Automotive
India
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Contents
2 Automotive report
2 Overview
3 Passenger cars
7 Production
8 Fuel sources
Industry Reports provide The Economist Intelligence Unit's forecasts for six key
industries along with relevant market analysis. They focus on sectoral and
subsectoral demand in the world's major economies, and are updated quarterly,
semi-annually or annually depending on the country (see schedule at the end of
this report).
The Industry Reports are driven by the country-based macroeconomic forecasts for
which The Economist Intelligence Unit is renowned. An Economist Intelligence Unit
expert examines our forecasts for the key indicators in each industry, taking into
account economic and political developments, global and regional trends, and
market- or competitor-specific factors that are likely to have an impact on the sector
in the future. The analyst then provides commentary to outline the implications of
these trends for companies in the industry.
The Economist Intelligence Unit's country and industry analysis draws on the
expertise of 100 in-house editors and economists, including industry specialists, and
a global network of more than 600 contributors. The historical industry data on
which our forecasts are based come from a variety of sources. As with all The
Economist Intelligence Unit's analysis, we select the most dependable and up-to-date
sources available.
Editor: Ana Nicholls
Forecast closing date: March 20th 2019
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Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
Automotive report
Overview • India is Asia’s third-largest passenger-car market, behind China and Japan,
and the world's fifth-largest commercial-vehicle (CV) market. Annual vehicle
sales are currently at record levels. New car sales rose by 7.9% year on year in
fiscal year 2017/18 (April-March) but have slowed substantially since. This
reflects changes in car taxes, insurance requirements and fuel prices, as well
as traffic restrictions within some cities.
• The CV market grew by 19.9% in 2017/18 and has continued to expand rapidly
in the current year, even though sales in this segment have also slowed in
recent months. Sales benefited from reduced transit times for freight traffic
and the nationwide harmonisation of taxes, following the introduction of the
goods and services tax (GST) in mid-2017. Sales are also being driven by
growth in e-commerce deliveries and measures to support business
investment.
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
2014 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Five-year forecast
• Domestic passenger vehicle sales reached a record high of 3.29m units in
2017/18, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM),
rising strongly despite volatility resulting from the 2016 demonetisation and
the introduction of the GST in 2017.
• Sales accelerated in the first half of the current fiscal year, despite higher fuel
prices, but have been weak in recent months and fell back in February 2019.
In the first 11 months of the fiscal year passenger vehicle sales were up by just
3.3%, and we expect growth of just 3% for the year as a whole.
• This weakness stems from a number of factors. The tax on mid-sized and
large cars was raised in September 2017. Interest rates went up, starting in mid-
2018, contributing to a liquidity crunch at non-bank lenders. Higher fuel prices
also affected car sales, although global oil prices moderated in the second half
of 2018/19. In addition, since September 2018 all buyers of new cars have had
to purchase three-year insurance coverage, up from one year, raising
purchasing costs.
• These factors led to a weaker festive season in October-November, which is
the year’s biggest vehicle sales period. The market lost further momentum in
January and February, when sales are traditionally soft. More recently,
tensions with Pakistan have had a negative impact on consumer confidence,
along with uncertainty ahead of the general election starting in April.
• Sales have also been held back by environmental regulations, particularly in
cities. In November 2017, owing to unprecedented pollution levels, the
National Green Tribunal barred diesel vehicles older than ten years and petrol
cars older than 15 years from entering the capital, New Delhi. Some cities,
including the capital, have also proposed further restrictions on car usage. As
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
a result, recent growth in car sales has been concentrated in rural areas, while
sales grew much more slowly in small cities and contracted in major
metropolitan areas.
• Many of these factors will persist into 2019/20. Nevertheless, we expect
market growth to accelerate to 7%, benefiting from an easing in interest rates
as well as a post-election bounce. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI, the central
bank) tightened its monetary policy twice in 2018, raising its benchmark
interest rates from 6% to 6.5%. However, the most recent rate move, effected in
early 2019, was downward, to 6.25%.
