The sales momentum for cars in the month of November’20 continued and we could see multiple OEMs posting healthy growths over their last year numbers. Let’s have a look at how each car segment performed to understand the main drivers of growth for the last month.
In terms of volume, it is the compact hatchback segment which is presently the largest in India. Last month too the segment recorded a 4% increase in overall numbers despite discontinuation of models like Bolt, Liva and Micra.
Other models like Hyundai Santro, Datsun Go and Ford Figo also recorded heavy degrowths but the overall segment managed to clock sales of around 3,000 additional cars (over last year). Main drivers of growth were models like Wagon R, Ignis, i10 Grand and Tiago.
The second largest segment in the country is that of Compact SUVs. Thanks to the addition of cars like Kia Sonet and Toyota Urban Cruiser, the segment recorded a commendable 41% growth in sales over November’19 numbers. The additional models also helped the segment to become the second largest category as earlier, the premium hatchback and mid-sized SUV segments would also compete for the second largest segment title.
The mid-sized SUV segment too recorded 10% growth in sales and the same can be attributed to the fantastic sales numbers raked in by the Creta. Improvement in sales for brands like Harrier and S-Cross also further helped the segment to compensate for the degrowth recorded in multiple other products like Kicks, Duster and Seltos.
Interestingly, the entry-level hatchback category which comprises of products like Alto, S-Presso, Datsun Redi-Go and Kwid recorded a degrowth of 10% over last year. The drop in sales numbers can be majorly attributed to the S-Presso which recorded a 37% degrowth. The slowdown in the segment showcases that Indian consumers are slowly upgrading in terms of their car choices.
The premium hatchback segment came in third in terms of sales and managed a good 15% rise in sales over last year. The introduction of Altroz and an almost consistent performance of cars like Baleno and i20 helped the segment clock healthy numbers.
In terms of growth percentage, it was the lifestyle off-roader category which recorded the highest growth last month. The segment saw a massive, 4923% growth in sales over last year. The numbers have been single-handedly driven by the second generation Thar which still holds a long waiting list.
November’20 was almost flat for the MUV segment with a 3% growth while the compact sedan segment continued to degrow by 8%. Vans as a segment is single-handedly dominated by the Maruti Eeco which grew by a healthy 10% over last year.
Executive sedan segment saw sales increase by 29% but these numbers are on relatively lower bases, due to the consistent degrowth of the segment over the years. Other segments which recorded degrowths include Premium SUV (-5%), Luxury Sedan (-6%) and Premium Sedan (-71%).