Domestic passenger vehicle sales up 12% in August: Industry body SIAM

Auto stocks were in demand on Dalal Street on Monday, after industrial data pointed to growth in total domestic sales. Domestic sales of passenger vehicles, comprising passenger cars, utility vehicles and vans, stood at 3,13,715 units in August, marking an increase of 11.6 per cent compared with the corresponding period a year ago, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) released on Monday. The data excluded sales of Tata Motors, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), BMW, Mercedes and Volvo Auto. 

After taking into account the monthly sales of Tata Motors, the total passenger vehicle sales in the country came in at 3,59,228 units last month.

However, total sales of passenger cars in the domestic market were at 1,20,031 units, a decline of 10.1 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

Exports of passenger vehicles registered an increase of 16.8 per cent on a year-on-year basis to 63,883 units in August, according to data from SIAM, an industry body. Total production stood at 3,74,018 passenger vehicles last month, translating to a rise of 11.9 per cent. 

Total domestic sales of two-wheelers, including motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, increased marginally. According to the SIAM data, the sales came in at 15,66,594 two-wheelers for the month, as against 15,57,429 a year ago. While total production grew three per cent to 19,16,789 two-wheelers, exports in the segment declined 4.2 per cent to 2,90,855 units. 

Most auto stocks held on to the green after the release of SIAM data. In late morning deals, while stocks of carmakers Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra were up around one per cent, those of two-wheeler makers such as Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor Company and Hero MotoCorp were up around 0.5-1 per cent. Stocks of auto ancillary companies, including the likes of Bharat Forge, Bosch, MRF, Balkrishna Industries, Samvardhana Motherson and Sona BLW Precision, were also in demand, rising between 0.3 per cent and 1.9 per cent.  

The Nifty Auto index, whose 15 constituents include Maruti Suzuki, M&M, Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp, TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto, gained as much as 1.2 per cent during the session. 

Overall sales

Total sales of vehicles across segments, including passenger vehicles, two- and three-wheelers, e-rickshaws, and quadricycles, in the domestic as well as foreign markets increased to 23,26,058 units from 22,79,730 units a year ago, according to the data. 

Total production across segments expanded 4.8 per cent on a year-on-year basis to 23,85,901 units in August, it showed. 

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