In June 2020, the Indian automotive market sold 39,314 small or regular hatchbacks compared to 75,470 units back in June 2019
The Indian automotive market is making a slow recovery from COVID-19 pandemic as plants, dealerships and service outlets in ‘orange’ and ‘green’ zones have opened for business. However, sales remain substantially lower than usual or pre-COVID trends.
Major OEMs have introduced online sales platforms to continue business amidst these challenging times. The ‘virtual showrooms’ offer more than the convenience to purchase a new vehicle over the internet. Customers can opt for a test drive or take delivery of a product at their doorsteps in a safe and sanitised environment. Certain brands’ online suites also feature a virtual assistant to help users complete the buying process in a short time.
Thanks to all these measures, sales charts are gradually picking up even though it is a long way to attain normalcy. If we look at the sales of small or regular hatchbacks in June 2020, only 39,314 units were sold as against 75,470 units in the same month, a year before. This translates to a sales decline of 47.91%.
Small Hatchback Sales – June 2020
| No | Model | Jun-20 | Jun-19 | Diff | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maruti Alto | 7,298 | 18,733 | -11,435 | -61.04% |
| 2 | Maruti WagonR | 6,972 | 10,228 | -3,256 | -31.83% |
| 3 | Maruti Celerio | 4,145 | 4,871 | -726 | -14.90% |
| 4 | Tata Tiago | 4,069 | 5,537 | -1,468 | -26.51% |
| 5 | Maruti Swift | 4,013 | 16,330 | -12,317 | -75.43% |
| 6 | Hyundai i10 Grand | 3,593 | 6,907 | -3,314 | -47.98% |
| 7 | Maruti S-Presso | 3,160 | – | – | – |
| 8 | Renault Kwid | 2,441 | 4,360 | -1,919 | -44.01% |
| 9 | Hyundai Santro | 1,513 | 4,141 | -2,628 | -63.46% |
| 10 | Maruti Ignis | 1,432 | 2,911 | -1,479 | -50.81% |
| 11 | Datsun redi-GO | 404 | 720 | -316 | -43.89% |
| 12 | Ford Figo | 174 | 308 | -134 | -43.51% |
| 13 | Datsun GO | 51 | 188 | -137 | -72.87% |
| 14 | Mahindra KUV100 | 49 | 236 | -187 | -79.24% |
| – | Total | 39,314 | 75,470 | -36,156 | -47.91% |
Maruti Alto tops the list at 7,298 units compared to 18,733 units in June 2019. Following it is Maruti WagonR at a sales drop of 31.83% to reach 6,972 units. Maruti Celerio faced the least fall (-14.90%) and sold 4,145 units last month in comparison to 4,871 units last year. Tata Tiago and Maruti Swift achieved 4,069 units and 4,013 units in June 2020, respectively. In the process, Tiago faced a decline of 26.51% while Swift saw the figure rise to 75.43% (steepest decline on the list).
Hyundai i10 Grand hit 3,593 units in June 2020 and met with a sales drop of almost 48%. Maruti S-Presso, on the other hand, sold 3,160 units with no previous data to compare with. Renault Kwid garnered 2,441 units in sales. Rate of decline stood a tad over 44%.
At 1,513 units and 1,432 units respectively, Hyundai Santro and Maruti Ignis are the last products on the chart to collect four-digit sales figures. The hatchbacks were burdened with a respective sales fall of 63.46% and 50.81%. Datsun redi-GO returned 404 units to its parent company Nissan India. Sales fell by 43.89%.
Ford Figo achieved 174 units compared to a significantly better 308 units back in June 2019. Datsun GO collected only 51 units in June 2020 in place of 188 units last year; a decline of almost 73%. Finally on the list comes Mahindra KUV100. Even though it is marketed as a ‘mini SUV’, KUV100 is still a regular FWD hatchback. Mahindra could sell only 49 KUV100 units in June 2020 as against 236 units in June 2019 (down by over 79%).
