Sector Update | 23 March 2018
Automobiles
Continued demand momentum across segments
Discounts on CVs moderating
Our interactions with leading channel partners indicate continued demand momentum
across segments. This is supported by festive demand (Gudi
Padwa
and
Chaitra Navratri)
in
key northern, central and western markets in March 2018.
Mr Gopal Mahadevan,
CFO,
Ashok Leyland
said:
“Major states like UP and
Rajasthan, and certain parts
of Madhya Pradesh have
implemented overloading
norms, creating additional
demand for CVs.”
CVs:
CVs will continue to see healthy wholesales, on high base of last year, as demand
continues to outstrip supply. We also note sequential decline in discounts on CVs (1-
2% lower) for the second straight month in March 2018 (v/s 10-15% in February 2018).
PVs:
PV retails are healthy, led by MSIL. New
Swift
bookings are at ~95k units, with
average waiting period of ~3.5 months. The waiting period for
Baleno/Brezza
has
declined, with improving supply. MM’s retails are growing at 8-10% in rural regions.
2Ws:
Demand for 100-125cc motorcycles remains robust, with average retails growing
more than +15%. HMCL is witnessing strong sales in rural markets. TVSL has raised Star
City ES prices by INR500 while BJAUT has slashed Pulsar 150 prices by INR3k.
3Ws:
Demand for 3Ws is normalizing in Maharashtra (35% of passenger 3W market)
after fulfillment of pent-up demand post removal of cap on permit issuance.
We prefer PVs over 2Ws and CVs due to stronger volume growth and stable competitive
environment. Our top picks in Autos are MSIL and MSS among the large caps, and AL and
EXID among the midcaps.
Sequential reduction in CV discounts for second straight month
Mr RS Kalsi,
Executive Director,
Sales & Marketing,
Maruti Suzuki India
said:
“It is a feeling of déjà vu
with the Swift… The first
and second generations
were already bestsellers.
They had surpassed all our
forecasts. Historically, it has
been a model that’s been on
waitlist all throughout,
generation after
generation, even when one
generation was being
phased out for the next.”
Despite a high base (pre-buy due to BS 3 to BS 4 switch over), CVs will continue
to see healthy momentum in wholesales, as demand continues to outstrip
supply in key markets, partially led by short-supply of vehicles. Implementation
of trailer code in Rajasthan is also driving ‘pre-buy’ demand.
Strict vigilance on overloading of trucks in states like UP, Rajasthan, and Haryana
continues to drive healthy CV retails and demand for higher-tonnage trucks.
Leading channel partners are indicating further decline in average discount –
down 1-2% MoM in March after 10-15% MoM decline in February.
There has been no price hike till date in the quarter ending March 2018, apart
from a price increase of ~INR40k-45k towards complying with the regulatory
requirement of having air blowers in all new CVs as a standard fitment.
Initial booking trends for the recently-launched all new
Swift
hatchback remain
encouraging, with waiting period now inching to 3-3.5 months. The aggregate
bookings are now touching ~95k units, with ~40% for the AMT version.
With increasing supply, the average waiting period for the
Baleno
now stands at
5-6 weeks (v/s ~8 weeks earlier).
Non-Nexa models are witnessing healthy retail growth of 7-8%. Channel
partners in rural areas are indicating 10-12% retail growth.
New
Swift
bookings at ~95k units; waiting period at 3-3.5 months
Jinesh Gandhi
(Jinesh@MotilalOswal.com); +91 22 3982 5416
Deep Shah
(Deep.S@MotilalOswal.com); +91 22 6129 1533
Suneeta Kamath
(Suneeta.Kamath@MotilalOswal.com); +91 22 6129 1534
Investors are advised to refer through important disclosures made at the last page of the Research Report.
Motilal Oswal research is available on www.motilaloswal.com/Institutional-Equities, Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, Factset and S&P Capital.
8 August 2016
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