However, scooters experienced a 15 per cent drop in sales in May this year compared to same period in 1998. Scooter sales were 98,947 in May 1999, as against 1,16,079 in 1998.

Exports of scooters declined drastically with 1,468 units being exported in May 1999, compared to 3,366 in last year, a drop of over 56 per cent.Except Kinetic Motors and TVS-Suzuki, sale of all scooter makers went down in May. Sales of Kinetic (including exports) were 8,041 units in May '99, against 5,602 units last year. The company's exports fell to 876 units in May,compared to 1,168 units in the corresponding period in 1998.

For TVS-Suzuki, sales in May were 8,643 units, against 6,566 units sold the previous year. TVS exported 84 units in May this year.

Bajaj Auto continued its sway over the market, selling 42,485 units in May, followed by LML Ltd (24,706) and Maharastra Scooters (15,072). The motorcycle segment clipped forward with sales of 1,25,298 units (including exports) in May this year, compared to 91,431 units in the previous year, an increase of 27 per cent. Exports went up steadily in the corresponding period to 2,519 units, against 1,789 units last year.

The market leader Hero Honda sold 52,645 units in May, followed by Bajaj Auto (27,761), TVS-Suzuki (22,735) and Escorts Yamaha (20,057). Escorts Yamaha topped the list of exporters in the motorcycle segment by exporting 1,785 units in May. This marks a sharp improvement in performance from 1998 when the company exported just 105 units in the corresponding period. Interestingly, Hero Honda, which leadthe market on the export front in 1998 with 1,245 units, could manage to notch up an export figure of just 206 units in May this year.