Indian two-wheeler company, Bajaj Auto, has been making some serious inroads in the African auto market. The company recently announced that it came on the sixth position out of the top 10 bike manufacturers in the African continent. As told, the sales of Bajaj Auto accounted for more than 6 lakh units with its Boxer model generating most of the demand. Last year's exports for the manufacturer stood at 1.5 million units, which also included two-wheelers and three-wheelers. Presently, Bajaj Auto enjoys the reputation of being the third largest bike manufacturer of India and the company has sold 3.83 million vehicles during the year 2012-13 while making over 515000 three-wheelers.
As written in a statement released by Bajaj Auto, its Boxer model "commands a market share of 90 per cent in Uganda, 40 per cent in Nigeria, 35 per cent in Angola and 30 per cent in Kenya. One of the main success factors, apart from the quality of the motorbike has been the company's ability to cater to the service and spare parts requirements of its customers in these countries."
Meanwhile, Bajaj Auto also told that it has teamed up with Somoco, which happens to be a locally-owned Indian company based in Ghana in order to sell its products in 51st global market. An official statement from Bajaj Auto said, "Ghana's motor-bike market is estimated to be about 100,000 units per annum." It further added that "demand has grown rapidly in the last few years thanks to a growing middle class. The company aims to be the market leader in three to five years time."
In the statement, the Indian two-wheeler company said that it is aiming to target the utility and commuter segments with its reputed bike models that are offered in two variants, namely 100 cc and 150 cc. "The company is confident that the brand will appeal to the customers through its three primary qualities of reliability, ruggedness and timely service," Bajaj said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the company had recently benefited a lot from falling value of Rupee as it registered a net profit of 13 per cent as exports revenue rose to 26 per cent in the third quarter as compared to same period last year. As told in an official press release, "Over the last five years, strategic initiatives taken to enter into difficult markets, like Africa, are yielding rich dividends. The benefits are now enhanced with the depreciating Rupee."
According to statistics, sales shall see a spurt in the September-November period as Indian customers mainly prefer buying vehicles during festive season. However, the third-quarter sales, in terms of volume, fell by 8 per cent. However, this was negated by the 11 per cent decline in value of Rupee versus the Dollar, which meant overall revenue generated in Dollars was more when converted into Rupees.
