Figo Aspire helps Ford India enter Top 10 Club in August

Maruti Suzuki India tightened its stranglehold on the list of best-selling cars in the country, by claiming 5 out of top 10 spots in August. The Alto hatchback continued its dominance as the single most sold car with sales of 23,017 units in the month and was No. 1.  Three of its siblings – the Swift, Dzire and Wagon R – follow with sales of 16,811, 15,546 and 14,648 units respectively.

These four models together comprise 70,022 units, helping Maruti Suzuki cement its top carmaker spot in the country. The Celerio also features in the Top 10 list with 7,927 units. The carmaker sold a total of 106,781 units in the domestic market last month, notching growth of 8.62 percent and accounting for an overwhelming 44.62 percent of the total 222,476 passenger vehicles sold in India in August 2015.

Meanwhile, Ford India broke into the Top 10 list with the launch of its compact sedan Figo Aspire last month. The company sold 5,176 units of the car and claimed the last spot on the list in August. The company’s first new model launch after a span of more than two years is vital for its focus on the growing Indian market as, according to Nigel Harris, president and MD of Ford India, by 2020 the country would be the third largest automotive market in the world.

Maintaining their No 5 and No 6 positions in the list are Hyundai Motor India’s Elite i20 and Grand i10. The Elite i20, with a new anniversary edition that boasts of a new infotainment system with touch- screen, continued to be the country’s most sold premium hatchback with sales of 10,662 units. The company’s strategy of providing handsome discounts and exchange offers benefitted the Grand i10, which recorded sales of 10,255 units in the month.

Honda Cars India has two representatives in the list in the form of the Jazz, and the mid-size sedan City. While the City reclaimed its title as the most sold Honda car in August with sales of 5,405 units, it was a close battle with the Jazz having sold 5,404 units. However, it is interesting to note that the Jazz’s sales dipped significantly compared to July when it sold 6676 units.

Also, Honda’s Amaze, which was a regular feature in the Top 10 list until last month, was left behind in August as sales slowed significantly to just 3,260 units. The company is facing a capacity crunch at both its manufacturing facilities at Tapukara in Rajasthan and Greater Noida. Both factories, which are currently running two shifts, have reached 100 percent capacity.  To manage the surge of demand for the new Jazz, Honda Cars India has begun juggling production at both its Greater Noida and Tapukara facilities. The juggling of production of the Amaze, to boost the production of the Jazz could be one of the reasons for the dip in its sales.

With the passenger car segment growth slowing to 6.06 percent in August (17.47% in July), the industry does not seem to have gotten out of the woods just yet. However, with the start of the festive season this month and hopes of a rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India in the next policy could act as a much- needed catalyst to spur growth in the coming months.

Also read:

- Top 10 Two-Wheelers sold in August 2015

- INDIA SALES ANALYSIS - AUGUST 2015