February turned out to be a pretty good month for majorly all automakers indicating the upward trajectory the industry is on currently. Some players registered mixed numbers but overall the results seemed quite positive. Following is a breakdown of the sales for major OEMs:
Mahindra & Mahindra
M&M’s total sales in February fell by 11% to 28,777 units as against 32,476 units in the same month last year. However, passenger car sales rose by 44% to 15,391 units and total tractor sales rose by 25% to clock 28,146 units as against February 2020.
“Demand continues to remain buoyant for our range of SUVs and Pick-ups and we have a robust order pipeline,” said Mr Veejay Nakra, Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Division, M&M. However, the problems over supply of semiconductors is likely to continue for another 3 to 4 months, Mr Nakra added. “Going forward, we will continue to monitor the situation and closely work with our suppliers to minimise this supply risk,” he said.
Maruti Suzuki
India’s largest automaker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. registered an 8.3% increase in domestic passenger vehicle sales at 1,44,761 units, up from 1,33,702 units last year. Total sales moved 11.8% northward clocking 1,64,469 units as against 1,47,110 units in the corresponding month last year. Maruti’s LCV sales grew a whopping 508% to 2,722 units as against a paltry 448 units this time last year. Exports, total domestic sales, LCV sales and cumulative sales all witnessed an uptick for Maruti in February.
MG
MG stated that they registered a mind-boggling YoY growth of 215% on total sales clocking units in February 2021. The company says it recorded its highest production figures, bookings and sales figures in February 2021 and accredits the Hector, ZS EV and the Gloster for the same.
Rakesh Sidana Director – Sales, MG Motor India, said, “The higher sales of 2021 product lines are very encouraging. We also expect the EV trend to accelerate with our charging infrastructure now available across more cities. The growth momentum is expected to continue in March, and we are working at the back-end to try and reduce the waiting period for our customers.”
Hyundai
Hyundai reported a 26.4% cumulative growth in sales by clocking 61,800 units in February 2021 as against 49,910 units in February 2020. Domestic sales stood at 51,600 units, up 29% from 40,010 in February last year.
Tarun Garg, Director (Sales, Marketing & Service), HMIL said “Hyundai Motor India has been consistently striving to drive a resurgence in sales, thereby contributing towards economic recovery and also, bringing the industry closer to pre-Covid level sales.” He further added, “With a cumulative sales of 61,800 units in February 2021, the company has recorded growth across segments and impressive performance by brands like Creta, Venue, Verna, Grand i10 Nios have again showcased Hyundai Brand Supremacy by redefining benchmarks in their respective segments.”
Nissan
On the strength of the newly launched all-new Nissan Magnite and its existing product offerings in India, Nissan India has had an all-model wholesale of a total of 4244 vehicles in February 2021.
“Nissan Magnite, on the strength of its Big, Bold, Beautiful revolutionary value proposition, has had an overwhelming customer response with 6582 deliveries to the customers in its first two full months of launch, the in-flow of bookings is continuous of the discerning customers seeking a game-changer product in the highly competitive SUV segment. The plant is operating at full capacity with three shifts with the support of supply chain partners to shorten the waiting period of the all-new Nissan Magnite.” said Rakesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India.
Tata Motors
Tata Motors is on a roll and what a roll it is proving out to be. Tata Motors have seemingly registered what could be their best sales figures in quite a while. Domestic passengers sales grew 119% YoY and stood at 27,225 units as against a mere 12,430 units this time last year.
Tata Motors had launched 3 new vehicles in January 2021 and showcased a strong case for itself. All segments of the commercial vehicles registered an uptick too and all this helped Tata Motors clock 58,473 units of total sales domestically, up 54% YoY.
Honda
Honda reported a 28.27% rise in domestic wholesale numbers clocking 9,324 units in February as against 7,264 units this time last year. Honda’s current portfolio includes the Jazz, Amaze, WR-V and City after the unfortunate discontinuation of the CR-V and the Civic.
“The market demand continues to be good which is reflected in our positive growth in February sales. However, the shortage of semiconductor related parts impacted us on the supply front last month, which limited our production volume and dispatches for certain models. In the coming months, we will continue to make production adjustments in order to reduce its impact on our waiting customers,” said Rajesh Goel, Senior Vice President and Director, Marketing and Sales, Honda Cars India.
Toyota
Toyota Kirloskar Motor sold a total of 14,075 units in the domestic market, up significantly from the previous year and month clocking a 36% and a 27% rise on YoY and MoM basis following their launch of the Fortuner facelift and Legender in January 2021.
Mr Naveen Soni, Sr. Vice President at TKM said, “We started the year on a positive note and the trend continues as we close the second month of the year, clocking a growth of 36%. Wholesales have been very encouraging and we are witnessing a high influx of customer orders month on month, thereby both significantly contributing to the growth story.