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Mayur N. Shah

Mumbai May 13 April has been a lean month for vehicle manufacturers, with the exception of three-wheeler player Piaggio Vehicles which has dethroned Bajaj Auto in sales for the first time.

According to the flash report from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, Piaggio clocked sales of 11,296 units against 10,244 units of Bajaj Auto during the month under review. The sales figures include that of the passenger and goods carrier segment.

This achievement is a landmark for Piaggio ever since it entered the Indian market in 1998.

Mr Ravi Chopra, Managing Director, attributes the feat to the continuous trust and acceptance of the customer in the company and the product and their after-sales service.

The chain of 460 sales points (230 dealers and 230 sales outlets) also played an instrumental role in the continuous rise in overall sales, he added. Bajaj and Piaggio both have models in the petrol and diesel segments, with the former clocking average sales of 6,000 petrol units and 2,000-3,000 CNG and LPG fuel option units on a monthly basis for the passenger carrier segment alone, said industry sources.

Hence, the April numbers from Bajaj Auto come as a surprise with industry sources claiming that sales figures have been the lowest ever.

Bajaj has been the leader over the years in spite of contenders such as Piaggio, Atul Auto, Mahindra and Mahindra and Scooters India.

Though Piaggio has gained the top position for April, Bajaj Auto continues to be the market leader in the passenger carrier segment, with sales of 8,003 units against Piaggio's 6,343 units.

Experts said that the sales gap between the two is closing.

Piaggio plans to unveil CNG and LPG variants soon.

More Stories on : Two/Three Wheelers | Trends | Bajaj Auto Ltd

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