[StarrySky]

I think it is not correct to compare Brezza and Creta sales. Price-wise, the Creta is a segment above, with Creta base petrol priced just below top-end Brezza diesel. I haven't seen either car in person, but Creta is half a size bigger from specs and has better build/interior quality according to what I have read on the forum. So comparing those two is like saying Ciaz outsells Corolla.

Sure, Brezza might take some sales away from Creta, but it seems to me that Brezza will primarily cannibalize its own siblings (Swift, Dzire, Baleno) and cars from other manufacturers (Ecosport, Duster/Terrano, TUV, Nuvosport etc). Also, based on the BR-V thread, it seems the Honda offering is not going to garner any great sales either. Maruti now has two (semi) premium offerings in the i20 space and still i20 seems to be holding on. I think the same will happen with Creta as well.

Creta's competition from Maruti is/was S-Cross and Creta has won that battle.

I will also wait a few more months to see how the Innova Crysta fares. Again, based on the Crysta thread on the forum, most people who have booked the new Innova seem to be people who already own one and were waiting for the new one already. It remains to be seen how many customers wanting to upgrade to a 7-seater from B/C segment would actually go for the Innova at current prices.

[Utopian]

Happy to see TML numbers going up courtesy Tiago. AFAIK, they have captured the fourth position after a very long time. Bolt, inspite of being open to the T-Permit segment is dying a slow death.
Kwid has maintained a healthy 9k figure for two consecutive month.
Unhappy to see Aspire and Figo posting, such dismal figures. Ford needs to get their act right, somehow.

[glenmz]

Thanks for the numbers Aditya.
Ciaz and City are neck to neck, just about 91 units apart. Thats commendable work done by Maruti; and verna is nowhere in sight.
Now, the only compact SUV in the top 20 is the Vitara Brezza, which I find surprising. Looks like the prospective numbers for others are in the Brezza wait list.
Ford has built a much bettter Figo compared to the outgoing model almost to the extent of doing a Maruti / Hyundai; but it still sells less then the outgoing model!

Innova gathers good numbers at that price point. It still would do good in the absence of a worthy alternative. I remember reading the review of the 1st gen Innova in one of the leading auto journals then. The writer predicted that with Qualis being pulled out, Tavera would lap up its place because Innova was priced much higher. But we all know what happened. My cousin is a huge fan of Toyota. He suffered in the hands of Skoda with a Laura. Everytime the Laura goes for service, the family will be praying on their kneels! Then came a Fortuner and they just simply love the experience and ofcourse the peace of mind. Its definitely a salvation, from the service bills POV. He has since replaced the 1st gen Fortuner with the new gen one and got in an Innova as his daily drive.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by glenmz

Ford has built a much bettter Figo compared to the outgoing model almost to the extent of doing a Maruti / Hyundai; but it still sells less then the outgoing model!

Agree that new Figo is a better product than the earlier one. But during the period of old Figo, the competition was much weaker; but now, the situation has changed drastically. Hyundai has come up with better i10 and i20, Maruti introduced a better Swift and the new Baleno, and VW Polo is an established product now. And then came the better sub-4m sedans like new DZire, Amaze, Xcent etc.

The one-product wonders like Ford (once Figo, now Ecosport), Renault (once Duster, now Kwid) have to thoroughly revamp their strategy and products to sustain in this market.

Originally Posted by StarrySky

Creta is half a size bigger...

Half size? It is just 270mm (less than 1 feet) longer, but 10mm narrower than Brezza. Agree the difference in quality. But pricing a product 1-1.5L more than how it should be, doesn't make it "half size" bigger.

Maruti made a blunder by not bringing in the handsome international Vitara to fight in the >4m "SUV" segment. Had it been in place of SCross, it would have been able to sell 5K per month, IMO. Now, with the news of the 1.5L Petrol SCross which can start at 7L ex-showroom Delhi, it should be able to fetch some numbers from Brezza and Creta, IMO.

Originally Posted by StarrySky

It remains to be seen how many customers wanting to upgrade to a 7-seater from B/C segment would actually go for the Innova at current prices.

