Having
successfully liquidated all its BS4 stocks even at the dealership level, TKM
sold a total of 7023 units of BS6 vehicles to its dealers (wholesales) in the
month of March 2020. To lessen the burden on its dealers, TKM withheld sales by
50% for the month of March 2020, just ahead of the 21 days national lockdown
called upon by the Government of India.
The company also exported its last batch of 999 units of the Etios
series last month thus clocking a total of 8022 units.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor had sold a total of
12,818 units in the domestic market in the month of March 2019. The company had
exported 844 units of the Etios series in March 2019, thus clocking a total of
13,662 units in the same month last year.
Moreover, last month also witnessed the last
batch of the Etios series as well as the Corolla Altis being manufactured at
TKM’s plant in Bidadi, bringing an end to the iconic journeys both the models
have enjoyed in India. This transition is a part of Toyota’s global
product strategy to continue to service the ever-evolving needs of the customer
through enhanced technologies and product offerings. However, the company will
continue to cater to all Etios series & Corolla Altis customers’ needs
through Toyota service outlets across the country along with the promise of
availability of Toyota genuine spare parts for the discontinued models.
Commenting
on the monthly sales, Naveen Soni,
Senior Vice President, Sales and Service, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “Even
though the company has been long successful in liquidating all BS4 stock and
transitioning into a 100% BS6 manufacturing facility, last month has been very
challenging for us, both in terms of sales as well as production. With the
spread of COVID-19 threat in various parts of the country followed by the 21
days national lockdown, the company’s priority was to ensure the safety and
wellbeing of all its stakeholders and most importantly our dealers and their
staff who are in the frontline. To bring this to immediate effect, our
dealerships across the country were shut down beginning March 23rd along with a
temporary halt of production at our plant in Bidadi.
“We would like to reassure our dealer partners
that they are the most important asset for us and we have been thinking about
their sustainability. This pandemic has financially impacted all our
dealerships across India. While the Government has announced several relief
measures including moratoriums, we have also studied the fixed cost expenses of
dealerships and have come up with a relief package called the COVID package to
assist in maintaining liquidity to improve cash flow. The company is also
planning towards ensuring proper sanitization of the dealerships once the
national lockdown is over so as to ensure the safety of all our dealer staff as
well as the customers who visit the outlets.
“TKM wholeheartedly appreciates the measures
taken by the Government and will continue to support them by implementing
impactful initiatives to deal with this crisis.”