Fresh reports from Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) reveal that India has outdone China to emerge as the world’s largest two-wheeler market. In terms of numbers for the fiscal year 2016-17, India has sold an additional 31.28 lakh two-wheeler units with overall numbers amounting to 1,99,28,784 units as against the 1,68,00,000 units sold in China.
As reports indicate, two-wheeler sales in China has dropped by 10.8 per cent in comparison to the previous year. The drop in numbers can be attributed to the booming economy in China which has encouraged buyers to go for cars instead of two-wheelers. India being a price sensitive market, two-wheelers have always been the first choice when it comes to meeting regular commuting needs. Hero MotoCorp continues to be the leading player in the country with 66.6 lakh units sold in financial year 2016-17. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India claimed the second position with 50 lakh units sold. Interestingly, niche bike maker Royal Enfield has reported 31 per cent growth during the fiscal year with 6.6 lakh unit sales. Only Bajaj Auto saw a slight decline. The popular bike maker sold about 32.1 lakh units – that’s a four per cent decline compared to figures in the corresponding month last year.
Although switching over to BS-IV norms have set back two-wheeler makers by a few extra thousands, it will not affect the market on the whole. The reason being that, two-wheelers are easy on maintenance and fuel efficient compared to cars, which always makes them much preferred over cars. Moreover, a wide range of options right from commuter bikes to full-fledged sports bikes offers something for everybody, regardless of age and interests.
