 "Hero MotoCorp reports 35% slump in sales in April compared to prior month")
The country's top two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp on Saturday said it has sold 3,72,285 units last month, down by 35 per cent from 5,76,957 units dispatched in March this year.
The company said sales in April were subdued due to the temporary closure of plant operations and the retail outlets across several key territories in India on account of the impact of the second wave of COVID-19.
The sales numbers of April 2021 were not comparable with the corresponding month of the previous year (April 2020), since no vehicles were manufactured and dispatched to dealers due to the nationwide lockdown after the outbreak of COVID-19, it added.
The two-wheeler major further noted that in keeping with its commitment to the safety and welfare of its people and to break the chain of the spread of coronavirus, it has decided to extend the shutdown at its manufacturing facilities across India, its Global Parts Center (GPC) in Neemrana and the R&D facility the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur by another six days till May 9, 2021.
The plant operations will resume on May 10, it added.
Hero MotoCorp had halted the plant operations temporarily in a staggered manner for four days from April 22-May 1, in view of the rapid escalation in the spread of Covid-19 across the country.
"All corporate offices of the company are in work from home (WFH) mode and a very small number of colleagues are allowed in offices on rotation basis for the continuity of essential services," it said.
The company is continuously monitoring the situation and aims to compensate for the production loss during the remainder of the quarter, it added.