After blockbuster sales in August and September before GST rates were increased on bigger cars, demand for trucks and motorcycles continued to be strong in October although passenger vehicle sales growth did flatline for most manufacturers on a year-on-year basis. This was in part due to the fact that the festive season, particularly the Navratras which is a very popular time for delivery was in September this year as against being in October last year.
Domestic demand for medium and heavy commercial vehicles climbed eight per cent for Tata Motors, the country’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer. Tata Motors also saw a seven per cent rise in demand for light commercial vehicles.
Ashok leyland saw a 29 per cent jump in light commercial vehicle demand, although demand for medium and heavy trucks declined five percent. Other manufacturers saw a dramatic decline in sales, Ford India sales dropped 44 per cent over the past year to 4,208 vehicles in October, however the company explains this was due to the rollout of the new Ford EcoSport whose sales start later in November.
Tata Motors saw sales climb one per cent for their passenger vehicles on the back of several new launches. Hyundai sales dipped under a percent from October last year to 49,588 units, but again this was due to the difference in the timing of the festive season.
However, Royal Enfield whose Bullet motorcycle has enjoyed a huge revival saw domestic sales climb an impressive 17 per cent to 68,014 units in October and domestic sales growth for the year climb 22 per cent and it is expected that the Sidhartha lal led company will establish a new record for sales this year.
In fact, Royal Enfield outsold smaller motorcycle manufacturers like Suzuki. Sales for Toyota climbed six per cent on back of continued strong demand for their Innova Crysta, but their Japanese rival Honda saw sales dip in October, but still registered sales growth for cumultaive sales. Other manufacturers like Maruti-Suzuki, Hero Motocorp and Bajaj Auto are expected to release sales date shortly.