Auto Dispatch Numbers of October 2021

Overall auto numbers for the month of October 2021 were disappointing on the 4-wheeler front. This was due to a combination of spike in input inflation and a shortage of microchips in the market.

Here is a quick take on how the key auto company dispatches panned out.

1) The biggest automaker, Maruti Suzuki saw domestic sales fall -33.4% to 108,991 units on YoY basis. The fall was much lower in the mini passenger car segment at -24% while the compact passenger vehicles saw a fall of -48.8% on a YoY basis.

Utility vehicles like the Ertiga, Gypsy and S-Cross saw dispatches increasing by 6.6% YoY. Production at its plants at Manesar and Suzuki’s plant in Gujarat have seen production schedules impacted by the sharp shortfall in microchips.

2) The second largest automaker, Hyundai Motors, also witnessed a 34.6% fall in auto dispatches at 37,021 units in the month of October.

3) The two India-bred auto companies actually flattered on the sales front. Tata Motors reported 44% YoY growth in dispatches at 32,339 units on the back of new launches. Tata Motors also sold 1,586 units of electrical vehicles (EV) during the month.

Mahindra & Mahindra reported marginal increase in auto dispatches in Oct-21 by 8% at 20,130 units largely driven by the utility vehicles segment.

4) Outside of the four large players in the auto segment, the other players put up a mixed dispatch show with positive growth coming more from a low base. Consider some of these numbers.

Kia India reported -22% fall in dispatches at 16,331 units while Toyota Motors reported a marginal 1% increase in Oct-21 dispatches at 12,440 units. Honda Cars reported -25% fall in dispatches at 8,108 units.

5)  Among the 3 smallest players in the auto space in India; Nissan reported a sharp 254% spike in dispatches at 3,913 units, albeit on a low base. Skoda also reported a 115.6% spike in dispatches to 3,065 units for the month of October. Finally, MG Hector reporting -23.6% fall in auto dispatches at 2,863 units.

It must be noted that all the above numbers as reported by the Society of Indian Auto Manufacturers (SIAM) are the dispatches by the auto manufacturers to the dealers. However, the current scenario is that most auto dealers are running at just about 1-2 weeks of inventory, in the midst of the busy festive season.