Coronavirus impact: Passenger vehicle exports dip 57.52% in Apr-Sep

Passenger vehicle exports bore the brunt of the pandemic in April-September period. PV exports from India declined 57.52 per cent in the period, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). As compared to last year's 3,65,247 units, passenger vehicle exports in the first half of 2020-21 stood at 1,55,156 units.

Passenger car exports saw a drop of 64.93 per cent, while utility vehicle shipments dropped 29.67 per cent. Van shipments saw a drop of 80.91 per cent. Passenger car exports stood at 1,00,529 units, down from last year's 2,86,618 units, while utility vehicle shipments stood at 54,375 units from the previous year's 77,309 units. Van shipments stood at 252 units from 1,320 units last year.

SIAM Director General Rajesh Menon said that this dip can be largely attributed to the COVID-19 related disruptions. "This can be largely attributed to the COVID-19 related disruptions globally, which has led to closure of plants and dealerships, supply chain disruptions, curfews in cities and interruptions in international trade," he said.

Menon said that with the relaxations, exports have improved and the exports in the second half of the fiscal is expected to be higher than earlier months.

During the second quarter (July-September), PV exports declined by 41.96 per cent to 1,11,555 units as compared with 1,92,193 units in the same period of 2019-20. All the major PV exporters saw significant drop in their overseas shipments during the first six months of the current fiscal.

Hyundai Motor India exported 32,041 units, down 68.98 per cent from the same period last fiscal, while Maruti Suzuki India exported 31,549 units, down 40.02 per cent from the year-ago period.Ford India shipped 26,089 units to overseas markets during the period under review, down 63.69 per cent from April-September last fiscal.

General Motors India exported 16,630 units, down 58.52 per cent from the same period last year. Similarly, Volkswagen India exported 15,492 units during the period under review, down 59.13 per cent from April-September 2019-20.

However, Kia Motors India shipped 16,606 units during the period, a whopping 3,425.69 per cent increase over April-September period of 2019-20.

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