Auto crisis: Wholesale numbers may take a back seat amid rising inventory

The unprecedented slump in auto sales for over a year has prompted automakers to revisit some of the conventional practices. 

Among them is a plan to switch to reporting of retail data (sales to end customers) against the current figures of wholesale data (despatches to dealers). 

So far, auto firms have been reporting monthly despatches on the first of the following month.  Industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) compiles data across companies and distributes it to a wider range of stakeholders.  

Globally, most auto companies report retail sales based on registration data. India is one of the few markets that has