Two-Wheeler Sales March 2017: Manufacturers Register Positive Numbers

Here are the sales performances for two-wheeler manufacturers for the month of March, 2017.

By Carandbike Team

1 mins read

Published on April 4, 2017

Highlights

Yamaha saw a growth of 27% in its March, 2017 sales
Bajaj saw a negative growth of 14 per cent in its sales for March, 2017
Royal Enfield recorded its best-ever sales for the Month of March

As the month of March 2017 drew to a close, the Supreme Court announced its decision to uphold the ban on the sales and registration of BS III vehicles across the country. Of course, this sent the automotive manufacturers into a tizzy, with many of them offering cash discounts on their models. This led to a huge boost in the sales numbers for almost all manufacturers over the last two days of March 2017. Were these two-wheeler manufacturers able to clear their two-wheeler stocks in time, this is a question that we will answer soon but it definitely added to the overall end of FY 17 sales numbers. All two-wheeler manufacturers listed here have shown positive growth, with the exception of Bajaj Auto. Here is a lowdown on how each company fared in the month of March 2017 for two-wheeler sales. 1. Hero MotoCorp: (Hero was one of the first manufacturers to offer attractive discounts on all its BS III models) For the fifth time in FY 2016-17, Hero surpassed the 6 lakh mark for monthly sales in March 2017. The company sold 6, 09,951 units in the previous month as compared to 6, 06,542 units in March 2016, recording a growth of a mere 0.56 per cent. Unit sales March 2017 March 2016 Percentage growth Overall 6, 09,951 units 6, 06,542 units 0.53% As far as the overall sales for FY 2016-17 is concerned, then Hero sold 66,63,903 units in the period of April 2016-March 2017 as compared to 66,32,322 units sold in the time period of April 2015-March 2016. The registered growth is barely 0.48 per cent. Hero was one of the first two-wheeler manufacturers to announce massive discounts on its BS III stock and despite the rush; it barely managed to cling to an increase in the number of two-wheelers sold. The company says that it sold most of its BS III stock, though it hasn't released the exact numbers yet. Unit Sales FY 2016-17 FY 2015-16 Percentage growth Overall 66,63,903 units 66,32,322 units 0.48% 2. Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India: (Honda Two-Wheeler India crossed the 3 million scooter sales mark for the first time in FY 2016-17) While Honda did not share the monthly sales figures for March 2017 specifically; it did mention that for the very first time, the company crossed the mark of 5 million units sold in a financial year. For FY 2016-17, Honda sold 50, 08,103 units with 12 per cent growth over 44, 83,462 units sold in FY 2015-16. It also reached an all-time high market share of 27 per cent in FY 2016-17. Honda also breached the 3 million units sold mark for its total scooter sales for the first time ever to reach at 33,51,604 units with 16 per cent growth compared to 28,92,480 units in FY'15-16. Honda had also announced attractive discounts on its stock of BS III two-wheelers after Supreme Court's ban on BS III vehicles. Unit Sales FY 2016-17 FY 2015-16 Percentage growth Overall 50, 08,103 units 44, 83,462 units 12% 3. Royal Enfield: (Royal Enfield Bikes) The Chennai-based company saw its best ever sales for the month of March in 2017. Royal Enfield sold a total of 60,113 units (domestic and exports), in March 2017 as compared to 51,320 units sold in March, 2016. This means that the company sold 17 per cent more over last year, for the same month. Speaking on the sales numbers, Rudratej Singh, President Royal Enfield, said, "Royal Enfield has recorded its best ever monthly sales in the month of March 2017 selling 60,113 motorcycles in India and international markets combined posting a growth of 17 per cent over same period last year. We have also recorded a 31 per cent growth in our YTD sales with the highest ever sales of 6, 66,490 motorcycles in FY 2016-17. Owing to our strong order book, we have cleared all BS III inventory in due time. Our customers will be receiving BS IV compliant motorcycles from April 01, 2017". Unit sales March 2017 March 2016 Percentage growth Domestic 58,549 units 50,059 units 17% Exports 1,564 units 1,261 units 24% Total business 60,113 units 51,320 units 17% 4. India Yamaha Motor: (Yamaha FZ25) Along with Royal Enfield, India Yamaha Motor too saw a growth of 27 per cent in its overall sales for the month of March 2017, with respect to March 2016. The company sold 76,144 units in March 2017 as compared to 60,032 units at the same time, last year. Roy Kurian, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd. said, "March 2017 was challenging as automobile sector in India had to offload BS III inventory which was re-affirmed by Supreme Court's decision towards the closing. Yamaha however, has managed it well and logged in a decent growth for this month. Yamaha's products were liked by customers in both style and comfort which is articulated through its technology and innovation. The company is en route to achieve 1 million in 2017 as well, through exciting products and by expanding its trade networks. Known for its fair practices and responsible outlook, Yamaha has already introduced its new line of BS IV variants which will gain traction amongst its customers." Unit sales March 2017 March 2016 Percentage growth Domestic (including Nepal) 76,144 units 60,032 units 27% 5. Bajaj Auto: (Bajaj V12) While Royal Enfield and Yamaha have had a positive March, Bajaj Auto saw a decline of 14 per cent in its monthly sales for the month of March 2017 as compared to March 2016. With 1, 51,449 units sold in March, 2017, Bajaj sold 14 per cent fewer units than it sold in March 2016. Even with the heavy discount schemes, on the account of Supreme Court's BS III ban ruling, it did not quite help Bajaj get better sales. Unit sales March 2017 March 2016 Percentage growth Domestic 1,51,449 units 1,76,788 units -14% Exports 92786 units 87461 units 6% Total business 2,44,235 units 2,64,249 units -8% 6. Suzuki India: (2017 Suzuki Gixxer SF) Suzuki too saw a growth of 74 per cent in its sales for March 2017 as compared to the sales of March 2016. In March this year, Suzuki sold a total of 36,029 units as compared 20,673 units in the same month last year. For FY 2016-17, Suzuki crossed the annual sales mark of 3,50,000 units, registering a growth of 12 per cent over the last fiscal. This time around, the company will try to breach the 5,00,000 unit mark for the current fiscal with an increased number of dealerships, more exports and a bigger product line-up. Unit sales March 2017 March, 2016 Percentage growth Domestic 36,029 unit 20,673 units 74% 7. TVS: (TVS Jupiter BS-IV) TVS too had a decent showing in March 2017 with a growth of 10.7 per cent over March 2016. The company sold 2, 50,979 units in March 2017 as compared to 2, 26,643 units sold in March 2016. The domestic two-wheeler sales recorded for March 2017 was 2, 16,995 units as compared to 2, 00,190 units in March 2016, showing a growth of 8.4 per cent. Also, the sales of scooters grew by 23.5 per cent increasing from 68,161 units sold in March, 2016 to 84,173 units in March 2017. Motorcycles sales also grew by 10.3 per cent as TVS sold 86,776 units in March, 2016 to 85,671 units in March 2017. The company is still trying to assess its financial condition after the ruling on the ban and sales of registration of vehicles was upheld by the Supreme Court. Even TVS had offered discounts on its unsold BS III stock which resulted in a fire sale on 30th March and 31st March 2017. Unit sales March 2017 March 2016 Percentage growth Domestic Two-Wheelers 216,995 units 200,190 units 8.4% Motorcycles 95,671 units 86,776 units 10.3% Scooters 84,173 units 68,161 units 23.5%