COVID impact: Passenger vehicle sales dip 10% in April

Passenger vehicle wholesales in India declined by 10 per cent to 2,61,633 units last month as compared to March this year, as COVID-19-led restrictions across various states impacted demand, auto industry body SIAM said on Wednesday.

Passenger vehicle sales in March 2021, stood at 290,939 units.

"As expected, the COVID wave has impacted the sales of vehicles in the month of April 2021.

"Sales of passenger vehicles fell by about 10.07 per cent, compared to March 2021, due to various restrictions in states which have been experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases," SIAM director general Rajesh Menon said.

There were no passenger vehicle sales in April 2020, due to coronavirus-led nationwide lockdown.

As per the latest data by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), two-wheeler dispatches to dealers declined by 33 per cent to 9,95,097 units last month, as compared to 14,96,806 units in March.

Motorcycle sales saw a dip of 33 per cent to 6,67,841 units, as against 9,93,996 in March this year.

Similarly, scooter sales fell 34 per cent at 300,462 units, from 457,677 units in March.

Three-wheeler sales also declined by 57 per cent to 13,728 units, as compared to 31,930 units in March this year.

Vehicle sales across categories declined by 30 per cent to 12,70,458 units last month, as against 18,19,682 units in March.

Menon noted that supply chain-related production challenges continue amid lockdown restrictions in many parts of the country.

"The demand has been clearly impacted by the second wave of COVID-19, both in terms of low consumer sentiments and closure of dealerships due to lockdown restrictions," he added.

Menon noted that as the country battles the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian automobile industry has been standing shoulder to shoulder with the government and local authorities to provide all essential medical and non-medical support to the society, in this difficult time.

"Vehicle manufacturing has been restricted and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have come forward to augment oxygen supply for medical use.

"Industry is putting all efforts to increase the availability of oxygen by providing oxygen generating plants, concentrators, cylinders, mobile oxygen vans, setting-up vehicle tracking systems in oxygen carrying vehicles to reduce their turn-around-time, etc," Menon said.

In fact, some members have also tied up with PSA plant manufacturers to de-bottleneck their operations and scale up production of oxygen plants, he added.

In April Maruti Suzuki's dispatches to dealerships stood at 135,879 units, as compared to 146,203 units in March.

Similarly, Hyundai Motor India dispatched 49,002 units, as against 52,600 units in March.

Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters