The comprehensively updated Ertiga has received a healthy boost in sales taking over the Toyota Innova for the month, whereas Renault and Honda have stopped manufacturing their respective MPVs.
The MPV segment is healthy mix of private and commercial buyers that now have a host of offerings to choose from. However, buyers favour the reliable and the Japanese are certainly having the last laugh. For October 2015, we take a look at the sales report of the MPVs sold in the country. The comprehensively updated Maruti Ertiga led the sales list last month clocking 5832 units, a growth of 120 percent over September this year. The updates saw the MPV get mild-hybrid technology, new features and aesthetic updates that have surely helped volumes gain a big push. More recently, the Mumbai Police received deliveries of around 100 Ertiga models for its Women’s Safety initiative that show’s the vehicle’s popularity among commercial and private buyers.
Coming in a close second without much effort was the ever so reliable Toyota Innova clocking in 5724 units. The Japanese MPV is a consistent seller being extremely popular amongst the cab fleet and will remain so for the next coming months as well. With the next generation model set to arrive next year, Toyota is reportedly planning to retain the outgoing version specifically for the taxi segment given the high demand. The third best selling MPV in October turned out to be the Chevrolet Tavera that witnessed a 19 percent month-on-month growth but barely managed to clock 1001 units.
The other MPVs on the list witnessed paltry numbers in terms of sales as even the newest of offerings are finding it difficult to come close to the segment kings. Given the popularity in tier II and III cities, the Sumo (now known as the Movus) sold 827 units last month with a growth of 13 percent while up next was the Datsun GO+, the smallest MPV in terms of size and pushed out 796 units. Moving down, the relatively new Honda Mobilio and Renault Lodgy sold 769 units and 301 units respectively. Sales have witnessed a stark drop compared to earlier months for both models that were expected to break into the Ertiga’s numbers. In fact, Honda did not manufacture the Mobilio in October while Renault produced just one unit of its MPV.
Mahindra is another manufacturer that has found it difficult to break into this segment with the Xylo doing a maximum of 723 units last month. While sales saw a 19 percent hike, it is nowhere close to the company’s expectations. The case is even worse with the Quanto that just clocked 3 units last month, down from 15 sold in September. Nissan was very ambitious with the Evalia when it introduced the model in 2012 but could not make a mark despite a number of attempts. The MPV sold 34 units this October, down by 45 percent. The Evalia’s Indian cousin Ashok Leyland Stile was pulled off the market earlier this year due to the lack of demand.
