2W sales skid sharp 19% in Dec

RETAIL SALES OF two-wheelers are headed for their first December drop in two years with the first half of the month registering a sharp 19% year-on-year fall, according to data sourced from the government's Vahan portal.

- SWARAJ BAGGONKAR

Between December 1 and 17, two-wheeler sales stood at just under 733,000 units, significantly down from 899,013 units a year ago.

If the sales do not pick up, this will be the worst December for the two-wheeler segment since the same period of 2022, which saw an 11% year-on-year drop to 672,689 units.

Dealers attribute the slide to consumers either advancing their purchase or postponing it.

"TWO-WHEELER SALES did very well in October and November on the back of festival and wedding season.

Though the wedding season lasted till December 15, consumers may have advanced their purchases," dealers told FE. Similarly, several buyers postpone their purchases to January, so that they get a product manufactured in the new year, dealers added.