• Regulations to reduce pollution and congestion, including new emissions
standards in 2020, will continue to cause some sales volatility. Moreover, the
2018/19 budget raised import duties on completely built-up vehicles (CBUs)
and on components for higher-end vehicles. This may result in a dip in new
car sales in 2020. Over the 2019-23 forecast period as whole, however, we
expect the market to expand at a CAGR of 5.8%.
Market share
• Maruti Suzuki Motors (a subsidiary of Japan's Suzuki) retains its lead in India's
car market, despite a steady decline in market share. It accounted for 50% of
new car sales in the first 11 months of 2018/19. Hyundai Motor India (owned
by South Korea's Hyundai) was a distant second, with a 16% share.
• India's Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Tata Motors had 8.5% and 6.5% of
the market respectively. Tata, which dominates the CV market, has been
gaining ground in the passenger car segment. Honda (Japan) held fifth place,
followed by Toyota (Japan), Ford (US) and Renault (France). Some 15 other
brands, including Volkswagen (Germany), each take less than 1% of the
market.
Segmentation
• Based on the revised SIAM vehicle classification, compact cars (with engine
size of 1,300cc to 1,799cc) represent the largest single car segment. Combined
with the two smaller categories of micros and minis, they account for more
than half of all passenger cars sold. Maruti controls over half of this segment’s
sales and also dominates the mid-size segment, albeit with a smaller lead.
• Hatchbacks have a 50% market share, while utility vehicles (UVs) are gaining
ground with a share of 25% and sedans hold an 18% share. Poor road
conditions have been pushing Indian motorists toward larger vehicles, but as
growth in the market has slowed over the past six months, this trend has
flattened.
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
Market share
• Tata Motors has always been a leader in the CV market, and has been clawing
back lost market share. In the van market, its share stood at 41.2% in the first
half of 2018/19—its highest level for four years. Its dominance of the truck
market is even greater: it controlled around 51% of the market in the first half
of this fiscal year.
• At one point M&M surpassed Tata Motors in the van market, but its share
slipped to 37.8% in the early months of the current fiscal year. Ashok Leyland,
another local manufacturer, is second in the truck market with about a third
of sales.
• Other players include the locally owned Force Motors and VE Commercial
Vehicles, a joint venture between Volvo (Sweden; owned by China's Geely)
and Eicher Motors (India). The presence of foreign players such as Daimler
Trucks (the local subsidiary of Germany's Daimler) is small but growing.
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
Tata, 55.2
Ashok Leyland, 31.4
Sources: Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM); Autobei Consulting Group; company information; Mintel.
• India’s vehicle output, at 4m units in 2017, was the fourth-highest in the world,
ahead of Germany. The industry accounts for 7.1% of GDP and employs
around 29m people; the government is promoting it as a flagship of its Make
in India campaign. The Automotive Mission Plan 2016-26, published in
September 2015, envisions a fourfold jump in output in ten years, to around
Rs19trn. It calls for motor-vehicle output to rise to 10m units by 2020/21.
• India’s automotive industry had attracted US$18.4bn in foreign direct
investment (FDI) by the end of 2017/18. It brought in another US$1.8bn during
the first ten months of 2018/19, although inflows were down by 7% year on
year. Around US$8bn in local and foreign investment is expected by the end
of 2020. Major investors will include Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Hyundai
and its sister company, Kia, along with Volkswagen (Germany), Volvo and
Ford.
• Carmakers will also focus on lowering costs. After losses in India, General
Motors (US) stopped selling its cars locally by end-2017, retaining a plant for
exports. Its Chinese partner, SAIC Motor, bought its other plant and will invest
US$1bn to produce vehicles under its British MG Motor brand. Two other
Chinese manufacturers, Beiqi Foton and Changan, had also been expected to
invest in Indian production but have encountered delays. In March 2018
Suzuki and Toyota agreed to share their factories and dealer networks in India
to reduce costs.
