Production loss of around 15% due to Chennai floods: SIAM

Says December sales will be substantially impacted as production has taken a hit

Domestic auto industry has taken a production hit of around 15% due to unprecedented rains in Tamil Nadu as operations of various automakers, including BMW, Ford and Hyundai, were hit during the period.

"It's my guess that there would be a production loss of around 10-15% due to Chennai rains as a number of automakers have their plants around the city," SIAM Director General Vishnu Mathur told reporters here.

Vehicle production would be hit as operations of various auto component manufacturers were also hit during the period due to heavy rains, he added.

"December sales would be substantially impacted as production has taken a hit. It would at least take a month for the automakers to regain their proper production levels," Mathur said.

Niche bike maker Royal Enfield has suffered a production loss of 11,200 motorcycles due to heavy rains and flooding in Chennai.

Other automobile firms, including Hyundai, Ford and Renault had also suspended operations at their respective plants in and around the city due to flooding caused by the heaviest rainfall in Chennai in over a century.