Two-wheeler exports rise 4 pc in April-Sep; Bajaj Auto leads the pack

Two-wheeler exports rose by over 4 percent in the April-September period of the current fiscal, with Bajaj Auto leading the segment by shipping over 9 lakh units to various markets, including Africa and Latin America, as per latest data by industry body SIAM. Two-wheeler dispatches, including motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds, stood at 17,93,957 units in the first half of the current fiscal, as compared to 17,23,280 units in the same period of 2018-19.

Scooter exports during the period under review stood at 2,01,277 units, down 10.87 percent from 2,25,821 units in the April-September period of 2018-19. Motorcycle shipments, however, rose by 6.81 percent during the period at 15,85,338 units as against 14,84,252 units earlier.

On the other hand, exports of mopeds were down by a massive 44.41 percent at 7,342 units as compared to 13,207 units in the April-September period last year. Pune-based Bajaj Auto led the segment with shipments of 9,34,581 units, up 7.5 percent from the same period last fiscal, the data by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) showed.

It was followed by TVS Motor Company and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) which exported 3,43,337 and 1,74,469 units, respectively, during the period under review. Bajaj exports its bikes to over 70 countries and last year dispatched around 40 percent of its total production to Africa, Latin America, and Middle East markets. The company exported around 20 lakh units last fiscal.

Similarly, TVS Motor Company exported 3,43,337 units in the April-September period this fiscal, up 6.24 percent from the same period last fiscal. On the other hand, HMSI's overseas dispatches were 23.09 percent lower than the April-September period of the last financial year. India Yamaha Motor exported 1,56,058 units, up 21.38 percent from last fiscal. It was followed by domestic market leader Hero MotoCorp at 92,823 units. The company's overseas shipments were 12 percent down this fiscal as compared with the same period of 2018-19.

Suzuki Motorcycle India's foreign dispatches stood at 54,372 units, up 35.61 percent. Other notable exporting companies during the period included Royal Enfield (22,956 units), Piaggio Vehicles (14,050) and Mahindra Two Wheelers (297).

In the domestic market, total two-wheeler sales witnessed a decline of 16.18 percent in the April-September period at 96,96,733 units, from 1,15,68,498 units in the same period of previous fiscal.