BQ Survey | Auto Sales Improve But At A Slower Pace In May 

Automobile sales continued to grow in May but at a slower pace than same period year ago due to a high base, according to BloombergQuint’s survey of more than 35 dealers across the country.

Passenger vehicles fared better than two-wheelers in the traditionally lean month for sales ahead of monsoon, the survey found.

Key takeaways from the dealer survey:

Passenger Vehicles

Maruti Suzuki:

• The company has managed to ramp-up production leading to better sales for most of its popular models like Swift, Baleno, Dzire and Brezza.
• Also, customers are buying more since they expect a price hike next month. However, the company hasn’t announced any such plans.

M&M:

• Except Bolero, most of the company’s offerings witness flat-to-marginally month-on-month growth.

Tata Motors:

• Sales jumped on account of a low base.
• Overall demand and increased presence helped volumes. The company’s advertising spend also boosted volumes as it was the official partner of the Indian Premier League 2018.

Two-Wheelers

Hero MotoCorp:

• Strong demand in the entry-level segment.
• Launched the Xtreme 200R in May.
• Expect five new launches this financial year.

TVS Motor:

• Strong demand for the company’s flagship scooter Ntorq and motorcycle Apache RR 310.

Bajaj Auto:

• Sales rose year-on-year as the two-wheeler maker had witnessed a weak May last year.

Royal Enfield:

• The firm’s Thunderbird 500X and 350X have a waiting period of two months.