Passenger car sales up 9.48% in September: SIAM

Three-wheeler, two-wheeler sales down 13% and 1%, respectively

The festive season coupled with lower fuel prices gave a boost last month to domestic passenger car sales which grew by 9.48 percent, industry data showed on Friday.

According to data furnished by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), passenger car sales during September stood at 169,590 units against 154,898 units in the like month of the previous year.

The data revealed that the total passenger vehicle sales, which includes cars, utility vehicles and vans, went up by 3.84 percent to 232,167 units from 223,584 units sold in September, 2014.

However, sales of utility vehicles fell by 8.56 percent to 48,464 units. The offtake of vans, too, receded by 10.1 percent to 14,113 units.

The industry data for last month showed a 12.07 percent growth in the overall commercial vehicles segment sales, which is a key indicator of economic activity.

The commercial vehicles segment offtake for September stood at 62,845 units from 56,078 units sold during the corresponding month of 2014.

On the other hand, sales of three-wheelers receded by 13.04 percent in the month under review at 49,524 units from 56,078 units sold in September of 2014.

A downward trend was also seen in the sales of two-wheelers last month. Two-wheelers sales slipped by 1.06 percent to 1,537,137 units from 1,553,608 units sold in the like month of 2014.

Bucking the trend for the two-wheeler industry, scooter off-take in September was up 6.54 percent at 462,341 units. However, motorcycle sales plunged by 21.20 percent at 54,559 units.

Exports for the month under review were higher by 3.54 percent at 343,125 units sold abroad from 331,397 units shipped out during September, 2014.

Notwithstanding sales abroad, total automobile sales in September were marginally lower by 0.45 percent at 1,881,673 units from 1,890,218 units sold in the corresponding month of 2014.