Now that the wheels have finally begun turning, the biggest contributor to the nation’s GDP, the auto industry is back in business. Operations have resumed in a gradual manner and although initial numbers are nothing compared to times when business functioned as usual, things should only get better from here.
One of the leading carmakers in India, Toyota Kirloskar has announced that the company sold a total of 1639 units in the month of May 2020. The company had sold a total of 12,138 units in the domestic market in the corresponding month last year, as well as exported 928 units of the Etios.
Having announced the resumption of production at its plant in Bidadi since 26th May, Toyota Kirloskar has been catering to the pending orders that the company had received, ever since the nationwide lockdown was announced. The month of May also witnessed a gradual restart of Toyota dealership in certain parts of the country. By mid-May, almost 60% of Toyota dealerships were operational. However, this did not comprise the key metropolitan markets. As the lockdown relaxed, TKM was able to cater to customers in other markets as well.
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Commenting on the monthly sales, Mr Naveen Soni, Sr. Vice President, Sales & Service, TKM said, “We are thankful to the Govt. as well as to our supplier and dealer partners who have enabled us to resume production last month. We are conscious of the dealer business conditions in various parts of the country and we have been prioritizing 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% of what we would have clocked under a normal situation. However, retail sales (sale from dealer to the 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.
We are very thankful to our customers as well who trust us and our products as well as have been patient with us. We have now resumed operations in more than 300 Toyota outlets across the country, with ongoing sales operations in close to 220 outlets and service operations in more than 230 outlets. From sales and service point of view, business is ramping up and we are exceeding 50% of our normal capacity from the open outlets.
We would like to ensure our customers that with the resumption of production at our plant, our first aim is to cater to the immediate needs of our customers in areas where deliveries are possible. We have been receiving online orders as well and have started to address them while placing the highest priority to the safety and well-being of all stakeholders and by adopting the ‘Safety and Health First’ approach at all times.”