Tata Motors overtakes Honda in compact sedan segment in October

Passenger car sales of Tata Motors in October 2014 fell 12 percent year-on-year, but what may have given the team some reason to cheer despite that fall is the recently launched Zest sedan's positive performance during the month.

The Zest compact sedan sold 3,524 units during the month, making it the No. 3 brand in its segment. It outsold Honda's Amaze, which saw sales of 3,482 units during the month. The sales of these brands over the next month or two will show whether the Zest's performance in October was a blip as it is a newer product than the Amaze. The Maruti Suzuki Dzire continues to be the undisputed leader in its segment with sales of nearly 18,000 units in October. The Hyundai Xcent was the No. 2 brand with sales of over 4,600 units last month.

Tata Motors had earlier stated that the company's sales in the sedan segment saw a 49 percent YoY growth in October. The company says that the Zest is seeing 'strong' sales leading to the company's YoY and MoM growth in the sedan segment.