The usual best selling car in India (Maruti Dzire) dropped to the tenth position
With the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, major businesses operating in India (including automobiles) are facing a huge amount of losses with each passing day. The Indian automotive industry is witnessing one of the biggest challenges in recent history as sales have virtually come to a halt ever since the Indian government has employed drastic measures to confine the outbreak. Meanwhile, many small-scale automotive firms and services are at the verge of being out of business even if matters attain normalcy.
Before India’s total lockdown protocol, OEMs and dealerships were struggling to sell their remaining BS4 stock before 1 April 2020. This deadline was recently extended but on a conditional basis. Now, let us take a look at the best selling cars of March 2020 just before the country went in a state of lockdown.
Maruti Suzuki’s Baleno premium hatchback came at the top with 11,406 units in March 2020 compared to 17,264 units back in March 2019. Maruti Alto faced a sales decline of 36% from 16,826 units last year to reach 10,829 units last month. The next two entrants on the list are also Maruti Suzuki products. Maruti WagonR touched 9,151 units (down by 43% from 16,152 units) while the Indian brand’s Swift hatchback came down from 14,218 units in March 2019 to 8,575 units this year (a difference of 40%).
Top 20 Cars Sold in India – March 2020
| No | Car | Mar-20 | Mar-19 | Diff | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maruti Baleno | 11,406 | 17,264 | -5,858 | -33.93 |
| 2 | Maruti Alto | 10,829 | 16,826 | -5,997 | -35.64 |
| 3 | Maruti WagonR | 9,151 | 16,152 | -7,001 | -43.34 |
| 4 | Maruti Swift | 8,575 | 14,218 | -5,643 | -39.69 |
| 5 | Kia Seltos | 7,466 | 0 | 7,466 | – |
| 6 | Hyundai Creta | 6,706 | 11,448 | -4,742 | -41.42 |
| 7 | Hyundai Venue | 6,127 | 0 | 6,127 | – |
| 8 | Maruti Eeco | 5,966 | 9,893 | -3,927 | -39.69 |
| 9 | Maruti Brezza | 5,513 | 14,181 | -8,668 | -61.12 |
| 10 | Maruti Dzire | 5,476 | 19,935 | -14,459 | -72.53 |
| 11 | Maruti Spresso | 5,159 | 0 | 5,159 | – |
| 12 | Hyundai Grand i10 | 4,293 | 7,225 | -2,932 | -40.58 |
| 13 | Maruti Celerio | 4,010 | 11,807 | -7,797 | -66.04 |
| 14 | Maruti Ertiga | 3,969 | 8,955 | -4,986 | -55.68 |
| 15 | Toyota Innova | 3,810 | 6,984 | -3,174 | -45.45 |
| 16 | Hyundai i20 | 3,455 | 12,172 | -8,717 | -71.62 |
| 17 | Honda Amaze | 2,744 | 7,419 | -4,675 | -63.01 |
| 18 | Tata Nexon | 2,646 | 5,616 | -2,970 | -52.88 |
| 19 | Hyundai Aura | 2,615 | 1,792 | 823 | 45.93 |
| 20 | Maruti XL6 | 2,221 | 0 | 2,221 | – |
| – | Total | 1,12,137 | 1,81,887 | -69,750 | -38.35 |
Kia Seltos achieved a rather impressive sales figure amidst these difficult times. The relatively-new compact crossover achieved 7,466 units in March 2020 and stood at the fifth position on the list. Hyundai Creta, which shares its platform with Kia Seltos, follows at 6,706 units in March 2020 as against 11,448 units in the same month, a year ago. This is a drop of 41%. Coming up next is another Hyundai product. The South Korean brand’s well-rounded Venue subcompact crossover garnered 6,127 units last month. It was not available in March 2019.
Maruti Suzuki’s Eeco van has been in the top ten ever since the brand discontinued the popular Omni microvan. It attained a sales figure of 5,966 units compared to 9,893 units back in March 2019; a drop of 40%. Maruti Brezza, which is not available in a diesel format anymore, fell by 61% in sales to reach 5,513 units last month in comparison to 14,181 units last year.
At the bottom of the list rests Maruti Suzuki’s Dzire compact sedan, a car which usually comes at the top of every sales chart. Last month, Maruti Suzuki sold 5,476 Dzire units compared to 19,935 units back in March 2019. This is a massive drop of 73%. In total, the top 10 best selling cars brought in a collective sales decline of 36%.
