July-Feb auto sales show rising trend
Except for decline in sales of light commercial vehicles, vans and jeeps, the sales of two and three wheelers, tractors, buses and trucks have shown positive growth in July-February 2009-10 as compared to same period of last fiscal year.
A total of 45,523 units of tractors (Fiat and Massey Ferguson) were sold in the last eight months of current financial year as compared to 34,841 units in the corresponding period of last fiscal.
Sale of Massey Ferguson tractors rose sharply to 26,078 units in July-February 2009-10 from 16,986 units in the same period of last fiscal while Fiat tractor sales increased to 19,445 from 17,855 units.
Sohail Bashir Rana, Senior Executive Officer of Millat Tractors Limited, talking to Dawn from Lahore attributed the increase in tractor sales to fetching of good support price by farmers followed by improved buying of tractors on cash.
He said that delivery of 10,000 units under Benazir Tractor Scheme (BTS) had already completed while the Punjab government was coming up with its own scheme next week to provide 10,000 tractors to farmers. He added production of tractors was also going good and were easily available.
Figures released by Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) showed increase in two- and three-wheeler sales to 468,856 units during the period under review as compared to 321,142 units.
Because of good crops of wheat, cotton, rice etc., the growers were encouraged to buy two wheelers. However, jeep sales plunged to 666 units from 731 while pick-ups to 10,078 from 11,429 units.
Overall sales of trucks surged to 2,312 in July-February 2009-10 from 1,928 in the same period of last fiscal, while sale of buses went up to 407 from 383 units.
During February 2010, the total market for commercial trucks and buses grew by 54 per cent to 462 units from 300 units in February 2009 due to increased demand created by the commercial transport activity.
The overall truck market showed a growth of 50 per cent from 265 units in February 2009 to 398 units sold in February 2010. The overall bus market also grew by 83 per cent from 35 units sold in February 2009 to 64 buses sold in February 2010.
Director Sales and Marketing Hinopak Motors Limited Muhamamd Irfan Shaikh said that in February 2010, the company sold 189 units of trucks as compared to 163 units in February 2009, up by 16 per cent. However, compared to January 2010 (253 units), sale of trucks decreased by 25 per cent (189 units) in February 2010.
The analysis showed that the sales in February 2010 fell due to instability in law and order situation during the month of November and December 2009 and also banks were not releasing money, the customers were reluctant in investing in the market during these months, which brought the sales forward in the month of January 2010.
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