakan-based Bajaj Auto. They have built upon the handsome turnaround they had posted in August 2013, and have dispatched 3,23,879 motorcycles as compared to 3,15,314 motorcycles in the same month of the previous year. The figures for September 2013 start looking imposing once you compare them against the 2,78,583 motorcycle sales for the month of August 2013. And they begin to eclipse Honda’s humongous figures once you realize that these figures are of just motorcycle sales.
Not so fast, Honda. They should look at increased fisticuffs in the lower rungs of the motorcycle market after Bajaj has launched a de-glam Discover 100M at Rs 45,996/- INR. We know that all the alphabet mix-mangling has got you confused between all Discover variants; click here and we assure the air will be cleared.
TVS Motor:
Hosur-based manufacturer TVS did quite well to jump onto the festive bandwagon. The above picture shows the new paint scheme they launched for the Apache RTR 160, alongside another new one for the Phoenix 125. Though they are quite behind the biggies of the Indian scene, they still have some credit to lap up. TVS has posted a rise of about 13%, up from 149,191 units in September 2012 to 168,598 units in September 2013.
Motorcycles grew by 30% increasing from 63,832 units in September 2012 to 83,043 units in September 2013. Scooters registered a growth of 8% increasing from 40,055 units in September 2012 to 43,201 units in the current month. We believe the latter number could soar in the coming months, thanks to the landfall of Jupiter. The scooter is targeted specifically at males, and we feel it has a good chance of replicating Honda’s sweet success, albeit on a somewhat lower scale.
Yamaha India:
Yamaha is on a swan-song, quite literally. Not because they are doing as well as they are capable of, but because it is the above model that has been doing the talking, of late. Though we don’t have access to the model-wise split-up of sales figures, the manufacturer’s emphatic tone in the Press Releases does give us a hint that the Ray-Z is the force that is steading the Yamaha ship in murky Indian waters. They have registered a growth of 53% in domestic sales during September 2013 as compared to the corresponding period last year. The company sold 46,790 units in September 2013 as against 30,638 units sold in September last year in the domestic market.
Suzuki India:
This was Suzuki’s attempt to milk the Great Indian Festive Spending Frenzy. It reeked of Salman Khan all throughout, and his maverick charisma bordering on the edges of brazenness. Nevertheless, their sales were up 9% in September 2013. The figures stood at 41,734 units in September 2013, as compared to 38,271 units in September 2012.
This was what Suzuki Motorcycle India Ltd Executive Vice President Atul Gupta stated :
“We have received a good response from the market for all our products. The growing customer satisfaction has led to positive word-of-mouth in the market. We will continue to give the best to our customers.”
Mahindra Two Wheelers:
Mahindra isn’t left sulking, too. They might be on the fringes right now, but they have been scaling up by leaps and bounds. And the medium for all that growth has been the above pictured motorcycle – Mahindra Centuro. It is powered by Mahindra’s indigenously developed intelligent MCi-5 (Micro Chip ignited-5 curve) engine and comes with some innovative features such as Anti Theft Alarm with Engine Immobiliser, an encrypted Remote Flip Key, Find Me Lamps and Guide Lamps. Mahindra Centuro also offers an advanced Digital Dashboard with a Distance–to-Empty (DTE) indicator, Service Reminder and Economy Mode indicator.
Mahindra’s sales for September 2013 stood at 19,716 units, a growth of 143% over the same month for the previous year.
Royal Enfield:
And the best one for the last!! We bet there would have been quite a few hands clapping up in a frenzy. However, there is a disappointment in store for them. We tried our level best to get our hands on the data for Royal Enfield, hoping that all the dust that had been kicked up by the Cafe Racer would have stoked a rise in sales. But unfortunately, we ran hard into an iron-curtain of determination to hide inefficiency and complacency, by masquerading them as old-world charm and majesty and what-not.
Here is the complete picture. Someone mentioned it right : A picture is worth a thousand words.
Do share your feedback on our presentation and design of the monthly sales figures article. We know the first one would be the timing and we promise, October would be earlier 🙂
