Re: September 2014 : Indian Car Sales Figures & Analysis The Indian car market continues it's steady rise through the past couple of months. No doubt the excise duty cut, coupled with the festive season, is bringing some joy to the car manufacturers and customers alike. Add to that, a slew of new launches across segments is freshening things up, while adding some serious extra choices to the ever-growing list of potential customers cross-shopping across them. Maruti-Suzuki: They say competition brings out the strength of the market leader. A glance at the M-O-M sales' numbers shows exactly that. Consider this: after nearing the 1-lakh monthly sales' mark in January 2014, the home-grown car maker hasn't looked back (except for April '14). Delivering 90-95K cars month after month is no mean feat - after all, it takes the other FIVE car company toppers (from #2 to #6) to achieve that together!
The DZire continues it's merry run, unfazed by the XCent and the Zest. In fact, it has grown stronger! Same goes for the Swift.
The Celerio has settled in at the 6K mark and will add more to it's tally in the days to come, once the 800cc diesel pot makes it's way under the hood.
But the Ciaz numbers are mind-boggling! Factory spyshots showed 8,000-9,000 strong ready for dispatch, but real numbers are less than 1400? Maybe we will have a clearer picture in October's monthly sales report. But, with over 12,000 confirmed bookings in their kitty, MSIL is surely happy with the Ciaz now well and truly a certified C2-segment bestseller! Hyundai: How strongly has the i20 made it's comeback under the "Elite" monicker! A classic example of how fresh looks + fresh changes under the bonnet/metal + competitive pricing brings in the best performance for a car. The Grand i10 stands bested this month, and it's no mean feat for the elite hatch, which is considered premium in the market.
The Verna has been slowly and steadily losing numbers, this despite a recent facelift which added projectors + DRLs to the top variant. About time Hyundai India brings in the much-needed mid-life makeover for it so that it can stand against the City/Ciaz/Vento in it's own right again. Mahindra: Snatching back the #3 position from Honda, M&M's numbers have been really buoyed by the all-new Scorpio's launch. Over 6000 dispatches show the SUV's strength of appeal in it's segment.
The Quanto and the Verito twins are duds, and would need more than a refresh to bring back the interest into them.
The Xylo's sales figures don't reflect how good the car is - barely touching the 1K mark last month is not a testament to the all-round qualities of the UV. Bet M&M are targetting the Xylo and it's younger brother, the Quanto, for a much-needed design boost soon. Honda: It's been a great time for the Japanese car manufacturer all through 2014 so far. All it's recent launches have met with tremendous success with the car-buying public.
The City is back with almost 4600 dispatches, while the Mobilio continues it's success run for the 2nd month in a row.
With the Jazz lined up for launch early next year, plus speeding up the processing for a 3rd manufacturing plant in Gujarat by 2015-end, Honda India can look forward to clocking 20,000 units on a consistent basis every month from 2015 onwards. Toyota: If the Ertiga & the Mobilio were perceived to snatch customers away from the Innova, think again - the car has been consistently clocking 5,000+ sales for the last 5 months! The facelift will only help boost the numbers more, specially if it comes in at that unbeatable VFM price.
The all-new Corolla isn't exactly a runaway hit, but it's a decent seller in it's initial period.
The Etios' twins have been recovering some lost ground, helped in part by Toyota's strategy to tap into the rural markets with them, but will need a lot more to fight against the growing competition in their segments. Tata: Initial response to the Zest might have been heart-breaking for the Indian manufacturer, who has pinned a lot of hopes on this superbly built C1 offering. Still, ~3300 numbers is decent enough. Will the numbers rise once the word-of-mouth gets around in the days to come? Let's wait and see.
The Storme has become a disappointment, very unlike it's competency in it's segment. The small upgrade in the pipeline (combined with the Harman-Kardon system) should boost it's numbers. The Safari is an icon in it's segment and in the Indian car market - this shows in the fact that the older-gen Safari Dicor is still selling!
