Car companies report all-time high dispatch to dealers

NEW DELHI: Expecting a bumper festival season, car and SUV makers reported an all-time high vehicle dispatch to dealerships on volumes estimated at 3.6 lakh units, surpassing the previous record of 3.5 lakh units achieved in September last year.
The record number comes in as production at top car companies such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Mahindra improves, while demand on the consumer side continues to remain strong. Tata Motors was the only company to see a decline in numbers.
Maruti’s wholesales stood at around 1.6 lakh units in the domestic market, against 1.3 lakh units in the same month last year. The company has been pushing sales of its SUV portfolio that include Brezza, Grand Vitara, and the newly-launched Invicto MPV, director (sales & marketing) Shashank Srivastava said.

Hyundai India, which recently introduced a new entry SUV in the Exter, reported wholesale deliveries of 53,830 units against 49,510 units, and said festive season has started with “strong” Onam sales. “This is an indication of the festive fervour in other parts of the country in the coming months,” Tarun Garg, COO of the company, said.
Mahindra and Mahindra and Toyota had their highest-ever month in dealer dispatches, and expect a robust festive demand, even while monitoring availability of component supplies. “… we are keeping a close watch on the availability of semi-conductors and select parts, for sustained and smooth scaleup,” Veejay Nakra, president of M&M’s automotive division, said.
Companies say while semiconductor supplies have improved significantly, a full recovery is still some time away, especially as demand for new cars remains high and there is purchase from the plethora of electric two-wheeler makers, who are also using chips on their vehicles.