Movers & Shakers
• If February was good, March was a blockbuster! This, dudes & gals, has been the best month in the history of the Indian automotive industry. March, being the financial year end, is usually the best month of the year, thanks to companies booking cars for full depreciation benefits. Another (
strictly temporary) stimulus was the Budget '12 and the resultant hike in excise duties across the board. It appears that everyone was scampering to buy a car at the old rate. A good number of manufacturers have recorded their best month in history, starting with Maruti, Hyundai, Mahindra, Toyota, Nissan, VW etc. It must be noted that Ford, Fiat & HM are the only three manufacturers to have lost out in the year-on-year tables.
• Hatchbacks, expectedly, dominate our market. There are a mere 3 sedans in the top 10. Interestingly, UVs (SUVs & MUVs combined) might soon overtake sedans in terms of market capture. The current difference in volume is a mere 3%. Expect that to change once the mini-UVs (Maruti Ertiga, shortened Mahindra Xylo, Ford Eco-Sport, Renault Duster and gang) are launched.
• That said, thanks to stellar-performers like the Dzire, Indigo, Etios & Sunny, the C1 sedan segment might soon overtake B1 hatchbacks (WagonR, Indica, Beat & Santro). That’s saying a lot! Even the C2 segment (City, Verna, Vento, Rapid etc.) is at nearly double the level of where it was in April 2011. A segment that hasn’t really kept up with the overall market spike is the D2 (Superb, Accord etc.); this category has pretty much stayed flat all through. On the other hand, the A segment is seeing a phenomenal spike over the last 2 quarters, thanks to strong innings by the Alto, Eon & Nano.
• Maruti dominates the podium again, with the Alto, Swift & Dzire filling up the Top 3 positions. Then, there’s the petrol-only WagonR delivering yet another solid run. Enhanced production capacity has definitely helped the Swift & Dzire; let’s wait & watch if the two can maintain this unbelievable momentum after the bookings backlog has cleared. Ertiga shipments have commenced. Watch out for a Team-BHP review of this unique 7-seater soon.
• With the kind of brand & distribution they enjoy, the SX4, A-Star, Estilo & Kizashi are absolute laggards. Whatever numbers they are managing is only due to Maruti’s network…if it were any other manufacturer backing them, these automobiles would have been written off.
• The Eon records another month as the best selling Hyundai in India, and at rank no.5 overall in the Indian scene. It’s a far superior car to the Alto, while the recent shuffling of variants will only see it gain further traction. The i10 fails to capitalize on overall market growth (though sales are still respectable). The Verna remains the best selling C2 segment sedan, while the premium i20 returns yet another healthy report card.
• Tata is giving a tough fight to Hyundai for position no.2. They have 3 products in the Top 10. And of that, the li’l Nano overtakes the Hyundai i10! For each of the last 6 months, the Nano has been going from strength to strength. Speaking of which, and heavy discounts notwithstanding, the Indica / Vista sisters are on a roll. They’ve managed over 10K sales for 5 of the last 6 months. The Sumo Gold was recently launched at a mouthwatering 5.4 lakh rupee price tag…there isn’t a doubt that this VFM variant has helped the UV put in its best month ever.
• What is Tata doing with the Aria? How long before it actually goes through a price cut? Why is Tata letting this competent + overpriced product languish in the premium UV space? Get REAL, Tata!
• The Bolero appears to have been inspired by Sebastian Vettel of 2011. Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, they come back with another punch. A UV crossing the hallowed 10,000 unit mark? Yep (
*picks up lower jaw from the floor*). XUV500? That’s another superstar, as we’d predicted in the Team-BHP Official Review. This Mahindra remains the only premium UV to sell over 3,000 examples. And I have a feeling it’s not done yet. While Maruti, Hyundai & Tata have all failed in the 10+ lakh segment, it’s Mahindra who has shown them the way. Who would have thought our jugaad-expert would ever pull off such a feat??!!
• The Innova is at an all-time high with a 53% year on year gain; the facelift appears to have worked its magic, with the UV recording its 3rd 6,000-level month in a row. The Etios, Liva & Fortuner must also keep Toyota’s management in high spirit. On the flip side, the Corolla’s market performance is rather complacent.
• From an over-priced competent Jazz to a well-priced competent Brio, Honda’s strategy has taken a 180-degree turn. Once bitten, twice shy I guess. With parts & supplies now coming in from Thailand, the Brio emerges as Honda’s bestselling car ever, recording a whopping 6,355 shipments. The City does respectfully well at the 4k mark, though all other Hondas (Accord, CRV, Civic & Jazz) are royal D-U-D-S. Recently heard that Honda is restricting Jazz volumes because there's no money to be made at the new, slashed price.
• The Beat continues to fire away on all 3 (diesel) cylinders. I’m especially pleased to see the cheap, competent Spark climb up the ladder. Looks like Chevy has finally woken up to the Spark’s marketing needs, after dishing it months of step-motherly treatment. Decent run by the Cruze, while the Tavera crosses the 2,000 level after a long time. Reason? The new diesel engine that allows it to be sold in the BSIV emission metros.
• It’s status quo at Ford with no real news worth talking about. Quite a roller-coaster ride the last 2 years have been for this American giant. Other than the Figo's superb run, no much to write home about.
• VW will be pleased with the Polo & Vento, both, nudging the 4,000 mark. There isn’t a doubt that the Vento’s long-awaited middle trim level has helped it gain some ground in the marketplace.
• Say hello to the new Japanese rockstar, the Nissan Sunny! Power from the workhorse Renault 1.5L diesel engine has helped it sell over 4,100 copies. I bet even Nissan didn’t expect such wide acceptance of the caaaaaaaaaaaar. In a week of ownership, I can tell you that it’s one heck of an all-rounder sedan (ownership report coming up soon). Meanwhile, the Micra put in a rather shoddy performance with basically the same platform, engine, marketing, dealer network & substantially cheaper price. Well, the Micra does have more formidable competition too.
• The Rapid (especially), Superb & Laura bring home good news for Skoda, not surprising as they offer a superior value proposition to their respective VW siblings. On the flip side, the Yeti & Fabia lead to tears. Yet again.
• Bringing up the rear are Fiat, Renault, HM-Mitsubishi & Volvo. The only noteworthy point is that the Fluence gets some beef from the reshuffling of variants & heavy discounting. The good news? One lucky dude drove a Volvo S60 T6 AWD home
. He might be grinning on a lone highway as I type this, petrol prices be damned.