The increased insurance cost and the price hike due to the mandatory installation of ABS/CBS on two-wheelers have slowed down the sales in the domestic market. However, positive performance in exports is providing solace to the two-wheeler manufacturers in the country. Data released by auto industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) suggest that in the period from April to January of the current fiscal there was a 19.5% rise in exports Y-o-Y.
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Motorcycle exports grew by 18.61% as the number in the period stood at 24,12,800 units as against 20,34,250 units in the corresponding timeframe last fiscal. Scooter sales grew by 26.67% to 3,32,197 units as against 2,62,253 units a year ago. Mopeds saw a 12.3% increase in exports as the number grew to 14,938 units, against 13,302 units a year ago.
The data listed below shows which two-wheeler brand contributed to exports (as per SIAM data):
| Company | April 2018-January 2010 | Growth |
| Bajaj Auto | 14,50,766 | 24.87% |
| TVS Motor Company | 14,50,766 | 24.87% |
| Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India | 3,25,759 | 10.30% |
| India Yamaha Motor | 2,09,352 | 2.39% |
| Hero MotoCorp | 1,63,480 | 5.74% |
The two-wheeler brands have expanded their reach in the international market with the launch of new products in various countries.
For example, TVS Motor Company named Beta Motor as its exclusive distributor in Argentina. The company also displayed its products such as the Apache RR 310, the Ntorq 125, the RTR 200 4V Race Edition 2.0, RTR 160 4V, RTR 150 and the Rockz at Salón Internacional de la Motocicleta Argentina 2018.
In October, Bajaj Auto appointed a new distributor in Mexico and started the construction of a CKD facility in the country. Moreover, the company plans to have sales, design and R&D personnel in Thailand. Hero MotoCorp launched the Xtreme 200R in Nepal in September last year.
In comparison, the domestic two-wheeler sales clocked 1,81,25,656 units in the April 2018-January 2019 period as against 1,67,71,630 units in the corresponding period last fiscal, a growth of 8.07 per cent.
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Royal Enfield recorded negative sales for three consecutive months in the domestic market, but its exports saw an increase after the launch of the new 650 Twins. Last month, the exports rose by about 9% as the company shipped 1,829 motorcycles in January 2019 as against 1,673 units in the same month the previous year.
