Two-wheeler sales round-up - April 2022
Through the month of April, acute inconsistency in semi-conductor supplies due to the war in Europe continued to affect two-wheeler manufacturers domestic and exports sales figures. Some manufacturers, like Royal Enfield, managed to cope with the shortage while Hero Electric didn't register a single sale. Here's a look at how some manufacturers in India began the new financial year with some domestic and export vehicle sales figures.
Ather was definitely off to a flyer this financial year, registering its highest ever monthly sales figure of 3,779 units sold in April 2022, and recorded a massive 255 percent growth compared to April 2021. The company even rolled out a new OTA upgrade to offer new SmartEco mode, announced a strategic partnerships with Statiq to expand its charging network in North India, and even expanded retail presence with the inauguration of three new experience centres in Aurangabad (Maharashtra), Tirur and Malappuram (Kerala).
Bajaj Auto Limited has posted a de-growth both across its two wheeler domestic sales and exports, and it's not the first time it has done so this year. Commercial vehicle sales increased by 12 percent in domestic markets while exports sank 37 percent YoY thus leading to an overall 20 percent de-growth for the company.
Bajaj's total two wheeler sales (domestic + exports) in the month of April 2022 stood at 2,81,711 units, down 19 percent from 3,48,173 units sold in April 2021.
Hero Motocorp has reportedly sold 418,622 units in April 2022. The company reported a double-digit growth of 12.4% over the corresponding month of the previous year (April 2021), when the company had sold 372,285 units. With the economy gradually opening up and continued government policy support, April volumes indicate the continuously improving consumer sentiments.
Hero Electric
Hero Electric, was hit the worst by shortage of semi-conductors and and posted zero dispatches in April 2022. Yes, that's right. Zero. Worse still is the fact that this has also increased the waiting list for its customer to 60 plus days and some of the dealerships have no stock to display.
Speaking on being unable to meet the market demand, Sohinder Gill, CEO, Hero Electric, said, It's like putting an emergency brake on a fast moving train. Our sales were almost doubling month on month and we somehow managed with sourcing from different geographies but the war collapsed a major supply chain resulting in this disruption. While apologising to customers for waiting so long for their vehicles, Gill assured that the company has geared up alternate sources and would soon resume production. Meanwhile we are using this time to enhance our plant capacity to increase our production volumes as well as revisit our systems and processes related to batteries to further reinforce the quality assurance of our bikes. The recent happenings of fire incidents is an awakening call for the industry and we believe that even the best of the companies should introspect and constantly improve their designs and quality to repose confidence in the electric mobility that is going through such a robust growth path.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India
The first month of FY2022-23 saw HMSI's total sales (domestic & exports) close at 361,027 units, with 318,732 two-wheeler sales in domestic market. On overseas exports business front, HMSI exported 42,295 units for the month.
Registering 33% YOY growth in domestic sales over last year (240,101 units in April '21), recovery for the month leveraged support from market relaxations, a favourable harvesting period and gradual opening of schools and colleges among other factors.
Honda had a busy month celebrating the 1st anniversary of H'ness CB350 & CB350RS. HMSI organized an event at its Global Resource Factory, Manesar (Haryana) for CB350 owners, the company also launched the 2022 Gold Wing Tour in India via completely built-up (CBU) route from Japan, and inaugurated BigWing showrooms in Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Ulhasnagar (Maharashtra) and in Kolkata (West Bengal).
Royal Enfield posted sales of 62,155 motorcycles in the month of April, against the sales of 53,298 motorcycles for the same month last year. The company continued its remarkable run overseas with a year on year growth of 84% in sales outside India. Royal Enfield exported 8,303 motorcycles during the month as compared to 4,509 during the same period last year. Despite the persistent challenges on the supply front, the company registered stable volumes in the domestic market with year on year growth of 10% over FY22.
Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd
Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. (SMIPL) recorded overall 71,987 unit sales in April 2022. The company sold 54,327 units in the domestic market and exported 17,660 units in April 2022.
Commenting on the sales performance, Mr. Satoshi Uchida, Managing Director, SMIPL said, "Two-wheeler industry continues to navigate through the challenges thrown by the pandemic and semi-conductor shortage. Even with these challenges, Suzuki Motorcycle India has maintained its sales momentum."