2019 has proved to be a challenging month for the auto industry. Auto sales in India in 2019 witnessed the biggest drop in two decades compounded by economic slump in the corporate sector, various financial constraints, negative buying sentiments, etc.
Bajaj Auto Limited was no exception to this trend. The two wheeler maker has posted a 6.51 percent de-growth during the period January to December 2019. Total sales in the past year stood at 22,65,441 units as against 24,23,283 units sold during the same 12 months of the previous year.
The year started off on an optimistic note. The company posted positive sales during the January to May 2019 period. January and March proved to be strong months in terms of sales with 24.67 percent increase in sales in January 2019 to 2,03,358 units as compared to 1,63,111 units sold in the same month of the previous year. March 2019 sales were up 43.69 percent to 2,20,213 units as against 1,53,257 units sold in March 2018.
April 2019 saw the launch of the updated Bajaj Dominar 400 priced at Rs.1.73 lakhs which found favour among city riders and long-distance tourers, alike. The BS6 Bajaj Dominar is now poised for launch sometime in March 2020, but since it received major design changes in 2019, no other major changes are expected this year. However, with the BS6 upgrade prices could be increased by around Rs.10,000.
It was from June 2019 onwards that Bajaj Auto started posting negative sales. Sales in June 2019 were down marginally by 1,609 units to 1,99,340 units. On the other hand, exports witnessed a healthy growth of 11 percent with 1,51,951 units compared to 1,36,803 units exported during the same month in 2018.
From then on, sales in July nosedived 15.12 percent and then on down further by 29.88 percent in August 2019 and by 35.06 percent in September 2019. Sales in November 2019 dipped 14.09 percent to 1,76,37 units as compared to 2,05,259 units sold in the same month of the previous year. It was during this month that the Pulsar series added some good numbers to total sales. The company’s flagship Dominar 400 also added 311 units to total sales in November 2019 as against 170 units sold in November 2018.
As the year came to a close, Bajaj Auto ended the past year on a negative note with December sales down 21.07 percent to 1,24,125 units as against 1,57,252 units sold in December 2018. However, exports grew by 13 percent from 141,603 units in December 2018 to 160,677 units in December 2019.
Bajaj Auto Limited now gears up to mark its foray into the electric two wheeler segment with the new Chetak electric scooter on January 14, 2020. This new e-scooter is fitted with a 4 kW electric motor that will be powered by an IP67-rated lithium-ion battery. It will be offered in 6 colour options and promises to have a range of 95 km in the Eco mode. The Bajaj Chetak e-scooter is slated to be priced at about Rs 1.3 lakhs.