Crysta will get a lot of repeat customers from current Innova owners, but as you mentioned, we need to wait and see how it fares for others. There lies a huge potential for a low-priced Avanza (for the Toyota loyalists), a bigger Ertiga 1.6 (for people looking for a bit more power and space in the third row than Ertiga), and a Hyundai 7-seater MPV.

[Aaron:)]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Agree that new Figo is a better product than the earlier one. But during the period of old Figo, the competition was much weaker; but now, the situation has changed drastically. Hyundai has come up with better i10 and i20, Maruti introduced a better Swift and the new Baleno, and VW Polo is an established product now. And then came the better sub-4m sedans like new DZire, Amaze, Xcent etc.

I would also like to add that the old Figo had its own set of USP's namely, solid build, great dynamics and VFM pricing. The new Figo lacks such USP's.

The top variants of the Figo ( with 6 airbags ) cost as much as the mid variants of the Baleno / Jazz / i20. Then there's the build and dynamics which don't feel like 'Ford' anymore.

The Figo is a great car, and deserves to sell much better. But the sad truth is that when a car maker like Ford wants to compete with Maruti or Hyundai, they can't use the same formula as them, because then the buyers would just go for the Maruti or Hyundai. They needed to do something different, keep their USP's intact. If the Renault Kwid was styled like a regular hatchback, it would've sank without a trace, despite all its merits.

[NiInJa]

Whats with Honda's numbers ? This definitely does not look like prioritization for the BR-V or even petrol cars production adjustment. All models except City have gone down.

Vitara Brezza has arrived and opened like Virendra Sehwag. 7+k figures in just a month, add to that the Baleno who is on the other side at the crease steadily increasing the 'run-rate' (IPL fever, couldnt help ), they have made up for the loss of Alto.
Talking about early dismissals, Nuvosport is heading towards the dressing room in the second over itself.

The Kwid has definitely showed a ray of hope for Renault-Nissan in India. When the Redi-Go is launched, its going to create further dent in Alto's and Eon's sales numbers. Wow, finally some competition here !

Abarth Punto figures are not something to talk about, but at least a handful are selling. Ford Endeavor takes on Toyota Fortuner, Chevvy missed the party yet again.

Despite of a crisis situation in rural areas, SUV sales have remained stable. Effect of elections in South and East states of our country ?

[i74js]

MSIL has not given up on S Cross, the upcoming petrol engine induction should help the cause. I am sure the petrol version will be priced sensibly right from day one the S Cross built quality will be kept intact. I am of the opinion that the present 2.5 K per month sales will take a jump by 100% and the S Cross can settle at respectable number of 5 K per month. For diesel trim, MSIL should consider automatic for 1.6 DDIS (and no AMT here) - standard TC or CVT can do though with such brilliant engine a dual clutch auto can do justice.

Cheers !

[Vitalstatistiks]

How I see it-

Imagine if Renault had Maruti's network. Kwid v. Alto would have been a knockout.

Swift is definitely under assault. i20 and Baleno taking away the urban sales. I am reasonably certain the Swifts that are sold are more in the 'non-urban' markets, where Hyundai and Nexa have limited or no reach.

We don't know what's up with Honda. Neither, i suspect, does Honda itself.

Dzire has (thankfully) tanked a bit. Ban on diesel taxis in NCR must have played its part.

Fortune buyers have moved enmass to Endeavour.

WagonR sales on the upswing. I suspect it has more to do with Uber/Ola, especially with them launching services in Tier-2 and 3 cities, catered primarily by economy service. Which is primarily catered by WagonR.

[dark.knight]

In business one looks at the obvious, in this case the obvious is staring down at the face of every car company in the list thanks to vast opinions of forum members, popular press, ownership opinions and so on. Unless each company truly tunes into such opinions and follow them, they shall meet with little change as far as numbers go.

-Nissan - Reports of poor ownership experience (service+dealer aspects) yet no change in the system, numbers keep dropping as expected.

