What Numbers Say: This Is How Auto Companies Fared In April Amongst the overall vehicle sales, the passenger vehicle segment (PV), which achieved record sales in FY23, slowed down in April. While a few companies reported a decline in sales numbers others reported an overall growth, as per their April 2023 wholesales statistics
By Shrabona Ghosh •
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Companies such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Toyota and Honda released their April 2023 wholesales statistics, while a few companies reported a decline in sales numbers others reported an overall growth.
Amongst the overall vehicles sales, the passenger vehicle segment (PV), which achieved record sales in FY23, slowed down in April, with retails decreasing by 1 per cent year-on-year (YoY). This was primarily due to last year's high base and the OBD 2A norms, which led to vehicle price increases and advanced purchases in March. For the first time in eight months, the passenger vehicles (PV) segment witnessed a YoY degrowth, potentially signaling a tapering demand in this segment, said a report by Federation of Automobile Dealers' Association (FADA).
Although supplies are improving, there is a significant mismatch between customer demand and available inventory. Furthermore, entry-level PVs have fewer buyers, suggesting that customers at the bottom of the pyramid are still hesitant to upgrade from 2-wheelers to 4-wheelers. For the first time in eight months, the PV segment witnessed a YoY degrowth, potentially signaling a tapering demand in this segment, the report further added.
Here is a look at what numbers say.
Maruti Suzuki
Maruti Suzuki India Limited sold a total of 160,529 units in April 2023. Total sales in the month include domestic sales of 139,519 units, sales to other OEMs of 4,039 units and exports of 16,971 units. The sales of domestic passenger vehicles in April this year went up 12.56 per cent to 137,320 units from 121,995 units in April 2022.
However, some of its models recorded slow sales – combined sales of the Alto and S-Presso at 14,110 units are down 18 per cent compared with 17,137 units in April 2022. "The shortage of electronic components had some impact on the production of vehicles. The Company took all possible measures to minimize the impact," the company said in a statement.
The seven-model pack of the Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift, Tour S, Wagon R together account for 74,935 units, an increase of 27 per cent YoY compared with 59,184 units in April 2022 and the SUVs – the Brezza, XL6, Grand Vitara and the Ertiga – clocked 36,754 units, up 8 per cent YoY.
Tata Motors
Tata Motors Limited sales in the domestic & international market declined 4 per cent for April 2023 at 69,599 vehicles, compared to 72,468 units during April 2022. Total Domestic Sales stood at 68,514 compared with 71,467 in April 2022.
When it comes to domestic passenger vehicle sales, Tata Motors sold 47,007 PVs in April, as compared to 41,587 vehicles in April 2022, which is a year-on-year growth of 13 per cent. In the international PV markets, Tata Motors sold 100 vehicles in April 2023, over 43 in April 2022, which is an increase of 133 per cent.
Additionally, Tata Motors has increased the prices of its passenger vehicles from May 1. It announced the rate hike in an announcement in April. According to the statement, the weighted average increase was 0.6 per cent depending on the model and variant.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) registered sales of 14,162 domestic units in the month of April, 2023. Earlier, TKM had registered domestic sales of 15,086 units in April 2022. The company undertook a week-long maintenance shutdown from April 24-28, 2023 for the upkeep of machinery and equipment to sustain operational efficiencies, productivity and safety.
TKM posted a healthy domestic growth of 26 per cent in the first four months of calendar year 2023, by selling 61,005 units in the same period last year, where 48,278 units were sold domestically.
"TKM is continuing to witness high demand as well as good enquiries, and needless to say we are extremely thrilled to see the market responding very positively. This reflects the customer acceptance of our world-class product line-up and advanced clean technology solutions, as we continue to strongly serve our customer base in India. The Toyota Hilux, Innova Hycross and the New Innova Crysta continue their phenomenal run, as a strong demand continues, which indicates customers growing trust in Toyota for their family's mobility needs. Our SUV segment share also continues to be buoyant owing to the success of the Urban Cruiser Hyryder along with segment leadership of the Fortuner and the Legender, which are consistently leading with over 82 per cnet market share in Q1 of CY 2023. The Vellfire and the Camry Hybrid are also steadily contributing to our sales," said Atul Sood, vice president, sales and strategic marketing.
Honda Cars
Honda Cars India registered monthly domestic sales of 5,313 units in April 2023 and the export numbers stood at 2,363 units for the month. The company had registered 7,874 units in domestic sales and exported 2,042 units in April 2022. The company reported a dip of almost 32 per cent in its domestic sales in April 2023 compared with April 2022.
Sharing his thoughts on the sales performance for the month, Yuichi Murata, director, marketing and sales, Honda Cars India Ltd said, "Our sales results for the month of April'23 are in line with our plan. We are pleased to start the new financial year with a positive consumer sentiment and healthy market demand."
