Auto Sales January 2023: Mixed Results For Two-Wheeler Manufacturers

Two-wheeler manufacturers shared their sales numbers for the first month of 2023 revealing some lacklustre sales performances by the some major brands. Names such as Bajaj, Hero and Honda 2 Wheelers saw sales decline year-on-year while EV manufacturer Ather continued to see its sales climb.

Hero MotoCorp (Sales decline 6 per cent)

India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp had a slow start to 2023 with a 6 per cent decline in cumulative sales year-on-year. The two-wheeler manufacturer sold 3,56,690 units in all markets during the month of January 2023 – down from 3,80,476 units in January 2022. Domestic sales fell 6.7 per cent to 3,33,638 units in the month though exports grew by 1.8 per cent or 421 units to 23,052 units.

Honda 2 Wheelers (Sales down 16 per cent)

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India saw sales slid 16 per cent year-on-year with cumulative sales of 2,96,363 units in the month of January 2023. Sales in the domestic market and exports were both down year-on-year at 2,78,143 units and 18,220 units respectively. Sales however improved compared to December 2022 with cumulative sales up 18.4 per cent from 2,50 171 units.

Bajaj Auto (Sales down 21.3 per cent)

Bajaj Auto reported cumulative sales of 2,85,995 units in January 2023 – a decline of 21.3 per cent year on year. The company sold 3,63,443 units a year ago. The company’s total two-wheeler sales in January 2023 declined to 2,41,107 units against 3,23,430 units in the same month last year - a decline of almost 25 per cent. Bajaj also reported 46 per cent fall in two-wheeler exports going from 1,87,934 units in January 2022 to 1,00,679 units in January 2023. However domestic sales were on the rise, with an increase in 4 per cent from 1,35,496 units in January 2022 to 1,40,428 units in January 2023.

TVS (Sales grow 3 per cent)

TVS reported a 3 per cent year-on-year growth in the month of January 2023 with 2,75,115 units sold. Overall two-wheeler sales for the month stood at 2,64,710 units – a 4 per cent gain over 2,54,139 units retailed in the same period last year. The year-on-year growth in two-wheeler came in the backdrop of a notable decline in exports from 86,344 units to 48,239 units in January 2023 though domestic sales grew a strong 29 per cent. TVS also reported its highest ever numbers for the iQube with 12,169 units sold in the month.

Royal Enfield (Sales grow 27 per cent)

Royal Enfield posted a strong start to 2023 on the back of the launch of the new Super Meteor 650. The company reported a 27 per cent growth in cumulative sales for the month of January 2023. Domestic sales grew 36.2 per cent from 49,726 units to 57,702 units while exports declined 22.7 per cent.

Ather Energy (Sales grow 330 per cent)

Ather posted sales of 12,149 units in the month of January 2023 kicking off the new year with its best-ever monthly sales yet. The strong growth comes on the back of the company inaugurating its new production facility in the country which increased the brand's annual production capacity from 1.2 lakh units to 4.2 lakh units. The manufacturer posted sales of 2,825 units in January 2022.

Suzuki Motorcycle India (Sales grow 21.2 per cent)

Suzuki Motorcycles also witnessed a good start to 2023 with cumulative sales of 84,966 units in the month of January. This marked a 21.2 per cent growth year-on-year with the company reporting cumulative sales of 70,092 units for the same month last year. Compared to December 2022, sales were up an even stronger 32.9 per cent. The company reported domestic sales of 66, 209 units for January 2023 – up from 60,623 units in Jan 2022 and 40,905 units in December 2022. Exports at 18,757 units were up year-on-year tough fell short of the 23,007 units exported in December 2022.