Auto companies report robust September sales

Several automobile majors, including Hero MotoCorp, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India and Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), on Tuesday reported healthy sales growth for September.

Two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp's sales during September surpassed the "seven-lakh-sales-mark" which is the highest for any month. It despatched 720,739 units last month from 674,961 units sold during the corresponding month of last year.

"With close to three weeks still remaining in the festival season, we have set an all-time record by selling over a million motorcycles and scooters in domestic retail sales in the festive period so far, further consolidating our market leadership," said Ashok Bhasin, Head of Sales, Marketing and Customer Care with Hero MotoCorp.

Similarly, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India sales rose to 601,998 units from 568,753 units sold last September. The company's domestic sales stood at 569,888 units, while exports grew to 32,110 units.

Automobile major M&M reported a 16 per cent rise in its monthly sales for September. It sold 53,663 units, from an off-take of 46,130 units during the corresponding month of 2016.

The company's domestic sales grew by 19 per cent to 50,456 vehicles as against 42,545 vehicles sold during September 2016, whereas exports declined by 11 per cent, with only 3,207 units shipped out during last month, down from 3,585 units sold abroad in September 2016.

"The auto industry has witnessed a buoyant demand in September leading up to the festive season. This upsurge has been witnessed both in urban and rural markets," said Rajan Wadhera, President, Automotive Sector, M&M.

Commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland's September sales were up 28 per cent to 15,370 units from 12,052 units sold during the corresponding month of last year.

However, Ford India's combined domestic wholesales and exports in September dropped to 16,525 vehicles from 22,590 vehicles sold in the same month last year.

"New model launch planning along with ongoing constraints in supply chain continued to impact our wholesale in September," said Anurag Mehrotra, President and Managing Director, Ford India.

"We believe these should be addressed by fourth quarter helping us move back into the growth trajectory."

--IANS

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