India’s auto sales rise 12pc in November

Automobile sales in India increased by 12pc in November to 1.74mn units from Nov 2019, driven by strong demand. Sales of passenger cars, two-wheelers, and farm vehicles were healthier than that of commercial vehicles, according to the companies’ monthly sales update.

November marked the third month to register year-over-year sales growth. Most companies reported higher sales relative to the prior year, but a drop compared to October. Automakers believe the growth momentum is likely to continue.

Maruti Suzuki’s sales grew by 2pc to 153,223 units in November from the previous year but declined by 16pc from October. Tata Motor’s passenger vehicle sales rose by 108pc to 21,641 units from the prior year. Hyundai India posted a drop of 2pc in car sales to 59,200 units in November compared to the prior year.

Escorts, a producer of farm vehicles registered a 33pc growth to 10,165 units in November while Mahindra & Mahindra’s farm segment reported a growth of 56pc to 32,726 units from the prior year. Escorts’ Agri Machinery segment recorded its highest November sales ever.

Sales by two and three-wheeler manufacturer TVS increased by 21pc to 322,709 units in November from the previous year but fell by 18pc compared to the preceding month. Bajaj Auto’s sales rose by 5pc to 422,240 units from the prior year but were 18pc lower from October. Hero MotoCorp’s sales in November rose by 14pc to 591,091 units from the prior year but declined by 27pc from the prior month. Around 63,782 units of Royal Enfield were sold in November, up 6pc from the previous year.

Ashok Leyland reported sales of 10,659 units, up 5pc from the previous year. Eicher Motors’ heavy vehicle segment sold 3,710 units, up 3pc from 2019. Tata Motors’ heavy vehicle segment reported a drop of 6pc to 5,699 units. Commercial vehicles sold by Tata Motors fell by 9pc to 27,982 units. In the domestic market of commercial vehicle sales rose by 1pc to 26,218 units.