The sales chart for the month of March 2019 suggests that though SUVs are clearly in the vogue now, most of the longstanding Maruti top sellers resist the trend and are here to stay. The sub-4m sedan segment may have lost its shine but the Dzire has acquired such a cult status that it is hardly bothered by the sea of changes that are happening around it. The compact Maruti sedan which is currently in its third generation continues to be the country’s best selling car with a tally of 19,935 units last month. The Maruti Dzire looks set to retain its crown for several months to come.
Finishing second with 17,264 units on the board was the Maruti Baleno which accounted for nearly 65% of sales through Nexa outlets. The premium hatchback recently received a minor nip and tuck which helped it retain its segment leadership.
The venerable Maruti Alto has been a permanent member of the top 10 list for decades now but the small car is now relegated to third position (16,826 units), signalling that it is getting long in the tooth. In fact, the entire entry-level small car segment in India has been shrinking steadily and the previous financial year had two casualties in the form of Hyundai Eon and Tata Nano.
The fourth entry on the list is yet another regular customer. The newly updated Maruti WagonR is not far behind the Alto at 16,152 units. With a fresh design, better space and equipment, the new WagonR looks poised to outsell its smaller sibling in the coming months. The Maruti Swift found itself in fifth spot with sales of 14,218 units. The popular hatchback seems to have lost some ground to the growing SUV frenzy. Speaking of the frenzy, the Maruti Vitara Brezza managed to clock 14,181 units (only 37 units short of the Swift) to retain its title as the best selling SUV in India.
The Hyundai Elite i20 is the first non-Maruti product in the top 10 list for March 2019. With 12,172 units, the Korean hatchback is quite some distance away from its rival Baleno but has been posting consistent sales performance for years. The Maruti Celerio may not be the newest model in its segment but the small car with peppy petrol engine and AMT transmission has managed to keep the Tata Tiago and Hyundai Santro (not weak contenders by any means) at bay to seal eighth spot in the list at 11,807 units.
The Hyundai Creta continues to be a cash cow for the automaker with 11,448 units sold last month. The final spot goes to the utilitarian Eeco which found 9,893 takers. The fact that the list only features Maruti and Hyundai products shows us other automakers including the homegrown brands like Tata Motors and Mahindra have their work cut out.
