Team-BHP - History rewritten - Santro takes NO.1 Position!!

When I saw the Santro for the first time, I told the dealership to save its time/money and go home. It aint going to sell with those looks.

How wrong could I have been? I didnt account for the superb quality, value for money, customer service...and stagnation caused due to Marutis ageing line!!

The Hyundai Santro has taken the No.1 position in sales for November 2004 with a whopping 12061 cars sold

Whats more, including exports - the number shoots up higher to 18263 cars. The limited period price cut surely helped, but more than anything this figure attests Indias faith in Hyundai as a trustworthy manufacturer of quality products. Maruti's Alto trails a distant second with 9,156 cars and the 800 at 8,958.

This is also the first time in history (since Marutis advent) that a non Maruti product has taken the No.1 position

Regular Team-BHPians will remember the shock when the Alto took over from the 800's 20 year reign as the best seller in India.

Is Maruti paying a price for being lazy, incompetent and a beggar (to Suzuki for technology?). You bet.

GTO

Source : Times of India advertisement.

[size=3][color=red][/color][/size]I have always maintained that the santro was and still is the [color=red]MOST PRACTICAL CITY CAR [/color]in India today.

I hated the looks to the core and to top it off - a korean manufacturer , i thut 6 months is all santro will last but no !!!

not only did the ugly duckling sell - with time the santro blossommed into a car that looked better and better ....and today its the No. 1.

congratulations Hyundai - a job well done

keep it coming

Quote:

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

[size=3][color=red][/color][/size]I have always maintained that the santro was and still is the [color=red]MOST PRACTICAL CITY CAR [/color]in India today.

congratulations Hyundai - a job well done

agree:

Yes indeed, I never really expected the Santo to dominate the market the way it is doing... not even in my wildest dream....... I still hate the old Santro's looks, but, the Xing really looks good!

I am at a complete loss for words.

Just when Hyundai was having a bad time with its C and D segment offerings, its found a winner once again in its tried and tested Hyundai Santro. Yes, like you'll i gave the car no more than a year with those looks. But Hyundai has done something that even Maruti has not managed to do. Quality Product with personalised service. C'mon, it is still the only company i know of where dealers give you a stand-by car in case your car is in garage for long periods of time (accident/major overhauling etc.) It really shows Hyundai's concern in maintaining its customers.

Now if only they can get to convert Santro owners to buy more Getzes/Accents/ Elantras and Sonatas. Hyundai would then be India's largest selling car company.
Anyways, congrats HMIL. I don't see it still being more than a freak chance or two, but hey they can enjoy it while it lasts. Maruti will be back to being the largest selling car company from next month on.

Revvmaster

Quote:

I don't see it still being more than a freak chance or two, but hey they can enjoy it while it lasts.

Revv, you really dont believe that Hyundai can ever emerge as Indias no.1 manufacturer, right? I remember having this convo with you once. You have a point. Except for the Santro, their sales have fallen flat with the Accent, Elantra, Sonata and the Terracan. I dont really see any other volume leader coming from Korea soon either!

Hyundai, like Maruti, is stuck in the economy segment. Not too many people want to pay a million bucks for these two brands.

GTO

Haha, that's India for you!!

Good for them, coz in Oct this year, Santro sold 8,885 units in comparison to M800's 11,633, Alto's 9,884 and Indica's 9,648. (Source - Autocar-Dec 04-page 19.)

That i must say, is one huge boost in one month.

Shan2nu

hats off to Hyundai.
but still i feel maruti have only themselves to blame.the santro's other competetion is the outdated Zen.the Alto and the M800 cannibalise each others sales, while the zen eats into the superbb wagon r's sales.the M800 and the Zen shud be stopped .only then will the sales of a properly priced wagon r and the alto match the xing .
when the @#$ will maruti wake up???.
its not that the xing is the best ,its only that its rivals are fighting among themselves.
the palio inspite of being the most modern and safest car ,is not selling at all leave alone competing .here again the car maker is itself responsible.
the matiz again despite being the Car of the Year ,has disappeared due to similar reasons.
Hyundai has been more smart and has given constant upgrades to the santro which maruti has not.till date not a single Maruti has ABS.maruti really sukkks.
in other words ,Hyundai has also been lucky in this segment.as if it had really been making the best cars,then its other cars wud also have done well.but there ,Honda,Toyota,Skoda is there and not surprisingly hyundai is no match for them.

now only the swift can save maruti ,till its party time for hyundai.

satya

Well guess what. My dad just told me that he read in some business newspaper or mag that the Wagon R sold the most units in the B Segment followed by the Santro. NHC sold the highest in it's segment followed by the Baleno and then the Accent.

This is getting really wierd now. Baleno displacing the Accent?? That is the heights. And where the hell did the Indigo go? (which was the best C segment seller until Oct).

There is seriously something wrong here. Can someone give us a link to a dependable source??

Shan2nu

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Yeah same here .... someone told me and he was working in bank( auto loan section) .... he told me that santro was the best selling car for the month of october but according to you as you mentioned in your earlier post Santro was on 4th position .....
Whom should I believe am confused too .....

shan,
yeah its not in the sales ,but in the JD Power survey.there is an article in today's( 16th december) TOI.it goes as follows:
the wagon r,topped the chart in the premium compact car categry folled by the xing and the zen.
esteem stood first in the entry level mid-sze follwed by the ikon and the indigo.
in the mid size,its the NHC followed by the baleno and the accent.
the corolla followed by the optra nd the octavia in the premium mid size.
and hahahaa,surprise surprise in the SUV its the Safari follwed by qualis and the bolero.

heheh ,something is really wrong with either the car buying oublic or JD power or TOI.
as how can a bolero be better than a scorpio .hhehehe.

satya