Honda Jazz was the least-selling premium hatch with just 586 units dispatched to dealerships across the country
Premium hatchbacks still remain a desirable segment of passenger vehicles in India. Though the number of offerings in this category has reduced in recent years, it gathers a lot of attention from Indian consumers who seek a small car with premium features and design.
Beleno, Altroz Post Excellent Figures
A total of 32,985 cars from this space were sold in July this year. The highest number of sales was accounted for by Maruti Suzuki Baleno which has been the perennial best seller in this segment. The Indo-Japanese carmaker dispatched 14,729 units of Baleno to dealerships last month. Baleno accounted for 44.65 percent of market share in this space.
It was followed by Tata Altroz with 6,900 units sold in July this year. The premium hatch from the homegrown manufacturer was launched in January last year and has been steadily creeping upwards in the sales chart. Earlier this year, the company introduced a more spirited Altroz iTurbo with a turbocharged petrol engine which has helped empower its sales figures in recent months.
i20, Polo doing decently good
Hyundai i20 is the latest entrant in this segment after it received a generation upgrade late last year. The premium hatch from the South Korean auto giant witnessed a sales figure of 6,518 units last month and occupied the third spot. While i20 has always been one of the most popular premium hatches in India, the new-gen model has received a sizable price hike over its predecessor.
The fourth spot is taken by Baleno’s rebadged twin- Toyota Glanza with a total monthly sales of 2,636 units last month. Glanza is one of the few mass volume products of Toyota which has helped the Japanese carmaker survive the stiff Indian market.
Glanza is followed by the best-selling Volkswagen and definitely the sportiest car in this space- Polo. The hatchback witnessed a sales volume of 1,616 units in July this year.
Polo, Jazz Lag Behind
Polo still remains one of the most fun-to-drive cars in India with its peppy 1.0-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine coupled with superb handling and dynamics. However, its sales have taken a serious hit because the model is nearly a decade old without any updates. Hence, Polo feels outdated in comparison to its peers, especially considering the premium price it commands over its rivals.
Last on the list was Honda Jazz with a total monthly sales of 586 units. Honda has been seriously struggling in the Indian passenger vehicle market for some time now, especially since BS6 standards kicked in April last year. This led to Honda shutting down its plant in Noida which locally-assembled CKD models such as Civic and CR-V thus effectively discontinuing them from its India lineup.
