Domestic ICE 2W sales rebound on the back of strong festive demand

India's two-wheeler industry is seeing green shoots of recovery as domestic dealer dispatches grew by 1.33 percent at 14,96,052 units for October 2022 as against 14,77,335 last year. Amit Vijay M has the full story.

- Amit Vijay M

It is no secret that the four-wheeler industry posted better results than the two-wheeler segment in the past nine months. It was expected that during the festive period there would be a seismic shift in the two-wheeler market. That didn't happen. Traditional strong markets in North India failed to live up to their reputation while the markets in the Southern states did surprisingly well. As a result, the performance figures appear somewhat mixed, but overall, they do indicate that the market isn't stagnating anymore. In fact, there are indications of an upward trend that may appear marginal when compared to the double-digit growth of four-wheelers but is still discernible.

Speaking to Autocar Professional, Vinkesh Gulati, former FADA President said that "two-wheelers will continue on the path of recovery thanks to the wedding season which will further give relief to the sector which has been facing negative headwinds due to multiple challenges." Gulati however, indicated that targeting the pre-covid levels of growth is "still miles away" as there continues to be stress at the rural level with inflation and unseasonal rains continuing to play spoilsport dampening overall consumer spending.

Here's a quick look at how the brands have fared so far.

ROYAL ENFIELD ROYAL ENFIELD

Units sold 76,528

Percentage growth (+84.44)

Royal Enfield has shown the strongest recovery of 84.44 percent of 76,528 units of domestic sales in October 22 as compared to 40,511 units in October 21.

This is due to huge consumer interest in its highest-seller, Classic 350, followed by the recently introduced Hunter 350, Meteor 350, Bullet 350, and Electra 350 series.

SUZUKI MOTORCYCLE INDIA

Units sold 69,634

Percentage growth (+22.63)