The increasing COVID-19 cases and restrictions have affected the sales performance of the two-wheeler market in January 2022. Even as almost all major OEMs are posting a negative growth in the year-on-year sales, there is a steady growth in the month-on-month sales. Ather Energy, on the other hand, had a stellar month, and posted impressive numbers.
Ather Energy: 2,825 units/ +366 percent
Ather Energy posted strong sales in the month of January, with 2,825 units sold. That’s a 366 per cent month-on-month growth compared to the same month last year. The company says they are witnessing a strong demand for their electric scooter, so much so that they can’t meet it due to supply chain constraints. Ather is steadily expanding its footprint in the country with 29 retail stores and 304 fast charging stations.
Hero MotoCorp: 3,58,660 units / -23 percent
In January, Hero MotoCorp sold 3,58,660 units in the domestic market, which is a 23 percent drop in the YoY sales, when the company sold 4,67,776 units in the same month last year. This is also a 4 percent drop in the month-on-month sales as the company sold 3,74,485 units in December last year. The third wave of the pandemic and staggered state-wise restrictions have impacted the overall sales volume of the month, the company said. On the other hand, the company accelerated its global expansion plans by strengthening its presence in Central America, by opening a store in San Salvador.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India: 3,15,196 units/ -24 percent
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) sold 3,15,196 units in the domestic market and exported 39,013 units in January. This is a 24 percent negative growth in the year-on-year sales. However, it is a 50 percent growth when it comes to MoM sales, where they sold 2,10,612 units in December.
Bajaj Auto: 1,35,496 units /-14 percent
Bajaj Auto posted a sale of 1,35,496 units in January, a 14 percent drop in the year-on-year domestic sales. The two-wheeler manufacturer sold 1,57,404 units in the same period last year. On a MoM basis, the company had a 6 percent growth, compared to 1,27,593 units in December 2021.
The company also witnessed a 17 percent decline in exports in the previous month. It exported 1,87,934 units last month compared to 2,27,532 units in January last year. During the previous month, Bajaj exported 1,91,176 units. A total of 3,23,430 units were sold in January, which is a 16 percent drop in overall sales.
TVS Motor Company: 1,67,795 units / -18 percent
TVS Motor Company registered domestic sales of 1,67,795 units in January, which is an 18 percent drop YoY as compared to 2,05,216 units sold last January. On a month-on-month basis, the Chennai-based company had a 14 percent growth as it only sold 1,46,763 units in December last year. Total two-wheelers sales registered were 2,54,139 units in January, as against 2,94,596 units in the same period last year.
Motorcycle sales registered were 1,37,360 units compared to 136,790 units in January 2021. Around 80,580 units of scooters in January 2022 were sold as against sales of 98,319 units in the same month last year. The production and sales of premium two-wheelers were severely affected due to the shortage of semiconductors.
Royal Enfield: 49,726 units/ -23 percent
Royal Enfield recorded sales of 49,726 units in the domestic market as compared to 64,372 units in January. The reasons for the 23 percent drop in sales is due to the onset of the third wave of COVID-19 and the ongoing chips shortage. The company also had a decline in sales month on month of 24 percent. (65,187 units in December 2021). On the export front, Royal Enfield delivered 9,112 motorcycles during the month as compared to 4,515 during the same period last year.
What are your thoughts on the sales slump and when will manufacturers recover? Let us know in the comments.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
