Why passenger vehicles will continue to grow in low single-digits this year
Summary
Both Tarun Garg, COO of Hyundai Motor India, and Hemal Thakkar, Director at CRISIL, agree that the electric vehicle market has some immediate challenges but it’s only a matter of time before it gathers steam.
The passenger vehicle (PV) industry has grown at a modest pace in April, and the trend is likely to continue for the rest of the year.
Tarun Garg, COO of Hyundai Motor India, and Hemal Thakkar, Director at CRISIL, who watches the auto space closely, expect low single-digit growth of about 2-3% for the PV industry during April-March 2024-25.
Garg says the slow pace of growth should not be a cause for worry because of two reasons: one, it’s coming on a high base, and two, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the industry over the past decade has also been around 5%.
Thakkar notes that the inventory position is also still tight. “We’re still at about 40 days of inventory that will limit our growth going forward.”
However, within the PV industry, the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment has seen a solid growth.
With newer models coming in, Garg expects this space to remain on an uptrend.
“I think SUVs are continuously going to grow. And I don’t buy the argument that just because the smaller cars or entry level is not growing, it is having an effect on the overall industry growth. I think that industry growth has been phenomenal. And people are directly moving to SUVs, which is very clearly seen. The first timers in SUVs is going up,” he points out.
Garg also pointed to an interesting trend in the PV segment, where SUV’s are increasingly selling in the rural market.
The South Korean auto giant and India’s second largest carmaker is also optimistic of a strong growth in the electric vehicles (EV) space and has plans to launch five new EVs by 2030.
The first high-volume Hyundai EV is likely come in early 2025.
Garg believes when it comes to EVs, the direction is clear that they are going to be the future.
However, one needs to be patient as the industry might face teething troubles in terms of charging infrastructure. The absence of bigger, more established players will also affect momentum possibly for another year or two.
Thakkar agrees with Garg that EVs are the way forward although there will be challenges in the near term.
However, he also notes that the increasing availability and variants of EVs and the government’s initiatives to promote EV manufacturing will build confidence among customers to opt for it.
For hybrids cars, Thakkar believes the deciding factor will be the price point. If the delta of its price with petrol cars is low, customers will opt for it.
Watch the accompanying video for the full interview
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