Hero sells 6-lakh-plus for third month in Oct

While two-wheeler makers saw some growth in sales during the month of October, many car makers did not report a blockbuster performance.

In the two-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp continued selling six-lakh-plus units consecutively for the last three months and recorded sales of 6.63 lakh units in October, up four per cent against 6.40 lakh units in the corresponding month last year.

‘Pulsar’-maker Bajaj Auto sold 2.13 lakh motorcycles during the month, a five per cent growth year-on-year as compared with 2.02 lakh units in October 2015.

Tamil Nadu-based TVS Motor recorded double-digit growth by selling around 3.09 lakh units (12 per cent up year -on-year) in October compared with around 2.75 lakh units in October last year. India Yamaha Motor also recorded 22 per cent growth at 86,428 units during the month, as against 70,812 units in October last year.

In the passenger vehicle segment, while companies such as Renault India, Volkswagen India and Nissan India reported exponential growth (because of the low base), companies such as Ford India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Honda Cars India reported decline in sales year-on-year. Renault India sold 12,409 units during the month, up 68 per cent, as against 7,396 units in October 2015. However, Ford India and Honda Cars India reported more than 20 per cent decline in sales year-on-year. “As we look for the industry momentum to sustain, Ford remains committed to its strategy of product led innovation, a differentiated customer experience, and breaking the myth on our cost of ownership,” Anurag Mehrotra, Executive Director, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford India, said.

However, home-grown Mahindra & Mahindra’s sales jumped three per cent to 24,737 units last month compared with 24,060 units in October last year. “Some of our power brands such as the Bolero, Scorpio, TUV300 and the Pickups have performed well. We have expanded our electric vehicle portfolio (zero emissions) over the last one month by adding the eSupro range and the e2oPlus. We hope to see the growth momentum continue for the remaining part of the year,” Pravin Shah, President and Chief Executive (Automotive), M&M, said. The commercial vehicle segment also showed mixed trend during the month.