As always, Maruti Suzuki is leading the pack when it comes to hatchback sales with it dominating in entry-level as well as compact hatchbacks.
Constituting 51% of Indian car sales, hatchbacks are undoubtedly the most popular cars in India. The major reasons for their popularity is the price which is lesser than cars of other body styles and their size which makes them easy to drive around town. The A-segment hatchbacks sell the most and it is the Maruti Suzuki Alto which sells way more than its competitors. Tata recently updated the Nano and added an AMT gearbox too but sales haven’t picked up despite that, which is a bit disappointing as the car makes a compelling case for itself. The Hyundai Eon has become a long in the tooth now and a change is needed. Datsun suffers from a not-so-great brand image which leads to low sales of the GO.
For the ones who want more space, more power and better looks, there are many options in the market ranging from the Chevrolet Beat to the Hyundai Elite i20. There are 21 options available to customers looking at hatchbacks. Without any doubt, Maruti Suzuki rules the roost here too with its Swift and Wagon R occupying the top two spots. Following the Japanese kids are two Korean kids in the form of the Elite i20 and Grand i10 which sell in huge numbers due to their feature loaded interiors and great looks. The Maruti Suzuki Celerio also sells in good numbers since it is the cheapest diesel Maruti and also comes with a petrol AMT option.
The Honda Jazz has lost a fair bit of sales this month and so has the Honda Brio. Seems i-VTEC isn’t kicking in for Honda. Other cars in the chart seem to have held their ground pretty well with sales neither falling nor rising too much. However, some noteworthy cars are the Tata Bolt which has gained quite a bit, the Maruti Suzuki Ritz which fell by almost 50% as the only major buying segment now is Mumbai taxi drivers, the Fiat Punto Evo and Avventura have also witnessed a fall in numbers. Ford seems to have finally exhausted all the current generation Figos before the launch of the new one which is scheduled in the coming week.
