September 2018 has been a strong month for Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto and sets the tone for upcoming months. As hiking petrol prices burn through wallets and hamper sales, consumers are going for new products that promise high fuel efficiency. At the other end of the spectrum, there is a trend towards feature-rich premium motorcycles and 125cc scooters.
There could also be an uptick in sales following the recent notification from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) concerning mandatory third-party insurance for new vehicles. This sharply hiked premium translates to a higher on-road price of two-wheelers.
HERO MOTOCORP
The country’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer has reported a new record of retail despatches of 7,69,138 units to its showrooms across the country. It claims to be the first two-wheeler OEM to cross the 7,50,000 mark in a month. Hero has also announced that it crossed 4.2 million sales in the first six months of this fiscal year (April-September 2018).
BAJAJ AUTO
The Pune-based manufacturer is on a roll – both in the domestic and export markets. As per sales numbers that it released today for September 2018, it looks like the company is headed for robust fiscal numbers. The company reported motorcycle sales of 2,73,029 units in September 2018 – a YoY rise of 25,611 units and 10 percent growth over September 2017 numbers. The OEM also reported its highest export figures for September 2018 with 1,57,910 units.
TVS MOTOR COMPANY
Hosur-based TVS Motor posted double-digit growth. The company registered a growth of 18 percent from 3,07,160 units in September 2017 to 3,61,136 units in September 2018. Scooter sales grew by 17 percent from 1,21,601 units in September 2017 to 1,42,562 units in September 2018. Motorcycle sales grew by 16 percent with sales increasing from 1,43,923 units in September 2017 to 1,66,489 units in September 2018.
ROYAL ENFIELD
Royal Enfield has recently launched the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 in the USA, ahead of their launch in India later this year. The bike maker sold a total of 70,065 motorcycles in September 2018; which is flat growth of 1 percent (September 2017: 69,393).
SUZUKI MOTORCYCLE INDIA
Domestic market sales for the two-wheeler arm of Suzuki Motor Corp rose by 24.27 percent from 50,808 in September 2017 to 63,140 last month. Cumulative sales of 3,71,109 units in the first six months of FY2019 has made the company's executives optimistic about clocking 7,00,000 units by the end of this fiscal.
With the festive season already underway, two-wheeler manufacturers are readying a clutch of new products designed to draw in buyers. While TVS Motor is all set to launch a new version of the popular Jupiter scooter, Bajaj Auto is coming up with the latest iteration of its flagship bike – the Dominar. Meanwhile, Hero MotoCorp is working to introduce its XPulse 200 adventure motorcycle.
UJAL JAIN