Car exports from India remained flat in FY14 at 5.5 lakh units: SIAM

HMIL recorded a 10% drop to 2,33,260 cars from 2,59,811 units in 2012-13

Reflecting the woes of the Indian automobile industry, the country's car exports remained flat at 5,50,466 units in 2013-14, during which domestic sales fell for the second consecutive year.

Car exports stood at 5,47,222 units in 2012-13, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) and Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), two of the biggest car exporters, posted a decline in shipments, while overseas sales by Nissan Motor India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Volkswagen India increased.

HMIL, India's largest car exporter, recorded a 10.21% drop to 2,33,260 cars from 2,59,811 units in 2012-13.

Exports by MSIL, the country's largest car maker, fell 16% to 99,832 units from 1,18,857 units.

Europe, the biggest market for compact cars from India, is still recovering from a slump, while regulatory issues in countries including Algeria and Sri Lanka also affected shipments.

Japanese car maker Nissan's exports rose 17.32% to 1,16,113 units in 2013-14 from 98,971 units earlier.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor's exports of passenger cars rose 16.31% to 27,266 units, while Volkswagen posted an almost four-fold increase in shipments to 32,588 cars.

Domestic car sales in FY14 fell to 17,86,899 units from 18,74,055 units in 2012-13, according to SIAM.

On the positive side, two-wheeler exports from India grew 6.52% to 20,83,938 units in 2013-14 from 19,56,378 units in 2012-13.

Motorcycle exports rose 6.48% to 19,82,755 units, while scooter shipments were up 3.15% to 93,931 units.

Bajaj Auto exported 13,23,173 motorcycles, an increase of 2.31%, while Hero MotoCorp's overseas sales declined 17.05% to 1,13,238 units in 2013-14.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) exported 1,11,710 units, up 7.65% from the previous financial year.

India Yamaha's exports stood at 1,93,129 units, up 45.8%.

In the scooter segment, HMSI exported 51,932 units, up 20.85%, while Hero MotoCorp's exports declined 28.55% to 17,525 units.

Chennai-based TVS Motor Company dispatched 18,693 units to foreign locations an increase of 7.62%.