India car sales October 2017: Winners and Losers

Diwali and Dussehra came in October this year and after the spike in sales in September, October sales were expected to go through the roof. Sadly, the October sales numbers have seen a slight downturn as the dispatches from the factories have been reduced. This might also be in anticipation of the slow months of November and December so that the dealers are not stuffed with surplus stock. But in spite of the slow movement, there are always some cars that spring up surprises.

Winners

Maruti Suzuki Celerio

The Maruti Suzuki Celerio has been an odd-ball in Maruti;s scheme of things. Not in terms of the car itself but in terms of its sales numbers. We generally get to see a lot of variation in the wholesale figures of the Celerio but that might be because of it production in batches. Because suddenly, MSIL has dispatched over 12,000 units in October as compared to the 4,000-odd units in the previous month.

Tata Nexon

Tata’s newest entrant, the sub-four metre compact SUV, the Nexon, seems to have found its grip within a couple of months of its launch. Crossing over into the 3,000s, it has become the third highest-selling SUV in the segment already. But with the new EcoSport in, the Nexon will have to tread carefully and a marketing push right now should be able to help the Nexon do that.

Skoda Kodiaq

All SUVs are selling these days and then it doesn’t matter if it is a Toyota or a Skoda. The Kodiaq, in the second month of its Indian journey, has managed to clock 289 units, certainly a good number for a car that costs almost Rs 40 lakhs on-road. It might have eaten into the Superb’s share of the pie as of now, but with its features and sleek styling, it might carve out its own place soon.

Losers

Maruti Suzuki Dzire

After shaking off the Swift tag, the Dzire has had a dream run, clicking over 30,000 units on sales two months in a row. But this month, the dispatches are just about 20,000 units and this is despite the waiting period of three to four months for the car. Which means, MSIL expects the market to be slow in the comingfor the next couple offew months.

Mahindra Scorpio

The Mahindra Scoprio has been a steady seller for the Indian SUV maker over the years. Despite the ups and downs in the market, the Scorpio always seems to ring in the numbers. But in October, the factory has sent out considerably lesser numbers of cars out. Does this mean that the new Scorpio facelift is around the corner? We need to wait and watch.

Volkswagen Vento

The Volkswagen Vento has been almost the same since its launch more than half a decade ago. But now, It it seems that the charm of the timeless design is wearing off in the advent of newer and busier designs. With the car sales now decreased to less than 500 units a month, VW needs to do something to bring the C-segment sedan back into contention.