Toyota sales increase by six per cent as diesel ban is lifted

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) breathed a sigh of relief as the Supreme Court lifted the ban on the sale of diesel cars with  engines above  2,000cc engine. This enabled them sell their high capacity vehicles, eventually increasing their sales last month by six per cent.

TKM's overall sales figures including exports last month were reported as 12,067 units. This shows a six per cent growth as the carmaker's cumulative sales in September 2015 were 11,376 units. This is despite the fall in export numbers, which were 1,100 units last month as against 1,252 units in September 2015. So it’s the sale of vehicles in the domestic market that has helped boost their overall sales numbers.

Many manufacturers including Toyota were distressed by the Supreme Court’s ban. Reports suggest that the share of diesel vehicles in industry sales declined by a substantial amount this fiscal year. The most affected automobile firms included Toyota Kirloskar Motors, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. and Mercedes-Benz India. They had experienced a significant sales dent since last year. Now that the ban is lifted allowing fresh registration of these high-end diesel cars, the decision has come as a relief for them.

N. Raja, Director and Sr. Vice President, sales and marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, "The recently launched Innova Crysta has received an overwhelming response from the market including the Delhi and NCR region. Lifting of the ban has opened the order flow for Innova Crysta diesel vehicles in Delhi resulting to an average waiting period of 1.5 to 2months. We are trying our best to bring the waiting period down so as to serve our customers better."

Though Toyota has not given out a number, the new Innova Crysta's sales from Delhi and the National Capital Region should have helped boost the sales. This is where the cars were banned from being sold or registered earlier. Also the recent launch of the Platinum Etios and Liva should only bring good news for the manufacturer. We can only expect Toyota's sales numbers to further get a boost during this festive season.