The passenger car market in the Indian subcontinent changes continuously with buyer sentiment varying due to the forces of nature, seasons and the economy. While it is evident that the market is slowly shifting towards the B segment from the evergreen A segment, the popularity of compact sedans seems to be taking a hit with the overall numbers of the largely successful segment having dipped. We analyse the sales figures from all manufacturers over the past year to put together a list of winners and losers for August 2016.
Winners
The Hyundai Elite i20 has been a cash cow for the Korean car maker since its introduction. After the initial scare from the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the Elite i20 has reclaimed its top position in the premium hatchback segment by selling almost 1201 units more as compared to last month. With the launch of the Elite i20 automatic, Hyundai should expect to consolidate its rank with the Baleno almost 2500 units behind in this month.
The Ford twins had suffered setbacks in the last month with sales being hit by over 50 per cent each. Quick to react, Ford announced realigned prices, making the cars cheaper by Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The move seems to have worked in their favour with the sales figures coming back to four digits. With sales up from 748 to 1304 for the Aspire and 710 to 1274 for the Figo, we hope the Figo twins continue to sell in better numbers.
While the overall sales for the Indian major in August have dipped as compared to last month, the S-Cross seems to have chalked out a revival story. After selling 110 units in June and 369 units in July, the crossover sold 2023 units in August, a 448 per cent jump in sales. Maruti dealers have been offering huge discounts for the S-Cross which seems to have worked in its favour ahead of the festive season. Also, the waiting period for the Vitara Brezza might have helped the S-Cross with its numbers.
Losers
The Honda BR-V started off strong selling more units every month. After the initial fervour, the seven-seater crossover SUV seems to have lost momentum with its sales dropping off by almost 33 per cent from 3333 units to 2229 units in August 2016. Built on the Mobilio platform, the butch-looking SUV competes with the Hyundai Creta.
The Hyundai Verna has had a successful run thanks to its futuristic fluidic design theme and Hyundai’s largesse with features and equipment. After almost six years of its existence, the Verna seems dated in spite of the periodic facelifts. With the news of the new Verna doing rounds, buyers seem to have been opting for the newer models like the Ciaz and the City.
Things are not going well for in the GM camp with Chevrolet cars not managing to sell in spite of the numerous schemes and camps. The full-size SUV, the Trailblazer, has managed to sell no units in the month of August, two less than the number of units sold in the previous month. With the Ford Endeavour coming in to fray and the Fortuner still holding on, the Trailblazer seems to have run out of blaze on this trail.
