March is a positive month for the Automobile industry due to the year end depreciation benefits, large discounts by OEM’s and also the assumption that cost would increase from April onwards. As March is the end of financial year, every manufacturer pushes for achieving the pending targets for the year.
Indian Car Sales Report for March 2015
Maruti Suzuki
As always, Alto, Dzire, Swift and Wagon R deliver their consistent performance. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz sales numbers sees a dip ( month on month) causing a concern for the brand – It is important to note that its competitor Honda City has recorded a best performance in this financial year. Also Hyundai is trying to bounce back by releasing refreshed Verna 4S. The competition for Maruti Ciaz is very tough in coming months. It is pretty surprising how brands like Eeco, Omni and Gypsy are selling well. 12,768 units combined (which equals total volume sales of VW, GM, Fiat, Ford, Skoda, etc)
Hyundai
The Korean automobile maker is in an extreme mode and is posting new high with its pie in the Indian auto market. There has been tremendous updates and new product launches from past 18 months. Just within 8 months after the launch of Hyundai Elite i20, the brand crosses 12k units for the first time in its lifecycle!. March 2015 has been a great time for Hyundai.
Honda
Its numbers has been nothing but a fairy tale in the past financial year. Even the Honda officials wouldn’t have anticipated the growth the company experienced in the last 18 months! And the performance is improving consistently – City delivers its highest offtake figures and misses 10k mark by a whisker. The Verna’s & Ciaz’s of the world couldn’t shake City’s dominance. Even Amaze has a stellar comeback and posts respectable 8.1k units. Mobilio is trying hard to gain acceptance in the under-developed MUV segment. Brio too tries hard to signify its existence. It is now crucial for Honda to maintain its position in the THIRD slot and gun for the second (can the new Jazz make this dream a reality?)
Mahindra
The homegrown SUV major has tried hard to sustain its rank, but Honda managed to snatch the position. This was a result of lot of unsuccessful launches from the automaker – Quanto, Vibe, Rexton, etc. The volumes are completely dependent of 3 carlines – Bolero, Scorpio & XUV 500. We are happy to see the Bolero figures crossing the 10k mark after a long gap of 11 months! Is the slowdown in rural market affecting M&M’s volumes?
Tata
It is disheartening to see Bolt & Zest’s volumes being lower then its elder siblings – Indica & Indigo. The average consumer is still wary to accept the brands for personal use and the newer offerings have not taken off the way Tata would have expected. Safari experiences a continuous decline – maybe the update expected on the carline is on the cards.
Toyota
Seeing Innova’s & Fortuner’s volumes, one can understand why this Japanese carmaker the no.1 brand worldwide! Selling these volumes in high-end segment is never easy. The philosophy continues with Corolla as well the numbers is currently hovering at an average of 850 units.
Source: Management Punditz
