Bajaj Auto September sales surge 38 per cent

Rex Mathew
12 October 2006

Bajaj Auto continues to close the gap with market leader Hero Honda. The company's product strategy has been very successful in the last couple of years while Hero Honda's new launches have struggled. Bajaj Auto claims a market share of close to 38 per cent in motorcycles as of end September 2006.

For the month of September 2006, total motorcycle sales of Bajaj Auto surged 50 per cent to 271,377 units as compared to 180,926 units for the same month of the previous year. 45 per cent of total motorcycle sales, or 121,521 units, were in the more profitable high-end segment where the company is clearly the market leader.

Three-wheeler sales for the month were 27,870 units, a growth of 21 per cent year-on-year. Bajaj Auto is holding on to its lead in the 3-wheeler segment, despite competition from Piaggio. The company is developing a 4-wheel light cargo vehicle to compete with the hugely successful Tata Ace light truck.

Total exports for the month increased 58 per cent to 37,088 units from 23,463 units.

Total vehicle sales, including exports for the month were 300,141 units - a growth of 37.67 per cent as compared to 218,012 units for the same month of previous year.

For the first half of the current financial year, total volume sales stood at 13.58 lakh units - a growth of 28 per cent from 10.59 lakh units for the same period of previous year. Total motorcycle sales for this period rose 37 per cent to 11.91 lakh units as compared to 8.68 lakh units during the previous year. Exports were higher by 87 per cent at 210,110 units in the first half.