-Fiat - Basically a laggard in India, they do not update their product platforms every average product life-cycle, poor dealership experiences barring south of India and Pune, dealerships winding down, not nearly fast enough spare availability etc. They are actually better made than any VW, drive better than any car in that price range, and have more features than a Hyundai.. but perception + service is everything in India. Guess they are happy being an engine manufacturer (like Swatch group makes maximum revenue making ETA/Sellita watch movements for over half of the Swiss watch industry)

- V.W - Knee-jerk reaction is usually referred to an unnecessarily quick response to a situation which makes things worse, VW usually does the opposite of that. No response is sometimes much more unhealthy than a knee-jerk one. The emissions scandal has gotten no answer from VW's end until now which has given them a sort of a Machiavellian image. They entered India with an expensive hatchback that literally had a minimalist, rudimentary interior & exterior and in my view, sub-par engines (3-cyl 1.2). Now the same Polo has improved 300%, but as I said before, stereotypes get glued on far longer than they are valid for.

- Ford - The Fiesta could never cut it in sales so they did what they had to with the new Figo and Aspire, however they traded away the decent haptics and eubstance (yes, eubstance) of traditional Fords and put in better engines, more airbags and features instead. Why not have both even if it costs a bit more?

- G.M - They say in business, no one knows atrophy more than the number one. This applies to G.M in India, worlds largest however they are. Perhaps they have enough resources to hang around in markets where only losses are being generated, perhaps they know they are too big and can always be bailed out when in need. Lets just say neither the country nor the company are poorer or for worse without each other, so they just cancel each other out.

- Hyundai - Given the number of nation-wide dealerships, service stations and model ranges starting from Eon to Elantra, they do not have enough of the pie yet. This is partly due to perception as well as mostly, terrible service experiences. A little honestly can go a long way, yes they have ready spares availability and 'n' number of service stations but greed is a common sight in all of them. They've started this rampantly since the past 4-5 years of growth and its getting worse. The products themselves are good barring a few disasters like the previous gen i20 and i10. Their 2005 models like 1st gen Verna & Getz were truly gems only to be replaced by inferior "updates".

- TATA - Brand image, brand image, brand image. Something Fiat is still reeling under. In my view as 2-3 members here have expressed before, Tata needs to do a total rebranding and do away with every model that resembles an Indica or Indigo (sadly that includes the Zest & Bolt). Tiago is a start but rebranding is top of the agenda and that includes changing the logo, name and image. Lets not take it in the wrong context, I'm sure Tata is a fine brand and is every patriot's dream automobile realised. However if the sales chart is to be set on fire then the company has to play to popular perception as well.

It should also go without saying that every brand has its pluses and minuses, however there is always only one route to success - give the good stuff, whether its features, style, safety, service or great value. Give all of them and you got an instant number one brand, sadly each brand lacks some or the other and its up to the customer to understand that before the purchase is done.

[rsm97]

Numbers of KUV100 are a surprise for me. Wonder what is making it such a success. Ford must be scratching their heads seeking that evasive success formula.

Also noticed that numbers of A and B2 segments have seen a jump post October '15. Mostly Kwid and Baleno respectively contributed here. Now since the segment itself has expanded, the effect of these successes on competition has not been profound. All have been able to live happily together. Maybe (and wish so) now Tiago can bring similar luck for B1 segment.

Interestingly, C2 segment has witnessed two such jumps. One post Creta launch and the other on recent launch of Brezza. In that case,maybe watching this trend can indicate a blockbuster in future too.

[romeomidhun]

Source: http://m.economictimes.com/industry/...w/52197669.cms

Maruti to increase the output of brezza to 1.2L units, and baleno to 1.65L units per year. So, we can see brezza and baleno selling 9-10K per month considering their export plans.

[deetjohn]

Good to see the Endeavour at the top of the D2 segment. The entire D2 segment has shrunk except for the Endeavour and the Superb. 2 very worthy cars!

But I am afraid we cannot read too much into it. Toyota might have prioritized making the plant production ready for Crysta at the expense of the Fortuner.

