Two-wheeler sales in India for December 2016

The year 2016 has ended on a sad note for most two-wheeler manufacturers in India. Most companies witnessed a substantial decline in sales. TVS Motor witnessed an around 9 per cent decline while Hero MotoCorp registered a 33.91 per cent drop in sales in December 2016. Clearly, the government of India's sudden decision to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes have had a huge impact on two-wheeler sales. Also, the cash shortage across the country has made prospective buyers think twice. However, Royal Enfield registered a growth of 41 per cent in December 2016. Here's compilation of the sales number from individual manufacturers.

Bajaj Auto

In the domestic two-wheeler market, Bajaj Auto registered an 11 per cent decline in sales with 1,06,665 units sold. In December 2015, the company had sold 1,20,322 units. The motorcycle manufacturer saw a staggering 24 per cent decline in exports. It exported 96,647 units in December 2016 compared to 1,27,460 units in December 2015. In mid-December 2016, the company introduced the Dominar 400 at a starting price of Rs 1.36 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Hero MotoCorp Ltd.

Hero MotoCorp has registered a 33.91 per cent decline in total sales with 3,30,202 units in December 2016. During December 2015, the company had sold 4,99,665 units. Overall, 2016 turned out to be a good year for the company. It sold a total of 67,62,980 units in 2016 with a growth of 4.3 per cent over the previous calendar year. Also, the company registered its highest sales in a calendar year in 2016. In December 2015, the company had sold a total of 64,86,103 two-wheelers.

Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield has ended 2016 on a high note with a stellar growth of 41 per cent in December 2016. It sold 56,316 units in the domestic market. In comparison, the company had sold 40,037 units in December 2015. The company has registered a fantastic 160 per cent growth in exports with 1,082 units exported in December 2016. In comparison, just 416 units were exported in December 2015.

Commenting on the company's sales performance, Rudratej Singh, president of Royal Enfield, said, "2016 has been a remarkable year for Royal Enfield. Royal Enfield recently launched its first exclusive store in Australia and first exclusive gear store outside India in Jakarta, Indonesia, in December. In India, we continued to strengthen our presence adding 117 dealerships [April to December 2016], taking our total footprint to 642 dealerships across India. We have sold 4,88,262 units for the nine-month period from April to December 2016, growing over 36 per cent over the same period last year. Despite demonetisation, our order books continue to be well ahead of our ever-increasing production capacity."

The company also ended 2016 by introducing the Classic 350 Redditch at Rs 1.46 lakh.

TVS Motor Company

TVS Motor witnessed an around 9 per cent decline in domestic two-wheeler sales with 1,53,413 units sold. In comparison, it had sold 1,68,160 units in December 2015.

In December 2016, TVS Motor Company sold 55,536 scooters and 58,189 motorcycles. While in December 2015, the company had sold 65,025 scooters and 71,435 motorcycles. With respect to two-wheeler exports, the company fared marginally better. It exported 26,095 units in December 2016 compared to 25,841 units in December 2015.

In September 2016, the TVS Akula 310 was caught testing in India again. Previously, it was caught testing near Bengaluru in August 2016. The Akula 310 is expected to be launched in India by March this year.