16-01-2013, 04:11 PM
AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY IN INDIA
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INTRODUCTION
The Indian automotive industry consists of five segments: commercial vehicles; multi-utility vehicles & passenger cars; two-wheelers; three-wheelers; and tractors. With 5,822,963 units sold in the domestic market and 453,591 units exported during the first nine months of FY2005 (9MFY2005), the industry (excluding tractors) marked a growth of 17% over the corresponding previous. The two-wheeler sales have witnessed a spectacular growth trend since the mid nineties.
Two-wheelers: Market Size & Growth
In terms of volume, 4,613,436 units of two-wheelers were sold in the country in 9MFY2005 with 256,765 units exported. The total two-wheeler sales of the Indian industry accounted for around 77.5% of the total vehicles sold in the period mentioned
Demand Drivers
The demand for two-wheelers has been influenced by a number of factors over the past five years. The key demand drivers for the growth of the two-wheeler industry are as follows:
▪ Inadequate public transportation system, especially in the semi-urban and rural areas;
▪ Increased availability of cheap consumer financing in the past 3-4 years;
▪ Increasing availability of fuel-efficient and low-maintenance models;
▪ Increasing urbanisation, which creates a need for personal transportation;
▪ Changes in the demographic profile;
▪ Difference between two-wheeler and passenger car prices, which makes two-wheelers the entrylevel vehicle;
▪ Steady increase in per capita income over the past five years; and
▪ Increasing number of models with different features to satisfy diverse consumer needs.
Segmental Classification and Characteristics
The three main product segments in the two-wheeler category are scooters, motorcycles and mopeds. However, in response to evolving demographics and various other factors, other subsegments emerged, viz. scooterettes, gearless scooters, and 4-stroke scooters. While the first two emerged as a response to demographic changes, the introduction of 4-stroke scooters has followed the imposition of stringent pollution control norms in the early 2000. Besides, these prominent sub-segments, product groups within these sub-segments have gained importance in the recent years. Examples include 125cc motorcycles, 100-125 cc gearless scooters, etc. The characteristics of each of the three broad segments are discussed in Table 1.