Anyways, Ford should work hard to progressively increase the production to at least 700+ units per month for the Endeavour. And that number should be consistent. There is demand and the market is willing to buy if Ford can deliver without much delay. The Cryta' pricing makes even the Endeavour Trend look great value for money. So, its time to make use of that market sentiment. And by the time the new Fortuner is here, Ford should consolidate that strong second place with 700+ units each month.

Also, good to see Renault closing in on the Alto with the Kwid. Looks like Brezza is pulling a lot of customers from the mighty DZire. This will be an interesting battle for sure. Something that might force MSIL to launch a SUV lookalike for every segment right from A.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by rsm97

Numbers of KUV100 are a surprise for me. Wonder what is making it such a success. Ford must be scratching their heads seeking that evasive success formula.

Exactly! But just like bad publicity is still publicity, the car's combination of quirky looks and price makes it stand out of the crowd (good or bad reasons, depends on your taste). As the virtues of the car take precedence going forward, I am pretty sure we will see a dip in the sales.

If not then I will eat humble pie and salute the officials at Mahindra. Remember also that we live in a country which loves "Singham" but hates "Lunch box". Need further proof, just head over to the weird and wacky mods thread.

[iamswift]

Kwid eating into Alto's sales.
Baleno did not impact much of i20-Elite/Active sales. Jazz taking the fall here. Probably Dzire too.

Vittara-Brezza cannibalizing Dzire. Creta too gets slight dent. Have to wait and watch this line if it will go down further. Letting BRV into the mix will be quite interesting. On the other hand XUV500 will be tested too.

Fortuner is going down and down.

Honda missing the consumer sentiment again.

[hybridpetrol]

Usually when the company has already grown significant enough, it would be attacked by competitors from all sides bringing its sales/profits down.
But our automobile market is unique and here it is the other way around - Maruti is providing competing products in each and every new area and giving nightmares to the competition!

Consider the below:
a) C2 segment, dominated nearly for ever by Honda City, now has a serious competition in the name of Maruti Ciaz.
b) The newer 4m CUV segment dominated by Ford Ecosport now has Vitara Brezza - and just in the launch month, they can move twice more copies than the Ecosport
c) Crossovers - previously only had the plastic cladded versions of the respective hatchbacks such as i20 active, etios cross, cross polo, avventura, now has a premium offering from Maruti - S-Cross. It also takes part of sales from Creta, Ecosport, Duster etc
d) Premium hatchback segment - Dominated by the Elite i20, now has the newer Maruti offering Baleno, which together with the Swift makes more sales than the i20/i10 combo.
e) Compact Sedan - Several competitors such as Xcent, Amaze, Zest, Aspire - all seem to be trying hard just to get 20% of what Dzire sells a month. This is irrespective of the fact that, market seems to be slowly moving away from compact sedans.

The only area where Maruti is threatened now:
a) A segment - Alto's numbers include both 800 & K10 - and if Kwid is introduced with the 1.0 engine, we would be seeing Kwid as No:1 in this segment. Maruti's facelift seems less than ordinary. Here Maruti should rework the entire Alto concept into something fresh and show who is the market leader here.

Areas Maruti could enter:
a) Now they have tasted some amount of success in C2 segment, can they experiment with a D1 segment sedan in their Nexa showroom? Something that is in the league of Corolla / Jetta / Octavia / Elantra.
b) SUVs have always been a strength of Mahindras in our country. Maruti has tested waters with a crossover S-Cross & the Vitara Brezza. They already have the Grand Vitara, which was a failure here. Now the market is looking for more SUVs now, can they try bigger SUVs - something like the Santa Fe, CR-V, Fortuner, Endeavour?
c) People love large MUVs for comfort - and apart from Innova there seems to be none. Can Maruti offer a larger MUV, alongside Ertiga, with dimensions as big as Innova?

Of course, Suzuki's strengths are small cars, but since they are the market leader here taking more than 40% of sales here, they have the choice to experiment in order to grow their market share!