India car sales analysed: February 2020

The auto sector had been reeling under poor sales due to uncertainty over BS6 norms and GST. Most of the current car manufacturers have already upgraded their products to meet the BS6 emission standard and the car sales are likely to see an improvement in the months to come. Looking at segment-wise data, new car launches and heavy discount on the BS4 stock has resulted in positive sales growth in certain segments.   

The entry hatchback segment has been witnessing a steep drop in sales in recent months. However, with the recent launch of the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, the entry hatchback segment has witnessed a four per cent sales growth in February 2020. Maruti Suzuki has sold 9,578 units of the S-Presso in India last month, while the sales for the Alto has dropped by 28 per cent with 17,921 units sold in February 2020 as against 24,751 units in the same period last year. Datsun redi-GO has been the worst affected with 60 per cent drop in sales with 513 units sold last month against 1,293 units in February 2019. Renault Kwid sales have dropped by 17 per cent with 4,187 units sold against 5,050 units sold in the same period last year. 

The compact hatchback segment has barely manged to stay afloat with one per cent growth in February 2020; majorly due to the heavy discount on the older stock. Maruti Suzuki launched the updated Ignis in India on 18 February. The Ignis has witnessed a 123 per cent increase in sales growth with 2,912 units sold last month against 1,303 units sold in the same period in 2019. Ford has sold 1,003 units of the Figo in February 2020 against 519 units sold in February 2019; witnessing a 93 per cent growth in sales. BS6 compliant Maruti Suzuki Celerio was launched in January 2020. In February, owing to the updated model, the Celerio has witnessed a 68 per cent increase in sales with 6,104 units sold in February 2020 as against 3,631 units sold in same period in 2019. Two other popular sellers from Maruti Suzuki, the Swift and the Wagon R have witnessed a growth in sales by three per cent and 16 per cent in February 2020, respectively. Hyundai Grand i10 has witnessed a 15 per cent growth in sales in February with 10,407 unit sales against 9,065 units sold in same period last year. 

The premium sedan segment has witnessed a 13 per cent growth in February. Skoda Octavia has witnessed a 97 per cent growth in sales with 226 units sold last month against 115 units sold in the same period last year. The luxury sedan segment has witnessed a 41 per cent growth in sales in February 2020, due to heavy discount on the Skoda Superb and the Toyota Camry.  Skoda Superb has witnessed 84 per cent growth in sales with 177 units sold in India last month against 96 units in same period last year. Toyota has sold 89 units of the Camry last month as against 41 units in February 2019; therefore witnessing a growth of 117 per cent. 

The compact SUV segment which had been witnessing a steady growth, has barely managed to stay afloat with one per cent sales growth in February 2020. The positive sales is attributed to recently launched Hyundai Venue with 10,321 units sold in February 2020, and the updated Ford EcoSport, launched in January. Ford has sold 3,713 units of the EcoSport in February against 3,156 units sold in February 2019, therefore witnessing a growth of 18 per cent last month. 

The multi utility vehicle segment has witnessed positive growth of 19 per cent, owing to new product launches like Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Renault Triber, Maruti Suzuki XL6, Kia Carnival and Toyota Vellfire. The BS6 compliant Maruti Suzuki Ertiga was launched in India in July 2019 and has been the highest selling MPV in its segment. Last month, Maruti Suzuki sold 11,782 units of the Ertiga as compared to 7,975 units sold in the same period last year, thereby witnessing a 48 per cent growth in sales last month. Among the recent launches, Renault sold 3,955 units of the Triber last month, while Maruti Suzuki sold 3,886 units of the XL6 in February 2020. In the same period, Kia has sold 1,620 units of the Carnival, while Toyota has sold 42 units of the Vellfire last month. New product launches in last few months have been the key contributor to positive sales in the multi utility vehicle segment in the country.