Sales of two-wheeler remain robust, too

Sales of motorcycles and scooters remained robust in October. Hero Honda Motors, the country’s biggest two-wheeler maker, recorded its highest monthly sales on the back of strong festive season demand.

For October, Hero Honda Motors reported total dispatches of 505,553 units, 43 per cent more than 354,156 units in the same period last year. Dispatches are the numbers of vehicles, which leave the company factory gate. It does not mean confirmed sales.

In the last six months, the company has launched six models, comprising new, variants and refreshes, with additions done to the top selling Splendor and Passion.

Anil Dua, senior vice-president (marketing and sales), Hero Honda Motors, said, “A refreshed product range, coupled with innovative branding and marketing initiatives, particularly revolving around the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010, can duly be attributed to this success. Going forward, we are hopeful of continuing the momentum.”

Chennai-based TVS Motors, the country's third-largest two-wheeler maker, posted robust domestic sales. It sold 173,771 units, a rise of 46.5 per cent over 118,563 units sold in the year-ago period. The second-largest manufacturer of automatic scooters reported a rise of 58 per cent in scooter sales at 44,659 units. It sold 84,233 units of motorcycles and the rest are mopeds.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), a subsidiary of Honda Motors, Japan, and also India's fourth-largest two-wheeler company, posted total sales of 148,861 units, an increase of 148 per cent over 60,055 units sold in the year-ago period.

The company sold 68,332 units of motorcycle, a rise of 215 per cent, while the growth in scooter sales stood at 110 per cent at 80,529 units. HMSI is the market leader in the scooter segment.

Meanwhile, sales of India Yamaha Motors stood at 31,791 units in the domestic market, an increase of 18 per cent over the same month last year. It had sold 26,879 units in October 2009.

Koji Arai, director - sales and marketing, India Yamaha Motor, said, “We are overwhelmed with the encouraging response we have been receiving for our premium segment bikes such as YZF-R15 and FZ series. Our recently-launched SZ models and entry-level bikes — YBR 125 and YBR 110 — have also been acknowledged in the market and have boosted our sales. We are trying our level best to fulfill the huge orders and meet the expectations.”

Mahindra 2 Wheelers, the newly set-up two-wheeler company of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group, reported three-fold rise in sales at 21,204 units, compared to 6,804 units sold in the same month last year. The company witnessed sales of 2,664 units of Stallio, which went on sale last month.