December 2013 Two-Wheeler Sales Figures & Analysis

We may wish each other happy new year at this point of time, but the two-wheeler companies have not started doing it yet. January is when manufacturers wait for the numbers to rise. Whether it’s money or volumes. Public tend to buy new automobiles in the new year because that fetches them good resale value. Two-wheeler scenario shows the same. Almost every manufacturer is down on MoM and some, surprisingly, on YoY as well. Obviously January sales will speak for themselves and show the growth which will is going to be sustained in the year 2014. Sales will rise, but peak higher post financial year ending (March 2014). Surely two-wheeler customers know what’s coming their way (at the Auto Expo) they are waiting as well. Right now, we see a lot ups and downs. We analyse manufacturers’ numbers to find out who fared well.

Hero MotoCorp- Shipping out 18,050 less units since November, Hero is down by 6.92% when it comes to MoM basis and for the first time down by 3% when it comes to YoY basis. Surely, when everybody is going down stairs, it affects your competitive neighbours as well. New products will be launched turn by turn and a new product is coming by the end of January. The momentum at the Auto Expo will reflect in the sales from now on.

Honda- Honda is also spectating their slow down when it comes to MoM basis this time. Down by 7.74% by shipping 22,936 units less out of the factory mainly seems due to yearly maintenance shutdown which happens in the month of December. YoY remains impressive with a 36% growth. Volume intended bikes doing well and the scooters are helping the cash pile-up to rise further. Despite issues in every department, right from sales to service, it’s Honda leading the chart. Satisfaction over anything else is typical biker mantra worldwide and we, in India, are looking at it with brand Honda.

Bajaj Auto- Bajaj continuing with negative growth on both YoY and MoM shows that Auto Expo is the only way Bajaj can keep customers and stakeholders happy. Down by 6.92% when it comes to MoM and a heavy downfall by 13% when it comes to YoY are not good figures. Doing extremely well in the premium segment is not the only way of staying ahead. Downfall like other manufacturers partly comes from ending of a year which is always followed by a sharp rise. Bajaj shipped 18,058 less units than November.

TVS- Going by domestic figures, the company has seen negative growth when it comes to MoM.-0.45% downfall last month seems surprising for a company which has good products in the portfolio but then again not new (expect Jupiter) or exciting. Scooters have seen good growth since last month which has not had any positive effects on the YoY figures as well which is down by 1.6%. Let’s wait and see if something from the BMW alliance is showcased at the Auto Expo to turn the tides for the Hosur based manufacturer.

Mahindra- Mahindra is tasting every kind of success it could think off with the Centuro. The name of the motorcycle is nothing short of sounding like a superhero, which is doing super numbers. Looks like the hike in the last three months was primarily to ship out higher units during festive season and not to make majority customers unhappy, turned out to be a good idea internally. However, Mahindra is back to selling 20,000 odd units this month which is by no doubt extremely well for a new product from a relatively new manufacturer in the two-wheeler space. Down by 7.74% on MoM basis and a eye opening 267% growth YoY shows the progress of the strategies working out beautifully.

Yamaha- Same numbers, round figures, some what makes us stand up and take notice of the manufacturer who does so. Yamaha shipped out same number of motorcycles and scooters like November which is 39,777 units. YoY growth is a impressive 58%. Maintaining this growth will require excellent products like FZ and R15 getting bigger hearts which seems a far cry right now. Exports seems to very high on Yamaha’s mind. Shipping out enormous amount of products out of the country seems to be the core idea at Yamaha India.

Suzuki- Estimated numbers don’t suffice anything but lack of competitive competitiveness. Inazuma is here and bookings have commenced. Enthusiast know what is right and wrong and rest of the public is waiting for Salman Khan to show them that the bike is here. No doubt the best product out there for Indian enthusiasts (we love comfortable touring) but we want everything, such as price and styling. Good luck Suzuki!