Bajaj Auto Expects Sustained Growth In The Second Half

Bajaj Auto Ltd. expects continued uptick in sales in the second half of the year to March 2018, backed by healthy demand for recently launched products, said the automaker's Chief Financial Officer Kevin D'sa.

The Pune-based company logged a 14 percent sales growth in September over the same period last year, with the commercial vehicles segment clocking highest-ever 32 percent jump.

D'sa said the automaker is targeting 7-8 percent growth in domestic sales this month and expects the figure to touch 20 percent in November-December.

Sales growth is likely to be backed by moderation of the impact of Bharat Stage-IV emission norms and success of their new products like CT 100 Electric Start, Platina and Pulsar NS series, said D'sa.

On exports, D'sa said that emerging economies have been advantageous for the automaker, with the Nigerian market stabilising over time.

Bajaj Auto didn't have to dish out deep discounts to increase sales at home this time, said D'sa. “It was not a flash in the pan occurrence, it's a rising trend in our case.” The company follows the practice of building what is retailed, he said. “Hence, inventories do not last more than 4-5 weeks, negating the question of offering deep discounts.”