Toyota Kirloskar Motor reports sales of 1,639 units in May 2020

• After zero sales in April, Toyota sold 1,639 units in the domestic market in May 2020

• The carmaker had sold 7,023 in March 2020; 12,138 units sold in May 2019

• Export figure for the month stands at 928 units

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has reported sales of 1,639 vehicles in India in May 2020. While the number represents an 86.5 percent drop compared to May 2019’s 12,138-unit sales figure, the sales have come at a time when Toyota is restarting operations amid easing lockdown restrictions. Like all other manufacturers, Toyota had posted zero sales and production in April 2020. Toyota was among the first manufacturers to stop production in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a fact also reflected in its below average March 2020 sales of 7,023 units. 

The month of May witnessed gradual restart of Toyota dealerships in certain parts of the country. By mid-May, almost 60 percent of Toyota dealerships were operational. However, this did not comprise key metropolitan markets. As the lockdown relaxed, TKM was able to cater to customers in other markets as well.  

The Japanese carmarker officially resumed production on May 25. As on that day, over 290 Toyota dealerships and 230 service centres in India had resumed operations.

Commenting on the sales last month, Naveen Soni, Senior Vice-President, Sales & Service, TKM said, “We are thankful to the government as well as to our supplier and dealer partners who have enabled us resume production last month. We are conscious of the dealer business conditions in various parts of the country and we have been prioritising production at our end as per dealer requirements, both in terms of quantity as well as the grades that they require. The market has been slow and with demand being less, we have been able to wholesale only 20 percent of what we would have clocked under a normal situation. However, retail sales (sale from dealer to customer) have been much higher when compared to wholesales (TKM sales to dealers), thereby helping us reduce the month closing inventory levels at dealerships. We have also seen a significant surge in customer orders and enquiries online, through digital platforms.

"From a sales and service point of view, business is ramping up and we are exceeding 50 percent of our normal capacity from the open outlets."