Passenger vehicle sales dip 19% in Nov as chip shortage woes continue: SIAM

'In the festive season, industry was hoping to make up for the lost ground, but the sales in the month of November 2021, were the lowest in seven years for passenger vehicles,' says SIAM director

Passenger vehicle sales in the country declined by 19 pc in November as the shortage of semiconductors continued to impact vehicle production and subsequent deliveries to dealers, auto industry body SIAM said on Friday.

Passenger vehicle (PV) dispatches to dealers last month stood at 2,15,626 units, down 19 per cent from 2,64,898 units in November 2020.

Similarly, total two-wheeler sales declined sharply by 34 per cent to 10,50,616 units in November, from 16,00,379 units in the year-ago period.

Motorcycle dispatches dropped to 6,99,949 units in November, as compared to 10,26,705 units in the same month last year.

Scooter dispatches stood at 3,06,899 units last month, as against 5,02,561 units in the same period last year.

Total three-wheeler dispatches stood at 22,471 units, down 7 per cent from 24,071 units in November 2020.

Total automobile sales across categories dropped to 12,88,759 units last month, as against 18,89,348 units in the year-ago period.

"Industry continues to face headwinds due to global semiconductor shortage. In the festive season, industry was hoping to make up for the lost ground, but the sales in the month of November 2021, were the lowest in seven years for passenger vehicles, the lowest in 11 years for two-wheelers and the lowest in 19 years for three-wheelers," Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Director General Rajesh Menon said in a statement.

Amidst the rising threat of Omicron, the new COVID variant, industry is proactively ensuring employee safety and monitoring any supply chain hiccups, he added.

In November, passenger vehicle market leader Maruti Suzuki India's dispatches declined to 1,09,726 units, as compared with 1,35,775 units in November 2020.

Similarly, Hyundai Motor India saw its dispatches dip to 37,001 units last month, as against 48,800 units in the year-ago period.