Indian Car Sales Figures - October 2014

With 2 biggest festivals that the country celebrates (Dusshera & Diwali), the auto Industry couldn’t find a respite from the falling numbers. Indian Government too provided its push by reducing the fuel prices, yet the customer sentiments weren’t affected. Only Maruti, Hyundai & Honda were able to post a positive Year-on-Year growth – not to forget the slew of launches these OEM’s had in past one year. However, the biggest beneficiary has been the Indian Consumer with many options in EVERY segment that one can think of; and that too with the ever-best offers! But, the question to ask is – in name of new launches, are the safety norms being neglected. NCAP has asked Datsun to withdraw GO from the Indian market and the all-time best selling hatchback Swift gets ZERO stars in the test? It is high time the safety standards are given its due recognition by both Consumers & Auto Manufacturers.

Maruti has some big launches with the new Alto K10 – the cheapest automatic. The Alto family combinedly does over 21k units and emerges as the top selling brand of Oct’14. Dzire proves again by posting ~18k units – the Indian’s love for compact sedans is undying and is working well for OEM’s with products in the range. Ciaz does a mind-boggling 6144 shipments and overtakes City easily. Does Maruti finally make its impact in the segment – the next 3 months would be crucial to understand the trend. The Hero for Maruti has been the Gypsy with over 1k offtake – a Government bulk order in the offering? The updated Swift was launched as well – but the NCAP tests related to the carline made more news.

October 2014 Sales Figures - Pan India

Hyundai makes the biggest leap with multiple performers in the fold now. Indian Market surprises us yet again – i20 clocking more numbers than the Grand i10? Yes, and that’s the uniqueness of our market – we would not shy away from paying more price if the car is found value-for-money. Eon does well by garnering ~7k units and also gain a YoY growth.

Tata has put everything now in terms of gaining lost ground – Zest still remains vital for the OEM’s existence. Yes, existence is a strong word – but that’s how the current condition is. The company is slowly monitoring Zest’s performance to launch the Bolt. The company’s effort to regain customer confidence is appreciable – and the coming month’s would help us understand the acceptance of the OEM’s efforts by the consumer.

The new Scorpio still lacks the punch and feel of the earlier generation – YoY numbers signify degrowth of 3%. But the new model has helped the Indian major retain its numbers for sure. Bolero yet again delivers with over 9k units and the XUV performs as well. The company is fighting hard for the 3^rd slot and does it with style with over 5k units ahead of Honda. Can it sustain? – Depends on Honda J

Honda yet again displays its inconsistency – 3.5k units for Amaze & 3k units for Mobilio is just not justifiable. It is high time the OEM rationalizes its manufacturing and marketing plan in such a fashion that it clocks the numbers CONSISTENTLY. Any form of leniency can be found negative for the Japanese manufacturer.               

A Look at the top 20 brands -