Auto Sales In August 2020: Hero, Maruti, Mahindra Make The Most Of Rural Demand
Auto sales rose for the third straight month in August 2020, with segment leaders Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., Hero MotoCorp Ltd. and Mahindra Tractors setting the benchmarks for the wider industry.
Sales of Maruti Suzuki rose 17.1% year-on-year and 15.3% sequentially to 124,624 units last month. That includes 115,325 domestic shipments and 1,379 units sold to other original equipment manufacturers. Exports, however, fell 15.3% year-on-year.
Domestic sales of Hero MotoCorp rose 7.55% year-on-year to 584,456 units. That compares with the 543,406 units that India's largest two-wheeler maker sold in the year-ago period and 514,509 in the previous month.
Mahindra Tractors recorded its best-ever August sales, as shipments rose 69% over the year ago to 25,503 units. The company had sold 13,871 units in August 2019 and 25,402 units in July 2020. 955 tractors were exported.
Rural India continued to drive demand, and tractors led the revival, according to ICICI Direct. Most two- and four-wheeler makers witnessed an uptick but commercial vehicles and three-wheelers continued to lag. An early onset of the festive season (Onam, Ganesh Chaturthi) was also seen as aiding sales.
According to ICICI Securities, auto wholesales, or factory-gate shipments, will start tracking retail trends after October. Footfalls at dealerships will also determine how many vehicles are produced in a month. Financing too will be keenly watched, as the RBI’s loan repayment moratorium is now lifted.
Here's a look at the auto sales in August 2020, as reported by the companies, in annual as well as sequential basis.
Bajaj Auto Sales Dip 9% Year-On-Year In August 2020
Total sales of Bajaj Auto Ltd. fell 9% year-on-year to 3,56,199 units in August 2020. The Chakan, Pune-based two-wheeler maker had sold 390,026 units in the year-ago period and 255,832 units in July 2020.
- Domestic two-wheeler sales rose 3% year-on-year to 178,220 units.
- Two-wheeler exports fell 6% year-on-year to 142,838 units.
- Domestic three-wheeler sales fell 78% year-on-year to 7,659 units.
- Three-wheeler exports declined 7% year-on-year to 27,482 units.
While Bajaj's India sales declined 11% year-on-year to 185,879 units, it exported 6% fewer vehicles (170,320 units) compared to a year ago.
TVS Motor Sales Dip 1% Year-On-Year In August 2020
Total sales of TVS Motor Co. Ltd. fell 1% year-on-year to 287,398 units in August 2020. The Chennai-based two- and three-wheeler maker had sold 290,455 units a year ago and 252,744 in the previous month.
- Total two-wheeler sales inched up to 277,226 units from 275,851 units a year ago.
- Domestic two-wheeler sales fell 1% year-on-year to 218,338 units.
- Motorcycle sales were at 1,19,878 units, scooter sales stood at 87,044 units.
- Three-wheeler sales stood at 10,172 units as against 14,604 units a year ago.
TVS Motor said its total exports were at 68,347 units in August 2020 as against 69,702 units in the corresponding period a year ago.
Kia Sells Over 10,000 Seltos In August 2020, Even As Sonet Waits In The Wings
Sales of Kia Motors India rose 74% year-on-year to 10,845 units in August 2020, the South Korean carmaker said in a statement on Tuesday. The company had sold 6,236 units in August 2019—the first month of its operations in the country.
Now, just a year later, the sister brand of Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. claims to be among the Top 5 carmakers in India with a market share of nearly 6%.
Kia Motors, at present, sells only two models in India—the Kia Seltos SUV and the Carnival MPV. Of the 10,845 units that the company sold in August 2020, 10,655 were Seltos—making it among the best-selling sports utility vehicles in the country.
It now remains to be seen how the carmaker's latest offering, the Kia Sonet, performs. That the Compact SUV garnered over 6,500 bookings on the first day augurs well for its ride ahead.
Hero MotoCorp Sales Rise 7.55% Year-On-Year In August 2020
Domestic sales of Hero MotoCorp Ltd. rose 7.55% year-on-year to 584,456 units in August 2020. That compares with the 543,406 units that India's largest two-wheeler maker sold in the year-ago period and 514,509 in the previous month.
- Motorcycle sales rose 9.24% year-on-year to 544,656 units.
- Scooter sales fell 11.28% year-on-year to 39,798 units.
- Exports fell 18.66% year-on-year to 15,782 units.
A bulk of the two-wheeler demand came from semi-urban and rural areas of the country, Hero MotoCorp said in an exchange filing on Tuesday.
The company is also witnessing "strong retail offtake". Its latest product—the Xtreme 160R—has "received very positive feedback" and increased the company’s market share in the premium segment.
Still, the Pawan Munjal-led firm is cautious. It expects the upward sales trajectory to hold its line in the coming months due to several favourable factors—the upcoming festive season, increasing consumer confidence and continued policy support.
Toyota Kirloskar Sales Dip 48% To 5,555 units In August 2020
Sales of Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. fell 48.08% year-on-year to 5,555 vehicles in August 2020. The company had sold 10,701 units a year ago and 5,386 units in July 2020.
"We began August with a lot of apprehensions due to the skewed rise in covid positive cases in Karnataka and throughout the country. It had a resultant impact on both the demand and supply scenarios," Naveen Soni, vice president-sales and service at Toyota Kirloskar said in a statement.
But the carmaker witnessed an increase in for most models in the past month.
"However, supplying vehicles from our end (to dealers) posed as a challenge due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Bangalore and its surrounding areas, where most of our workforces reside,” Soni said. “This even led us to ramp down production to single shift...to ensure that we are taking all measures to safeguard the health and safety of our employees.”
More than half the infected workers have recovered completely and are reporting back to work, he said. "This has helped us immensely in inching up supplies so as to be able to cater to the increasing demand of our customers.