INDIA SALES: Top 10 Passenger Vehicles in October 2016

October 2016 saw the Indian passenger vehicle (PV) industry scale new heights as sales grew the fastest in 55 months to cross 280,000 units during the month.

Riding the festive season wave and the upbeat sentiment due to a better-than-expected monsoon this year, most PV manufacturers reported record despatches to meet growing demand.

The stronger festive demand has come on the back of the payouts of the Seventh Pay Commission, a marked improvement in consumer buying trends from rural India, following a good monsoon season, new models and a high level of discounting on older models.

Capitalising on the strong demand, the Maruti Suzuki juggernaut continued to surge forward by capturing the top four spots on the top 10 list in October.

While the small car market king, Alto, retained its No. 1 spot with sales of 18,854 units, the compact sedan Dzire (including the Tour edition) grabbed No. 2 position with sales of 17,682 units. Climbing up one spot from September, the Wagon R regained No. 3 position ahead of the Swift with sales of 15,075 units. The carmaker despatched 14,611 units of the hatchback during the month.

The country’s second largest carmaker Hyundai Motor India grabbed the next two spots with its hatchback duo of the Grand i10 (14,530 units) and the Elite i20 (11,532 units). The Grand i10 has been a favourite among the young first-time car buyers and with Hyundai sweetening the deal with healthy discounts on certain variants, the hatchback has seen steady demand over the last year. Its elder sibling, the Elite i20 also saw good demand and edged past the Maruti Baleno to grab the sixth spot, which came in next with 10,718 units. Both cars have been constantly battling it out for the title of the best premium hatchback in the country and with both manufacturers grappling with supply constraints, there is yet to be a clear winner in the segment so far.

With the RS variant, equipped with the 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine, coming to the Indian shores early next year and the Gujarat plant coming on stream, the Baleno could edge past its South Korean rival in the coming months. The Elite i20 could also get a facelift in 2017, though that might happen much later in the year.

Next in the list was another Maruti – the sub-four metre Vitara Brezza—which clocked sales of 10,056 units during the month. With Maruti juggling production to meet the strong demand for the compact SUV, despatches for the Vitara Brezza rose during October. As a result, the waiting period has also come down from nine months earlier to 4-6 months now.

Read more: Passenger vehicle sales in India hit 55-month high in October

The Renault Kwid with sales of 9,801 units took the penultimate spot on the list. The Kwid has proved to be a true game-changer for Renault in India and has redefined the small car segment with never-before- seen features and styling. Thanks to the Kwid’s roaring success, Renault looks set to cross the five percent market share in India within this year, a target the French carmaker had set itself to achieve in 2017. With continued demand, the Kwid also crossed the coveted 100,000 unit mark in the month and total sales stood at 107,033 units until October-end.

In a surprise re-entry, the Celerio took the last spot on the list with sales of 9,581 units. The entry-level hatchback made a comeback in the list after five months, as Maruti ramped up discounts on the model during the festive season. The car is currently being offered with benefits of up to Rs 55,000, which includes a cash discount and an exchange bonus.

Also read: Complete India Sales Analysis October 2016

Even as PV sales have enjoyed a good run so far this year, the recent move by prime minister Narendra Modi to demonetise currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 is likely to have an adverse impact on retail sales in the next few months. Among segments, utility vehicles, which have led growth so far for PVs, are likely to see a dip in demand in the coming months, as rural spending is likely to be curtailed due to a liquidity crunch. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association, the apex body of authorised automobile dealers, “The situation of retails is much more alarming than the dealer community could anticipate. The entire auto retail trade has come under severe stress.”

As a result of slowing retail sales, FADA has sought help from OEMs and has asked them to reduce inventory at the dealerships. This could have a direct impact on the despatches from manufacturers in the next few months and the overall sales could see a dip as well.

Related:

- Top 5 Utility Vehicles in October 2016

- Top 10 Two-wheelers in October 2016

- Top 10 Motorcycles in October 2016

- Top 10 Scooters in October 2016

- Top 10 Passenger Vehicles in September 2016