Maruti Suzuki Dzire was the most sold model in the compact sedan segment ahead of Hyundai Xcent/Aura and Honda Amaze
The Dzire continued to be the most popular compact sedan in the month of May 2020. The success of the Maruti Suzuki sedan laid down a strong foundation in the segment but none could replicate similar sales numbers over the years and it may be difficult in the future too considering the declining in popularity among customers.
In recent times, new buyers have opted to purchase compact SUVs instead and the same trend could also be seen on the mid-size space, where the SUV sales dominate that of the C-segment sedans. Last month, the Indo-Japanese manufacturer registered a total of 2,215 units as against 16,196 units with 86 per cent volume de-growth.
The Year-on-Year sales drop could be witnessed throughout the segment as last month saw the resumption in production operations and the dealerships were reopened, following nearly a couple of months of nationwide shutdown. The Xcent and Aura combined to record 349 cumulative unit sales in May 2020 as against 1,694 units during the same period in 2019.
| Model | May 2020 Sales | May 2019 Sales | Growth |
| 1. Maruti Dzire | 2,215 | 16,196 | -86% |
| 2. Hyundai Xcent/Aura | 349 | 1,694 | -79% |
| 3. Honda Amaze | 140 | 6,000 | -98% |
| 4. Tata Tigor | 132 | 306 | -57% |
| 5. Ford Aspire | 44 | 761 | -94% |
| 6. VW Ameo | 0 | 535 | – |
| 7. Tata Zest | 0 | 300 | – |
This led to Year-on-Year sales drop of 79 per cent. The Amaze posted a total of 140 unit sales last month as against 6,000 units during the same period in 2019 with a massive decline of 98 per cent. The Tigor gained a facelift earlier this year along with its Tiago and Nexon siblings, as updated cosmetics and additional features were part of the package.
It recorded 132 units last month as against 306 units during the same period twelve months ago with YoY negative sales growth of 57 per cent. The Aspire garnered only 44 units in May 2020 as against 761 units with YoY drop of 94 per cent. The sales fortunes are expected to increase in the coming months as the automotive industry is getting back to normalcy.
Automobile manufacturers are offering attractive finance schemes, easy buying options and discounts across their fleets to lure in new customers and it will be interesting to see where the sales numbers of the compact sedan segment stand by the end of this year.