Auto sector posts negative export growth

Against an impressive growth trend witnessed by the automobile sector on home turf during April-September of the current financial year, passenger car exports declined by 15 per cent followed by commercial vehicles 11.4 per cent and three-wheelers 5.0 per cent against the comparable figures in the same period a year ago.

The fall in exports was much sharp at 29.2 per cent in the case of two-wheelers mainly because of a 35.2 per cent drop in exports recorded by the scooters segment during the reference period,according to the data compiled by SIAM. Market leader Maruti Udyog, which saw a 15.8 per cent sales growth in the domestic market, witnessed a 15.7 per cent fall in exports during the first six months of the current fiscal against the same period last year.

The decline in exports was sharp at 93 per cent in the case of TELCO, which saw its domestic sales growing by 16 times in the reference period. Exports of passenger cars declined by 15 per cent to 9,095 units in the first half of the fiscal from 10,700 vehicles in the corresponding period of 1998-99. The scooters and motorcycles segments posted a 35.2 per cent and 12.3 per cent drop in exports growth to 10,197 units and 16,039 units respectively in the reference period from 15,740 units and 18,301 units exported in April-September 1998-99.

Moped exports dipped sharply by 41.8 per cent to 10,072 units in the review period from 17,299 units in the same period last year.

Commercial vehicles segment was also not an exception as the segment saw a 11.4per cent exports fall to 3,658 units in April-September this year from 4,131 units in the first half of the last fiscal.

Lowest fall in exports growth of five per cent was recorded by three-wheelers as the segment saw sales of 10,168 units in the overseas market in the reference period as compared to 10,707 units in the same period a year ago.

Exports of Bajaj scooters were down by 37.6 per cent as the company sold only 2,747 vehicles in the first six months of the fiscal from 4,400 units in the corresponding period of 1998-99.

Leading scooter manufacturer LML Ltd witnessed a 54.7 per cent fall in exports to 2,734 units during the reference period from 5,999 units in the same period last fiscal.

Motorcycles exports by Bajaj was also down by 39 per cent to 2,635 units from 4,319 units in the same period. Market leader in the motorcycles segment Hero Honda registered a 37.3 per cent drop in exports to 4191 units in the first half of the current fiscal from 6,686 units in the same period lastfiscal.

Kinetic Motor Company8217;s exports declined by 12.7 per cent to 4,354 units from 4,990 units in the same period of 1998-99. However, TVS Suzuki posted a positive exports growth in scooters, motorcycles and moped segments by selling 362 units, 1448 units and 1391 units respectively in the global market during the review period against 351 units, 787 units and 566 units in the same period last fiscal.