Honda Cars records a 23% drop in February sales, blame it on microchip shortage

Honda Cars India on Tuesday said that its domestic sales in February this year witnessed a 23 per cent decline to 7,187 units for February, as compared to 9,324 units sold in February 2021. However, the automaker's export numbers surged significantly last month. Honda Cars India said that its exports in February stood at 2,337 units last month as compared with 987 units in February 2021.

The decline in domestic sales was caused by the semiconductor shortage that resulted in the production delay and delayed delivery as well, claimed HCIL.

Honda Cars India Director (Marketing and Sales) Yuichi Murata said in a statement that chip shortage continued to impact the automaker's production and dispatches in February this year. He also said that the OEM hopes the situation will improve in future and it would be able to meet the market demand more effectively.

"On the supply side, chip shortage continued to impact our production and despatches in Feb'22. We hope the situation improves in future so that we can meet the market demand more effectively," he said.

Murata further said that the auto company is witnessing improvement in consumer sentiment. “We are witnessing improvement in consumer sentiment as COVID-situation seems to be tapering off and markets are opening up. This is positive for the industry," he further said.

Honda is not the only automaker that has been impacted due to a semiconductor shortage. Other carmakers such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Toyota Kirloskar Motor too recorded a significant drop in sales in February this year due to the chip crisis. On the other hand, carmakers like Tata Motors, Mahindra, Skoda and MG Motors India have registered a sales surge last month, bucking the trend.