Maruti cars sweep April’s Top 10 best-sellers list

Most Indian carmakers started the 2016-17 fiscal year on a strong note as passenger vehicle sales grew by 11% to 242,060 units in April 2016, largely due to strong demand for recently launched models and utility vehicles.

Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai Motor India and Mahindra & Mahindra, the top three players, reported strong double-digit growth in the month, leading the sales for the PV industry.

Among the top 10 PVs sold in April, seven were Maruti-branded vehicles, which helped the country’s largest carmaker maintain its dominance in the Indian market. The company currently has an overwhelming 48.35% share in the PV market and a 53% share in the passenger car market. Even as the share of premium vehicles like the Baleno hatchback and Vitara Brezza rose, the company’s mainstay – the compact car category – continued to dominate the Top 10 best-seller list.  

The Alto remained the most sold car in the month of April, albeit with a 23% dip from April 2015 at 16,583 units. However, April 2016 saw the comeback of the Swift at the second spot as it edged past its siblings, the Dzire and the Wagon R, with sales of 15,661 units. The Wagon R took the next spot with sales of 15,323 units.

The Maruti Dzire, the country’s most popular compact sedan, lost some ground and fell to the fourth spot (from second in March) with sales of 13,256 units. According to some Maruti dealers, the Dzire’s sales could have seen some cannibalisation due to the rising demand for the Vitara Brezza (7,832 units), as they fall in a similar price bracket.

Hyundai Motor India with its Elite i20 and Grand i10 hatchbacks captured the fifth and the sixth spots on the list. The Elite i20 outdid its sibling with sales of 11,147 units. The Elite i20 also beat its closest rival Baleno for yet another month. The company despatched 9,840 units (up 11.9%) of the Grand i10 in the month.

Renault India’s Kwid hatchback which took the seventh spot with sales of 9,795 units, continued to close the gap on the Alto. The car recently completed one year since its global reveal and also crossed the 50,000 units mark since sales commenced in September 2015.

The Baleno took the next spot on the list with sales of 9,562 units and made a comeback into the list after two months. The Baleno, which commands a waiting period of almost seven to nine months, has seen strong demand with domestic sales capped only due to production capacity constraints.  

The company completed its sweep with the Celerio (8,548 units) and Omni van (8,356 units) taking up the last two spots on the list. These seven best-selling Marutis account for 87,289 units in all, clearly showing the carmaker's unflinching grip on the Indian market. And the Vitara Brezza, Maruti's first ever compact SUV, which sold 7,832 units in only its second month of sales in April 2016 (it sold 5,563 units in March), threatens to enter the Top 10 list very soon.