The Indian auto industry has evolved a lot and there have been some vehicles that have been absolute game-changers in the market. We have a look at some of the vehicles that created incredible sales milestones in India.
The Hero Splendor (earlier Hero Honda Splendor) was launched in 1994 and the bike has revolutionised the two-wheeler market in the country. Hero has sold more than 2.5 crore units of the commuter bike and even though the Honda Activa has overtaken the Splendor in the past two months, the bike is still the winner when we take overall sales into consideration. Hero has introduced a lot of new variants of the bike though.
The TVS XL has sold more than 1 crore units and that’s in spite of sales being limited to the rural market alone as this 2-wheeler is powered by a 2-stroke engine (only 4-strokes can be sold in metros). The 70cc unit produces 3.5 HP and 7 Nm, paired to a single-speed gearbox. The TVS XL is priced at Rs. 34,058/- (ex-showroom, Chennai) and is the second 2-wheeler to cross the 1 crore sales mark.
Honda changed the scooter market in India by launching the Activa way back in 2001. The scooter turned out to be a good choice for buyers who wanted basic practicality along with reliability and cheap running costs. The Honda Activa just recently crossed the 1 crore sales landmark and it continues to glide across sales charts. Honda too has introduced a lot of new variants of the Activa now.
Tata Motors might not be selling their passenger cars in big numbers but their commercial vehicles have always done well. The Ace light commercial vehicle has sold more than 1.3 million units and it remains to be a trusted choice by users in that segment. The Ace portfolio consists of the Ace, Super Ace, Ace Zip and Super Ace Mint.
The Maruti Alto may not be a very good vehicle overall, but it has surely managed to emerge as the highest-selling four-wheeler in the history of the Indian automotive market. The hatchback has sold 28.5 lakh units and it sells in more than 20,000 units every month. Currently, the vehicle is available in two guises – Alto 800 and Alto K10, also offered with CNG and AMT gearbox options. Backed by Maruti’s excellent service, the Alto is always eons ahead of its rivals in sales.
Mahindra is the king of UVs and even though the Bolero is very outdated now, it fetches good sales every month. Most of these sales come from rural and semi-urban markets. The Bolero will soon be replaced by a newer UV and we expect that also to sell pretty well. The Bolero was first launched in 2000 and even today the vehicle is pretty much the same with only minor updates. The UV has managed sales of 8.5 lakh units till now.
Who says luxury sedans don’t sell in big numbers? Ask the Mercedes E-Class! The sedan competes with the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series and Jaguar XF but owing to Mercedes’ early entry in the Indian market, the vehicle made a good name for itself and bagged a lot of sales. Also, Indians love the snob value associated with a Mercedes a lot more than rivals and hence this is another reason for the E-Class’ big sales with as many as 30,000 cars plying on our roads.
