JLR wholesales stood at 1,10,648 units and retail sales, including from China JV with Cherry, stood at 1,14,905 units. Revenue for the quarter stood at 5,002 million pounds against 5,353 million pounds. Operating margins stood at 821 million pounds or at 16.4 percent, down from 1,087 million pounds.
However, Land Rover maintained healthy sales with Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Discovery and Discovery Sport and Defender all recording higher numbers. Discovery Sport outsold Freelander which it replaced. But Evoque sale was lower due to the ramp up of localised production in China and softer market conditions in the world's largest auto market.
Lower sales were also due poor show by the XF and XJ ahead of the all new lightweight XF and the refreshed XJ 16MY. Overall China sales were impacted as JLR discontinued some of the successful models as well inventory management issues resulting from beginning of local production in China with its JV partner Cherry Automobiles, Ramakrishnan said. The poor China show had a negative impact on the overall turnaround that its struggling parent reported in the home market on rising sales of its CVs and cars in the reporting quarter.
It can be noted that Tata Motors India was heavily losing money for the past three years. Despite the plunge in bottomline, the markets lapped up the Tata Motors shares which closed up 2.5 percent at Rs 392.55 on the BSE, whose main index Sensex slid 0.22 percent. Bharat Gianani of Angel Broking gave a buy on the Tata Motors stocks saying the results are in line with their estimates, though the numbers marginally missed consensus expectations.
"Topline remained under pressure mainly on account of dip in JLR revenues, which were though flat, and per vehicle realisation dipped 6 percent on account of unfavourable product mix and pricing cuts in the Chinese market. "Given the topline de-growth, operating margins at 16.4 percent came under pressure declining 230 bps, but this was in line with expectations. Operating margin pressures at JLR nearly halved its adjusted net at Rs 2,847 crore," he said.
On a standalone basis, Tata Motors India net profit fell 34.6 percent to Rs 257.57 crore while sales rose to Rs 9,197.62 crore from Rs 7,612.89 crore in the previous fiscal. Sales, including exports, of commercial and passenger vehicles for the quarter stood at 1,17,439 units, up 6.2 percent, compared to the corresponding quarter last fiscal. Domestic numbers were propped by higher commercial vehicles and passenger cars sales.
While CV sales rose 20.7 percent driven by fleet replacement demand, LCV sales degrew 19 percent, passenger cars space led by the Zest, Bolt and the new Nano pushed up sales by 27.4 percent. The CV space was also helped by a 38 percent spike in exports.
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