Sales of motorcycles touched a level of 18 lakh units during 1999-2000 compared to 14 lakh in the previous year while scooter sales dipped to 12.5 lakh during the period against sales of 13.3 lakh units in the fiscal 1998-99.

This reversal in trend was largely due to negative sales growth witnessed by the scooter market leader Bajaj Auto and other players like LML and Maharashtra Scooters.

Sales of Bajaj scooters dropped by 10.5 per cent to 5.77 lakh vehicles in 1999-2000. The decline in case of LML was sharper at 14 per cent as its sales was 2.83 lakh units during the reference period compared to 3.28 lakh vehicles in the previous year.

Other scooter makers like TVS Suzuki and Kinetic Motor, however, clocked positive sales at 1.28 lakh and 1.20 lakh units respectively during the fiscal ended March 31, 2000, representing a growth of 26.2 per cent and 21.7 per cent respectively over the previous year.

In the motorcycles segment, market leader Hero Honda maintained its supremacy by selling 7.62 lakh bikes during the review period from 5.31 lakh a year ago, a growth of 43.6 per cent.

Motorcycle sales of Escorts Yamaha grew by 33 per cent to 2.52 lakh units during the fiscal 1999-2000 against 1.89 lakh units sold in the previous year.

Sales of TVS Suzuki motorcycles went up by 21.7 per cent during the reference period at 3.26 lakh vehicles compared to 2.68 lakh units in the fiscal 1998-99.

Though the performance of Bajaj Auto was not impressive in the case of scooter sales, it posted positive growth in sales of motorcycles and mopeds.

Its motorcycle sales increased by 12.7 per cent at 4.31 lakh vehicles during the just ended fiscal compared to 3.83 lakh units in the same period of 1998-99. Bajaj Auto's moped sales jumped by 44.7 per cent to 69,197 units in the review period from 47,827 units in 1998-99. Moped sales of Majestic Auto, however, dipped by 11.8 per cent to 1.12 lakh mopeds in the last fiscal against 1.28 lakh units in the previous year.

TVS Suzuki's moped sales went up by 14.4 per cent to 3.82 lakh vehicles during the period from 3.34 lakh units sold in the previous fiscal. All moped manufacturers together sold 7.26 lakh units against 6.82 lakh units in the previous year, a growth of 6.5 per cent.