Analysing the sales of hatchbacks in July 2015, we conclude that Maruti Suzuki just like always leads the pack while certain outdated products are selling more than their newer and modern counterparts.
Hatchbacks constitute a major part of the pie in the Indian automotive market. We have all types of hatchbacks in our market, such as entry-level hatchbacks, compact hatchbacks and premium hatchbacks. Let us have a look at the sales of entry-level hatchbacks first. The Maruti Alto has always been an undisputed king and as usual this time also the vehicle has sold more than 20,000-odd units. The Alto competes with the Tata Nano, Hyundai Eon and Datsun GO and all of these entry-level hatchbacks are equally good or bad but still the Alto’s rivals are really behind in sales! The Nano, with its AMT gearbox makes for a compelling case for itself but it is unable to score the sales that it deserves.
Moving slightly up the ladder, we have bigger hatchbacks that come with a bit more power and some extra features. The Maruti Swift, Hyundai Elite i20 (Active included), Volkswagen Polo (Cross Polo included), Honda Jazz and Fiat Punto Evo are the premium hatchbacks available in India and it is the Swift which tops the list when it comes to sales numbers. Maruti wins the second spot too, with the Wagon R, which is considered a practical and ‘safe’ choice by mass-market consumers. Hyundai wins the third and fourth spot with the Elite i20 and the Grand i10 respectively. It is interesting to note that out of two vehicles from the same stable, the premium and more expensive model gets more sales compared to its cheaper sibling, case in point being the Swift and Wagon R and the Elite i20 and Grand i10.
Going down the ladder, Maruti has another winner, the Celerio which sells in quite decent numbers every month. The Honda Jazz which is the newest kid on the block is also managing well with good numbers in the first month. Quite surprising to see that the old Tata Indica sells 3000-odd units each month while its newer counterpart, the Bolt doesn’t manage even 1/8th of those numbers. The Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i10 are consistent with their numbers while the Maruti Ritz’ sales are going down considering the fact that the vehicle is on its way out. The Honda Brio has dismal sales but we feel that the launch of the facelift might just brighten things a bit.
Rest of the vehicles at the bottom of the list are some of the low-sellers. While some of them are really outdated, certain cars are quite new and capable products which haven’t been successful due to many different reasons like poor pricing, bad marketing or lack of confidence in the brand itself.
