With the semiconductor situation improving, automobile companies have reported growth in their wholesale (dispatches to dealers) numbers in August on a yearly basis — this is not just for passenger vehicle (PV) sales but also two-wheelers and commercial vehicles (CVs).
In the PV segment, market leader Maruti Suzuki reported 30 per cent year-on-year growth in domestic sales at 1,34,166 units in August, compared to 1,03,187 units in same month last year.
Similarly, Hyundai Motor India reported a year-on-year growth of 6 per cent at 49,510 units and Tata Motors witnessed 68 per cent growth at 47,166 units. Tata Motors has also grown multi-fold in its electric vehicle sales at 3,845 units during the month, against 1,022 units in the corresponding month last year.
According to industry veterans, the semi-conductor shortage started hitting hard in August last year and has gradually improved over the last few months.
“Industry numbers for August is 3,29,300 units in PVs, against last year’s number of 2,60,450 units, which is 26.4 per cent year-on-year. For April-August, the total number of PVs is 15.82 lakh units, against around 12 lakh units last year. So, April-August growth number is around 31 per cent year-on-year, which is fairly a healthy growth because we have touched more than 15 lakh units in the first five months of this financial year,” Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, MSIL, told reporters here.
He said the first half of this year should end with 18.5-19 lakh units in the PV segment, and the indication is that the annual number would be around 37 lakh units against last year’s sales of around 30.68 lakh units, a growth of around 21 per cent.
Utility vehicles maker Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) reported a year-on-year growth of 87 per cent at 29,852 units last month, compared to 15,973 units in August 2021.
“The supply chain situation continues to remain dynamic for select product lines and we are taking appropriate actions to minimise impact,” said Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, M&M.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Kia India and Skoda Auto also recorded a healthy growth during the month. However, Honda Cars India and MG Motor India reported a decline in sales on a yearly basis, as volatility in supply chains continues to cause many production challenges.
“The demand momentum continues to be strong which is very encouraging and positive for the auto industry as we enter the festive season. On the supply side, however, we continue to face hurdles arising out of global chip shortage which is affecting our production volumes,” said Yuichi Murata, Director, Marketing and Sales, Honda Cars India.
In the two-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp reported a year-on-year growth of around five per cent at 4,50,740 units in August, compared to 4,31,137 units in the same month of the previous year. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India also reported a year-on-year growth of five per cent.
Other companies, including TVS Motor, Royal Enfield and Bajaj Auto reported a higher double-digit growth in their monthly sales in August.
Similarly, in the CV and tractor segments, companies recorded healthy growth in the sales during the month.