October 2020 Sales Report: Hero, Suzuki, Bajaj Record Best Ever Sales; Royal Enfield Still Lagging Behind

The Indian two-wheeler industry continues to show a strong recovery

COVID-19 continues to be an unpleasant experience all across the world, but it came at an especially bad time for the Indian two-wheeler industry: bang in the middle of the transition to BS6 emission norms. People confined to their homes and vehicles becoming more expensive meant that there was a pretty severe sales slump in the second quarter of 2020, but we’re happy to report that the market has bounced back strongly, with most manufacturers bettering their 2019 sales figures and some even setting new records.

One such manufacturer is Suzuki, which managed 76,865 overall units in October 2020, which is not only 3% better than the same month last year, but also its best ever domestic sales of 67,225 units. Exports are also up by a healthy 15% year-on-year. Fellow Japanese manufacturer Yamaha had a similarly strong showing, selling 60,176 units last month, a massive 31% more than the number sold in October 2019. However, despite this, it still managed a slightly better figure of 63,052 in September 2020.

The mighty Honda continued to record positive growth as well, with a 2% increase in sales over October 2019, selling a mammoth 527,180 units in Oct 2020. Breaking down the numbers, Honda’s domestic sales were up by 1% while exports were up by 9%.

Our very own Indian manufacturers are also part of the action, with TVS showing a sizeable 24% growth and selling 382,121 two-wheelers in October. Motorcycles were the ones driving the growth, with a 38% increase compared to last year, while scooters grew by a more humble 5%. Two-wheeler exports saw a massive growth of 46% in October 2020.

Bajaj’s 18% growth meant that it sold a healthy 470,290 units last month, setting a personal best record. Exports are up by 29%, contributing nearly 43% of the sales in October. But nobody could put a dent in the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world. Hero MotoCorp managed to sell over 8 lakh two-wheelers in a single month, making October 2020 its best month ever! The official figure of 806,848 is a massive 35% greater than October 2019, with domestic sales counting for 98% of the total. Despite offering 4 different scooters in its lineup, it was motorcycles that accounted for over 90% of Hero’s sales.

Unfortunately, the one Indian manufacturer that hasn’t quite been able to bounce back yet is Royal Enfield. The Chennai giant sold 66,891 units last month, which is sadly still 7% lower than the 71,964 bikes it sold in October 2019. We hope the imminent launch of the highly-awaited Meteor 350 can help turn the brand’s fortunes around.