Tata Motors Limited, formerly TML Commercial Vehicles, sold 47,652 commercial vehicles in October, 27 per cent more than the 37,530 units it sold a year earlier. A surge in international business accounted for more than half of the increase.
Overseas sales rose 225 per cent to 7,868 units from 2,422, lifting exports to about one-sixth of total volumes. Of the 10,122 units added to the monthly tally, 5,446 came from outside India. The company's statement did not break the overseas numbers down by market or product.
Domestic sales grew at a steadier 13 per cent, to 39,784 units from 35,108, with every segment in positive territory. Passenger carriers, the smallest category, rose 20 per cent to 3,826 units. Intermediate and light medium commercial vehicle (ILMCV) trucks gained 17 per cent to 7,213 units, and heavy commercial vehicle (HCV) trucks 12 per cent to 12,030. Small commercial vehicle (SCV) cargo and pickup models, which make up about 42 per cent of domestic volumes, grew 11 per cent to 16,715 units.
The medium and heavy truck numbers tell a different story from the headline export figure. Domestic MH&ICV sales rose 16 per cent to 19,263 units from 16,624. Including exports, the tally was 20,712 units against 17,827, also up 16 per cent. That implies exports of just 1,449 MH&ICV units, against 1,203 a year earlier. Most of the overseas gain therefore came from vehicles outside that range, such as lighter models and passenger carriers.
These are wholesale figures, covering dispatches to dealers and shipments abroad rather than registrations. Retail data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) showed all major commercial vehicle makers recording year-on-year growth in September, with Tata Motors leading with 35,931 units. Demand on the ground looked softer during the festive period, however. Provisional FADA data put commercial vehicle retail sales during Navratri up just 1.12 per cent at 35,618 units, a reminder that dispatches and registrations do not always move in step.
Rivals have also been posting strong numbers. Ashok Leyland's domestic sales in September rose 29.31 per cent year-on-year, while VE Commercial Vehicles reported a 49.6 per cent increase in total sales for the month. Tata Motors' 13 per cent domestic growth in October is slower than the pace those companies set a month earlier, though festive timing and differences in base effects make month-to-month comparisons imperfect.
