Toyota dispatches 8,801 units in June as Covid situation improves

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) on Thursday reported 13-fold increase in dispatches to dealers at 8,801 units in June with lifting of restrictions across various states due to the gradual improvement in the Covid situation.

The company had reported wholesales of 707 units in May this year and 3,866 units in June last year.

“Having resumed production with a 50 per cent workforce last month after the gradual unlocking in Karnataka, our immediate goal was to cater to the pending orders of our customers, said TKM Senior Vice President Naveen Soni said in a statement.

He added that although dispatches only began by the third week of June, the company has been able to register a 128 per cent growth over domestic sales in June 2020.

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In terms of demand, the he noted the automaker is witnessing good traction in the market arising out of 'pent up demand' leading to good levels of enquiries and new customer orders.

"We also anticipate retail sales to be better in the coming months, provided that the pandemic doesn't pose newer challenges at us. Having said that, we must bear in mind the fact that, relaxation of restrictions across states has not been uniform and hence the process of unlocking has been gradual and intermittent.

“Accordingly, our dealerships have been opening up sporadically and amidst various restrictions, including limitations pertaining to the number of manpower working at a time as well as the man hours of work they put in," Soni noted.

He added that India is now coming out of a very difficult phase and it will take some time for the auto industry and the market to bounce back.

The company is also focusing on vaccinating its employees as well as their families and extending support to have the dealer and supplier staff vaccinated too, so as to ensure lower risk and severity of infections, Soni said.

"In fact, company-wide, 96 per cent of our employees have received their first dose of vaccination and we are in the process to complete vaccination for all our employees, including the ones working from home, he added.