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
Vehicle production
('000 units)
Passenger cars Light commercial vehicles Medium and heavy vehicles
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
2013 14 15 16 17
Source: International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers.
• Most production in the forecast period will be aimed at the domestic market.
However, according to SIAM, 747,287 vehicles were exported in 2018, down by
5.3% year on year. In value terms, both exports and imports are growing
rapidly. Vehicle exports were worth US$8.8bn in 2018, while automotive
component exports were worth US$5.7bn. Imports in the two categories were
worth US$361m and US$5.5bn respectively.
• The government's 2018/19 budget increased import duties on components to
15%, from 5-10% previously, and on CBUs from 20% to 25%. The barriers aim to
boost local manufacturing under the Make in India strategy. The new tariffs
created friction with the US and EU, as well as foreign investors such as Ford.
The EU has warned that a proposed free-trade agreement with India will not
be concluded unless the tariffs are removed.
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
2014 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
• Although oil prices will remain moderate and will rise only gradually in
2019-23, affordability is likely to become an even bigger challenge in coming
years. Fuel prices, particularly for diesel, have risen in recent months.
% of monthly personal Affordability
Item Price (US$) disposable income rank
Regular unleaded petrol (1 l) (average) 1.23 1.18 60 out of 60
Note. Affordability rank: for each country the price of an item as a percentage of monthly personal
disposable income is calculated. Countries are ranked according to these percentages. The most
affordable country will have the lowest percentage and be ranked first.
CO2 emissions
• According to the World Health Organisation, India has six of the world's ten
worst-polluted cities. This has prompted efforts to restrict diesel-vehicle sales,
and to scrap older vehicles. The share of diesel-powered cars dropped to 33%
of total car sales in 2018, from a high of 48% in 2012.
• The government is enforcing strict emissions requirements. In April 2017
Bharat Stage IV emission standards (equivalent to Euro 4) took full effect. The
government plans to skip Bharat Stage V and to implement Stage VI from
April 2020. The introduction of Bharat Stage VI-grade fuel was fast-tracked in
the capital, New Delhi, to tackle severe air pollution; the fuel was made
available in April 2018.
Alternative energy vehicles
• According to SIAM estimates, electric two-wheelers are becoming increasingly
popular in India, but electric cars remain expensive, and their sales are further
hampered by the lack of charging infrastructure. Only 2,000 EVs and hybrids
were sold in India in 2018. The government aims for a 15% EV share by 2023,
and a 30% share by 2030, but has retracted an earlier promise to ban the sale
of new fossil-fuel-powered vehicles by 2030.
• Under the government's US$1.4bn FAME II programme, US$1.2bn in subsidies
will be spent over the next three years to support the sale of 1m electric two-
wheelers, 500,000 electric three-wheelers (used mainly as taxis), 55,000 EVs
and 7,000 electric buses. Another US$140m will be spent on expanding the
charging infrastructure.
• M&M and Maruti currently dominate the EV market, but most manufacturers
are expanding into the segment, including Tata Motors, Volvo, Nissan, Toyota
and Hyundai. Tesla (US) is also planning a 2019 entry into India, while Honda
is planning to introduce an electric car in India by 2023. In addition,
Australia's Tritium recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
with a Tata Motors subsidiary, Tata AutoComp, to provide fast-charging
stations throughout India, including government offices.
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
30,000 100
25,000 90
20,000 80
15,000 70
10,000 60
5,000 50
0 40
2014 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Sources: IMF; International Energy Agency; The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019
Philippines Peru
Poland Portugal
Singapore Slovakia
Spain Sweden
Taiwan Switzerland
Thailand Ukraine
Vietnam
Industry Report: Automotive 1st Quarter 2019 www.eiu.com/automotive © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019