Car dealers to register rise in revenue on higher sales
Supported by revival in sales volume as realisations remain range-bound: Crisil
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New Delhi: The domestic Passenger Vehicle (PV) dealership industry will see a revenue growth of around 100 Basis Points (BPS) in the current financial year, supported by a revival in sales volume even as realisations remain range-bound, according to a Crisil Ratings report released on Thursday.
Crisil Ratings director Himank Sharma said, “Increasing urban disposable incomes backed by revision in tax slabs, interest rate cuts and a benign inflation, and sustained popularity of SUVs, will fuel urban demand for PVs.”
“In the rural segment, sales of small cars could see an uptick on expectations of a normal monsoon and improved farm incomes amid higher Minimum Support Prices. Consequently, we see the industry growing at 7-9 per cent this fiscal,” he added.
The improvement in volume will benefit dealers in two ways. First, ancillary income will rise while promotions and discounts will reduce, lifting operating profitability to 3.2-3.4 per cent after it fell 30-35 BPS last fiscal.
Second, elevated inventory levels from last fiscal will moderate. That, and no major Capex expected for showroom expansion, will reduce debt levels, the report states.
The Crisil Ratings analysis based on 110 PV dealers indicates that their credit profiles will remain stable after moderating last fiscal.
Volume growth is pegged at 4-6 per cent this fiscal, with realisations expected to rise 3-4 per cent backed by price increases by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and continuing tilt towards Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs).
Consequently, dealers are expected to see high single-digit revenue growth with both the urban segment (constituting two-thirds of the annual demand) and the rural segment growing in tandem. Higher volumes will also lift ancillary revenues from sales of motor insurance and accessories.