The Aria has seen it's umpteenth price-cut (the latest is 8.95L for the entry-level variant), yet it isn't translating to sales numbers. No doubt, Tata Motors have to go back to the board and chalk out a different strategy for their premium offering, which is also quite a capable car. Ford: It has been a tale of steady decline in sales for Ford India.
The Figo, once a bestseller, has grown too long in it's tooth and is showing it's age in the monthly numbers.
The only respite comes from the EcoSport's sales, despite a dynamic offering in the all-new Fiesta which has been introduced with fantastic pricing. Chevrolet: Another manufacturer who has been steadily losing ground in M-O-M sales.
The Beat has gone down consistently and needs a makeover desperately.
The Cruze has become a dud and it's time for Chevy India to replace/makeover the iconic D-segment offering, despite having a dynamite of an engine!
Same goes for the Spark.
The Sail twins haven't exactly set the sales charts on fire, either.
And the Enjoy's limited sales run shows that better offerings have snatched the market away from it.
Marred by the controversy surrounding the Tavera incident, Chevrolet India needs to work hard if it wants to get back into the limelight again. Volkswagen: The Indian market continues to be a lost opportunity for the German carmaker. Despite having three strong segment offerings in the Polo, Vento and the Jetta, the M-O-M sales numbers have been anything but decent.
The Polo/Vento refreshes were badly needed, and now they are bringing in some numbers. More so the Polo, which now has a more-than-capable 4-cylinder 1.5L diesel under it's hood. Still, it's early to tell. In the coming months, we might see a resurgence by the Polo twins, now that both have received mid-life makeovers. Renault: A one-horse stable can go in two directions: it can either win every time, or once it starts losing, it brings the stable down with it.
Too-much emphasis on the Duster numbers is making Renault look jaded in all their other offerings - the Pulse, the Scala and even the Fluence are complete market duds.
They will have to rebuild their entire range while Duster is still bringing in the decent numbers, else they might go the Fiat route. Nissan: If one partner is feeling the heat bigtime, can the other thrive? The answer is - NO.
Again, the one-trick pony in the Terrano is keeping Nissan India's flags flying.
The very-competent Micra is bringing a bit of joy, as is the single-car Datsun brand, but other than that, the Sunny & the Evalia have lost the Nissan plot. Less than 500 units of the Sunny, specially AFTER it's gone through a revamp, is a bit hard to understand. Despite having a fantastic set of engines under it's hood, combined with cabin space which can rival some D-segment sedans, the Sunny has lost favor with the Indian customer.
Nissan's thin dealership and attitude are no doubt factors in this, but recovery is still not too far away. Like Renault, Nissan also has to go back to the board and do some serious re-thinking about their Indian strategy. Skoda: The Czech manufacturer has been fighting for it's share of the market as well. Shoddy After Sales Service and poor man-management is costing the European company dear - this after having some very-competent cars in their lineup such as the Rapid, Octavia and the Superb.
The Yeti is a complete market dud, no doubt due to it's atrocious pricing. The Rapid is the only reason of their survival so far. Fiat: Brand perception is such a strong factor in India, and it's none more evident than Fiat. The Punto and the Linea boast of specifications which can put the segment rivals to shame, yet they have not brought any cheer to the Italian car manufacturer in their latest iterations.
The Evo has upsurged slightly, but the Linea continues it's disappointing run.
Fiat India surely needs the Avventura to do well now - if they have to have any chance of giving others a run for their money. HM-Mitsubishi: The Pajero continues to be their only offering, now that the Ambassador has been discontinued.
Rumors of fresh-offerings from the joint venture (Mirage hatch, Mirage-based sedan, all-new SUV) continue to be just that - rumors.
With the iconic Lancer being discontinued worldwide by 2015, in favor of an all-new SUV, the question remains - will Mitsubishi bring the replacement-SUV to India? Highly doubtful. They don't have the capacity, nor the interest, to do so.
Last edited by RavenAvi : 10th October 2014 at 15:08.
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