Auto sales in May: How did Maruti, Mahindra, Hero fare?
What's the story
India's automobile industry witnessed a mixed bag of results last month.
While the passenger vehicle segment struggled with slow growth, SUV and two-wheeler demand remained strong.
Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest carmaker, saw its domestic PV sales decline 5.6% to 1.36 lakh units due to weak demand for small cars like Alto and Swift.
Let's see how Mahindra, Hero MotoCorp, TVS Motor Company, and Bajaj Auto fared in May.
Brand #1
Maruti Suzuki's utility vehicle segment shows growth
Despite the slump in domestic PV sales, Maruti's utility vehicle segment grew by 1.3% YoY, driven by continued demand for cars such as Brezza and Grand Vitara.
The firm's overall domestic sales, including light commercial vehicles (LCVs), fell by 5.5% to 1.39 lakh units last month.
However, a nearly 80% jump in exports helped lift its total monthly sales to 1.80 lakh units—an increase of 3.2% YoY despite the domestic slowdown.
Brand #2
Mahindra's SUV dominance drives sales
Mahindra & Mahindra posted a whopping 17% jump in total sales at 84,110 units last month.
The company's domestic SUV sales grew by an impressive 21% YoY to 52,431 units.
Its critical LCV (2-3.5 ton) segment also saw strong traction with May volumes increasing by a solid 14%.
Exports surged by an impressive 37% last month, and are up by a whopping 55% for the fiscal year so far.
Brand #3, #4
Hero MotoCorp and TVS Motor report strong business
Hero MotoCorp reclaimed its position as the top two-wheeler manufacturer in May with 5.08 lakh units sold.
The recovery was fueled by high demand in the commuter segment, especially 100-125cc motorcycles.
Meanwhile, TVS Motor Company posted a robust 17% YoY growth with 4.31 lakh units sold last month, including a massive 50% surge in electric two-wheeler sales to hit nearly 28,000 units.
Brand #5, #6
What about Bajaj Auto and Ashok Leyland?
Bajaj Auto sold 3.85 lakh two-wheelers, an 8% YoY jump, while commercial vehicle sales rose by 5% in May.
Exports jumped by a whopping 22%, taking total sales for April-May to a staggering 7.50 lakh units.
Finally, Ashok Leyland's total sales grew by a modest 5% YoY to nearly 15,500 units last month, with the medium and heavy commercial vehicle (M&HCV) sales rising sharply but LCVs lagging behind.