Passenger vehicle wholesales dip 8% in January as semiconductor woes continue

Passenger vehicle dispatches from factories to dealers in India fell 8 percent in January, mainly due to semiconductor shortage, auto industry body SIAM said on Friday. The total passenger vehicle wholesales dropped to 254,287 units in January 2022 as compared to 276,554 units in the same month of last year.

Last month, passenger car dispatches stood at 126,693 units as compared to 153,244 units in the year-ago period. Similarly, van dispatches declined to 10,632 units in the period under review from 11,816 units in January 2021. Utility vehicle sales, however, increased to 116,962 units last month as compared to 111,494 units in January 2021.

Total two wheeler dispatches declined 21 percent to 1,128,293 units from 1,429,928 units in the year-ago period. Similarly, three wheeler wholesales dropped to 24,091 units last month as against 26,794 units in January 2021.

Total dispatches last month fell to 1,406,672 units as compared to 1,733,276 units in the same month last year.

"Sales in January 2022 again declined compared to January 2021, due to both Omicron-related concerns and semiconductor shortage. There is clearly a demand issue for two-wheelers due to lower rural off-take of entry level models," Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Director General Rajesh Menon said.

On the other hand, the passenger vehicle segment is unable to meet the market demand due to supply side challenges, he added. "Three wheelers continue to be severely affected due to lower sales," Menon said.

Last month the country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki dispatched 128,924 units as compared to 1,39,002 units in January 2021. Hyundai Motor India witnessed its dispatches decline to 44,022 units last month as against 52,005 units in January last year.