It was declared in May that India had overtaken China to emerge as the world's biggest market for two-wheelers. A total of 17.7 million two-wheelers were sold in India last year. To put it into perspective, it's over 48,000 units every day.
In such a huge market, monthly sales are important for two-wheeler makers such as Royal Enfield, Hero MotoCorp, Honda, Yamaha, Bajaj Auto and others. Here are the details of the bike makers and their sales performance in May 2017.
Royal Enfield
Eicher Motors, the parent company of Royal Enfield, sold 60,696 units in May against 48,604 units sold in same month last year, registering a growth of 25 percent.
The growth of motorcycles with engine capacity up to 350cc has grown by 29 percent as sales rose to 55,823 units in May against 43,217 units sold in May 2016. However, sales of models with engine capacity exceeding 350cc declined 10 percent to 4,873 units when compared to the same month last year. The Chennai-based company also exported 2,049 units in May, up by 49 percent over 1,372 units sold in the corresponding month last year.
India Yamaha Motor
The Japanese two-wheeler maker continued with its upward growth in sales by registering a growth of 11 percent in domestic sales (including Nepal). India Yamaha Motor sold 69,429 units of its motorcycles last month against 62,748 units in May 2016.
Yamaha has attributed the growth to its newly-launched FZ25 motorcycle and BS-IV variants of scooters.
Hero MotoCorp
Hero MotoCorp sold 633,884 units of two-wheelers in May 2017, compared to 583,117 units dispatched in the corresponding month last year, registering a growth of 8.7 percent.
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India
Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India sold a total of 537,035 units in May 2017 compared to 436,328 units in May 2016. The Japanese automaker's total sales grew by 23 percent which is double the industry growth of 11 percent in the month.
Honda recorded sales of over 5 lakh units back to back. The two-wheeler manufacturer also consolidated as No. 2 brand in the domestic motorcycle segment.
Bajaj Auto
Bajaj Auto has posted a decline in domestic sales of motorcycles by 13 percent from 1,79,822 units in may 2016 to 1,56,523 units in May 2017. Two-wheeler exports also decline by 5 percent from 1,27,522 units in May 16 to 1,20,592 in May 2017. The overall two-wheeler sales dipped by 10 percent from 3,07,344 units in May 2016 to 2,77,155 units last month.
TVS Motor Company
TVS Motor Company's total sales stood at 2,82,007 units in the month of May 2017. The Chennai-based automaker posted a growth of 16 percent against 243,783 units recorded in the month of May 2016. Two-wheeler exports of TVS grew by 11.0 percent from 31,434 units in May 2016 to 34,899 units in May 2017.
