Deepika Agrawal 
Indian automakers reported a steady growth in sales in February buoyed by demand for two-wheelers and sport utility vehicles. Carmakers like Tata Motors, Toyota Kirloskar and Mahindra and Mahindra posted record monthly sales. Two-wheeler makers such as Royal Enfield and Bajaj Auto also witnessed rise in sales, because of improved demand and new product launches.
Auto analysts expect healthy sales momentum to continue given there are no new price hikes for at least three months, Reuters reported. They noted that the current momentum can be attributed to high inventory levels and a rise in discounts.
Home-grown brand Tata Motors reported a 19% year-on-year hike in its passenger vehicle (PV) sales last month, higher than the 12% rise in January. It sold 51,321 PV units in February as compared to 43,140 units sold in the corresponding month a year ago. The company witnessed 30% rise in sales of electric vehicles at 6,923 units as compared to 5,318 units sold in the year-ago period.
Toyota posted record sales for the second consecutive month at 25,220 units, up almost 61% from last year when the company sold 15,685 units. The company’s domestic sales stood at 23,300 units while its exports stood at 1,920 units in the month.
In the preceding month, the company witnessed its highest-ever monthly wholesales in India at 24,609 units. The company attributed the rise in demand to its SUVs and multi-utility vehicle models.
The country’s largest SUV-maker by revenue, Mahindra and Mahindra posted 40% rise in SUV sales in February, pushing total sales up 24%. The company sold 42,401 units of SUVs last month while the overall sales figure stood at 42,941 units. Honda Cars India registered over 17% growth in domestic sales at 7,142 units. Maruti Suzuki posted 9% growth in domestic sales at 1,68,544 units in February as compared to 155,114 units sold in the year-ago period.
In the two-wheeler segment, Royal Enfield sold 75,935 units last month as against 71,544 units a year ago. It reported an uptick of 2% in the sale of motorcycles with an engine capacity of up to 350cc, compared to a 1% fall in the preceding month. Bajaj Auto’s total two-wheeler sales rose 25% to 294,684 units. TVS Motor posted a growth of 33% at 368,424 units as against 276,150 units sold in the year-ago period.
