New Delhi: September saw a 26 per cent jump in passenger vehicle sales due to the lockdown opening amid the covid-19 epidemic and increasing demand for private transport. Two-wheeler sales also grew nearly 12 percent.
Kenichi Ayukawa, president of vehicle manufacturing companies’ SIAM and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, released the sales figures along with Rajesh Menon, director general of the organization. Sales of passenger vehicles rose 26.45 percent to 2,72,027 units in September. 2,15,124 passenger vehicles were sold in September last year. Passenger vehicles include cars, utility vehicles and vans. Car sales rose 28.92 percent to 1,63,981, utility vehicle sales rose 24.50 percent to 96,633 and van sales rose 10.64 percent to 11,413 percent.
Two-wheeler sales grew by 11.64 percent to 18,49,546 units. It saw a 17.30 percent increase in sales of motorcycles and 12,24,117 passenger vehicles were sold in September this year as compared to 10,43,621 motorcycles in September 2019. Sales of scooters increased marginally by 0.08 per cent to 5,56,205.
Mr. Ayukawa said that more demand is coming from rural areas, but urban demand is also expected to pick up in the festive season. He said that the full benefit of implementing BS-6 emission standard will be given only when the government comes out with an attractive scrap policy to remove old vehicles from the road.
