Re: August 2016 : Indian Car Sales Figures & Analysis Good performance by Hyundai for the last month, Grand i10 is finally getting the numbers it deserved all along as no vehicle in that class can match it in terms of the all-roundedness - the service factor, reliability, refinement, space and value, it doesn't excel in any one department but it does come very close in all of them. Elite i20 and Creta despite the pricing have really taken off and that's an achievement very few can claim to have done in India. All that this company needs now is an Eon replacement - an all new model to erase the past and take the Alto and Kwid on in direct battle. Yes none of them cut it in terms of safety but if Hyundai is clever they'd make this future small hatch a segment leader in wheelbase, space, engine and safety.. this is the only way they can rack up another 10K+ in sales and compete in growth, the Elantra, Sonata and Tucson sure won't help that much. Sometimes though, seeing the recent introduction of engines + removal of useful features strategy, it seems they're taking 3 steps ahead and 2 backwards - this will hurt them big. Suzuki is on cruise control as usual.. they've set the speed and the company is reaching targets as planned and systematically. Wont change until more directly competing models for the Swift & Alto are introduced. Fiat is also in cruise control.. steadily moving at the slowest pace possible, but hey.. royalties, right? I'd have much more respect for the company had they chosen not to lease out their engines to other manufacturers and instead taken them head on in sales of their own models.. Punto and Linea are aged models, sure but in terms of safety or technology they're still ahead of every similarly priced brand today.
Ford is trying, but let me be frank here.. they never had an all-round affordable product for India, the first-gen Figo had poor engines and pathetic features but they were built strong and drove well, the current Figo-duo are the polar opposite and that too won't help their cause at all. Nissan maybe a somewhat good brand but they don't have much going on for them here.. be it styling, build, features or luxury they don't top in anything for the moment, given that their 2 best sellers the Micra and Sunny are often seen doing duty as Ola cabs, the Terrano while it maybe luxurious and well built is still a modified Renault product, nothing unique to Nissan themselves. I'm only talking of the current line-up on sale. The Evalia.. well not many (zero) want a perfect-quadrangle on wheels. Don't see any direct imports of the Teana either. Chevrolet Beat and Sail/U-Va are competent products in their own right and amongst peers.. however poor brand recognition, poor perception and lack of marketing/support by Chevy means that they'll sell that few hundreds a month combined. The Beat entry-variant makes for a much more sound buy compared to the Kwid or Celerio, its much more well constructed and drives superbly (HPS) but not many care about the details I suppose.
Volkswagen Polo and Ameo are officially the new twins on the block, and both will continue to eat into each other in different permutations as each month passes. Only hope Skoda doesn't come up with a badge re-engineered Ameo until they await the new Polo badge re-engineered Fabia :-P Honda for the 3rd or 4th time now is eating humble pie.. it would take great planning to take out the City which was a car that matched the expectations of every buyer who wanted an "upgrade" > space, snob value and well.. mileage. Maruti made the Ciaz just to kill the City and it worked wonders, its just as big or a bit bigger, has a smaller capacity engine for superb efficiency and a lighter body for the engine to lug. The discerning buyer might read this differently but for everyone else, the Ciaz is the IT car of today.
Last edited by dark.knight : 6th September 2016 at 22:01.
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