While its celebration time for some auto companies, the others need to gear up to stay into the competitve markets. When the top 10 best-selling car list of June was revealed, Hyundai Motor India Limited had a reason to celebrate. Its best-selling model Grand i10 emerged as the third best selling passenger car, challenging Maruti Suzuki's dominance in top four for the first time in several years.
The country’s largest carmaker’s production suffered last month due to a fire at one of its key suppliers’ manufacturing facilities, which had a direct impact on despatches. As a result, Maruti Suzuki reported its lowest monthly sales in two years and its top-selling models slipped down the list of Top 10 cars sold in the country in June. Interestingly, hatchbacks still dominated the list, while utility vehicles also managed to leave a mark.
According to the list compiled by ET Auto, Hyundai India sold 12,678 units of the Grand i10 in June, registering 40 percent growth over the same period last year. The Grand i10 overtook popular Maruti Suzuki models such as the WagonR and the Swift. The Alto remained the most sold car in the country with 15,750 units and managed to fend off competition despite a year-on-year dip in sales of 15%. The Alto’s grip on the entry level hatchback segment has been loosening due to the growing share of rivals such as the Renault Kwid. Another reason for its falling sales has been the general trend of more buyers opting for premium compact UVs and larger hatchbacks over entry-level cars in the recent past.
The Wagon R took the fourth spot on the list with sales of 11,962 units. As Renault expanded its footprint in the country, sales of the Kwid got a new boost and the car managed to re-enter the list at the fifth spot with 9,459 units in June. From the current network strength of more than 210 sales points, Renault aims to increase its reach to 270 facilities by the end of 2016.
The Swift took the next spot, as a sharp fall of over 47% limited despatches to just 9,033 units in June. The ageing hatchback has also seen some cannibalisation from the Baleno. From average monthly sales of close to 20,000 units just a year ago, the Swift’s sales average fewer than 15,000 units now.
Hyundai Motor India’s Elite i20 fell to the seventh spot with a dip of 17.1% to 8,990 units. However, it managed to beat its closest rival Baleno, which took the last spot on the list with sales of 6,967 units.
The Toyota Innova Crysta with 8,171 units was the most sold UV during the month and captured the eighth spot on the list. With strong demand and more than 20,000 bookings in hand, the Crysta’s sales are growing from strength to strength.
Additionally, with the likelihood of the diesel ban in Delhi-NCR coming to an end in the near future, the Crysta’s sales could get a further boost. To round off the representation of UVs in the list, Hyundai’s Creta took the penultimate spot with sales of 7,700 units. The Creta managed to edge past Maruti’s Vitara Brezza, which fell just short of the top 10 with sales of 6,673 units during the month.
While, None of the executive sedans could make it to the list as Ciaz and City both were out from the list this time. Interestingly Maruti's hatchback Ritz jumped into the list at 10th position, replacing Ciaz. Ritz's sales grew exponentially by 250 percent in June this year compared to previous year.
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Priyanka Goswami
