September 2018 has turned out to be a strong month for Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto, setting the tone for the months to come. Even as wallet-burning petrol prices hamper buying, consumers are going in for new products that promise high fuel efficiency. At another end, there is also a trend towards feature-rich premium motorcycles and 125cc scooters.  

There could also be an uptick in sales following the recent notification from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) that results in a sharply hiked premium. This would translate into a much higher on-road price of a two-wheeler.

Hero MotoCorp: The country’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer has reported a new record of retail despatches of 769,138 units to its showrooms across the country. It claims to be the first two-wheeler OEM to cross the 750,000 mark in a month. Hero has also announced that it has already crossed the 4.2 million sales mark in the first six months of this fiscal year (April-September 2018).

Bajaj Auto: The Pune-based manufacturer is on a roll, both in the domestic and export markets. As per the sales numbers it released today for September 2018, it looks like the company is headed for robust fiscal numbers.  The company reported motorcycle sales of 273,029 units in September 2018, a YoY rise of 25,611 units and 10 percent growth over September 2017 numbers. The OEM also reported its highest export figures for September 2018 with 157,910 units.

TVS Motor Co: Hosur-based TVS Motor posted double-digit growth. The company registered growth of 18 percent from 307,160 units in September 2017 to 361,136 units in September 2018. Scooter sales grew by 17 percent from 121,601 units in September 2017 to 142,562 units in September 2018. Motorcycle sales grew by 16 percent with sales increasing from 143,923 units in September 2017 to 166,489 units in September 2018.

Royal Enfield: Royal Enfield, which has recently launched the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 in the USA, ahead of their launch in India later this year, sold a total of 70,065 motorcycles in September 2018, which is flat growth of 1 percent (September 2017: 69,393).

Suzuki Motorcycle India: Domestic market sales for the two-wheeler arm of Suzuki Motor Corp rose by 24.27 percent from 50,808 in September 2017 to 63,140 last month. Cumulative sales of 371,109 units in the first six months of FY2019 has got company executives optimistic about clocking 700,000 units by the end of this fiscal.

With the festive season already underway, two-wheeler manufacturers are readying a clutch of new products designed to draw buyers. While TVS Motor is all set to launch a new version of the popular Jupiter scooter, Bajaj Auto is coming up with its latest iteration of its flagship bike, the Dominar. And, Hero MotoCorp is working to introduce its XPulse 200 adventure motorcycle. 

Also read: Carmakers see tepid growth in September as fuel prices bite, consumer sentiment dips

CV sales moderate in September but still up 23%