While the Maruti and Hyundai show continues, a Honda car has driven into the best-sellers chart after a long time.
16 Jul 2018 | 9678 Views | By Mayank Dhingra
The Indian automotive sector is firing on all its cylinders, with overall industry sales in June 2018 being pegged at 2,279,151 units and growing a substantial 25.23 percent. The noticeable growth, however, comes on the back of a low year-ago base where May-June 2017 was a lull period in lieu ...
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The Indian automotive sector is firing on all its cylinders, with overall industry sales in June 2018 being pegged at 2,279,151 units and growing a substantial 25.23 percent. The noticeable growth, however, comes on the back of a low year-ago base where May-June 2017 was a lull period in lieu of the upcoming GST tax reform from July 2017 onward. These sales essentially constitute the vehicle shipments OEMs made to their dealers across the country in June 2018.
While the passenger vehicle (PV) segment clocked sales of 273,759 units, the never-ending battle between passenger cars and UVs graduated to a new level, with passenger cars clocking overall sales of 183,885 units (+34.21%) and UVs accelerating with total sales of 73,654 units (+47.11%).
Even though Maruti Suzuki, the country’s leading carmaker, maintains its supremacy in the Top 10 PVs list and its Dzire compact sedan continues its relentless journey of scaling new heights, Japanese carmaker Honda has entered the Top 10 chart with its recently launched Amaze sub-compact sedan, pitched directly against the popular Maruti sedan. Hyundai Motor India, on the other hand, sees its models significantly escalating in their ranks in the monthly tabulation. With overall sales of 458,967 units between April and June 2018, Maruti Suzuki has increased its stranglehold to capture a rather dominating 52.54 percent of the market, significantly upping its game over what stood at 50.43 percent during the same period in 2017.
The new Maruti Dzire sedan made news in June by becoming the top-selling car in the country, dethroning even its younger and cheaper entry-level Alto sibling. The stylish sedan has put the sales chart afire for Maruti, garnering total volumes of 18,758 units, and growing a notable 55.66 percent (June 2017: 12,050). The last time it topped the bestseller list was in August and September 2017, when it had clocked cumulative 31,427 units in September alone, also surpassing the 100,000 mark well within a diminutive span of four-and-a-half months of getting launched in May 2017.
At No. 2, the Maruti Swift hatchback clocks 18,171 units, giving a clear indication of its popularity in the B-segment space (June 2017: 9,902). On June 13, the car also achieved its milestone of clocking 100,000 sales units within just 145 days of getting launched at the 2018 Auto Expo. The Swift, in its latest avatar has been wooing buyers with its contemporary design language, roomier cabin, plentiful feature set and potent set of engines.
The country’s quintessential entry-level go-to choice, the Maruti Alto stands at No. 3 position, garnering overall sales of 18,070 units in the month. The budget hatchback had clocked 14,856 units in June last year.
Maruti Baleno, the premium hatchback from Maruti Suzuki, secures the No. 4 spot, with overall sales totalling 17,850 units. Compared to June 2017’s sales of 9,057 units, the Baleno has nearly doubled its sales. Interestingly, the Baleno also reached the landmark milestone of surpassing 400,000 units in domestic sales since its launch in October 2015. While it was just 4,209 units short of the achievement until May with overall sales being pegged at 395,791 units, an average of 12,767 units monthly easily made it reach the magic number in June.
Following the Baleno, the tall-boy Maruti Wagon R sold 11,311 units last month, keeping its appeal going strong with family buyers looking out for a practical and spacious offering. The car, however, dropped one position even after selling more than what it had clocked in June 2017 with 10,668 units.
At No. 6, the Hyundai Elite i20 sold 11,262 units; while it performed better than last year (June 2017: 10,609), it drops one position in the June 2018 tally. The better sales performance could clearly be attributed to the updated version of the i20 launched at the 2018 Auto Expo, which has a lot going for it. The car now offers a crisper touchscreen infotainment system, smarter alloy wheels, as well as a CVT mated to its 1.2-litre petrol mill.
The hatchback’s popular cousin, the Hyundai Creta zeroes in at the No. 7 spot, overtaking the only other UV to be making into the Top 10 list – the Vitara Brezza – by a whisker. While the Creta has 11,111 units to its name, the Vitara Brezza has 10,713 buyers. Clearly, Hyundai Motor India is ensuring its dealers are well stocked with the SUV. Both the Creta and Brezza have very recently received their midlife updates; while the Creta got a host of styling tweaks and feature upgrades including a sunroof and an electronically adjustable driver’s seat, the Brezza got a boost in its safety equipment as well as the option of an AMT with its 1.3-litre diesel engine.
At No. 9, the Hyundai Grand i10 sees a dramatic drop of seven spots in the list, clocking 10,343 units in June 2018; it had sold 12,317 units in June 2017. The Grand i10 continues to be offered with an exhaustive list of comfort and design features, along with a lot immensely practical for family buyers.
Closing the tally, the newly launched second-generation Honda Amaze makes its entry into the Top 10 PVs list, registering overall sales of 9,103 units in the month. The numbers are the highest in a month for any model in the Japanese carmaker’s line-up and the Amaze, in its latest avatar offers quite a value-packed proposition, with its spacious cabin, standard safety kit, contemporary features, and the unique diesel CVT option.
With a good monsoon spreading over the entire nation, demand in the coming months is expected to further drive sales in the near future. While UVs have somewhat been impacted by growing demand for passenger cars, it would be interesting to see how the fight unfolds between the two model preferences in the times to come. Watch this space for more.
Also read: Top 5 UVs – June 2018 | Hyundai Creta dethrones Maruti Vitara Brezza after 23 months
Top 10 Two-Wheelers – June 2018 | Honda Activa pips Hero Splendor to top spot