FADA asks SIAM to report retail sales over wholesales

The ongoing slowdown faced by India Auto Inc has affected all stakeholders alike. In a follow up to the first conclave held by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA), the apex auto dealers body, Ashish Harsharaj Kale, president FADA has called upon the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to start reporting retail sales number over wholesales.

Thanking the SIAM President, Rajan Wadhera for being the Guest of Honour at FADA 2^nd Auto Retail Conclave, which was held on on September 4 in New Delhi. He said as part of his welcome speech at the Conclave he had mentioned that FADA for the first time since November 2018 had taken the step in bringing out retail figures when the sales slowdown affected almost every region in India with the dealers saddled with huge inventory pile up and that FADA shall continue bringing in further detailing of the retail sales in the days ahead.

He said that FADA had also requested SIAM to help adopt this as an industry. In a follow up letter sent today, Kale said he seeks support of SIAM for advocating to the entire auto industry to shift market share calculation by way of actual registrations, which is found in Vahan portal of MoRTH in much detail, which also happens to be norm globally.

“I hope you will also appreciate it to be a much-needed change for the betterment of the Indian Auto industry. This sentiment was also voiced by many senior industry captains at both the Conventions held at SIAM and ACMA on the following days. Both Dealers and Component manufacturers also felt that it would have been easier to predict the ongoing slowdown in auto sales if retail numbers were reported, helping all in their inventory management and would have kept all better placed in facing these dynamic times,” added Kale.

FADA says it has been advocating this from November 2018 and many of its members have also done the same with their respective OEM’s and have received positive response. The dealership body says it hopes it becomes an industry practice.

“I request you to please use your good offices to impress upon all members of SIAM as well to report retail sales which is now available in VAHAN, instead of factory dispatches and graduate to market share

calculation of the industry and of dealer partners by registration data instead of wholesale dispatches,” concluded Kale.