Maruti sales in August 2016 indicated 52.97 percent contribution from cars above the entry-level segments with total of 62,522 units
Maruti Suzuki continued its dominance in the Indian auto industry last month as well but the leading car maker’s statistics does give quite a lot of information when precisely analysed. The Indo-Japanese brand is widely known for its unassailable bragging rights in the entry-level segments as evident from Alto small hatchback leading the entire field every month.
The month of August 2016 was no different as the Alto 800 and K10’s combined sales figures nearly touched 21,000 mark with Swift Dzire, WagonR and Swift compact hatchback covering second to fourth. However, the comparative YoY sales numbers write a different script as all those four models are continuously being affected with drop in sales.
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For instance, the Alto had to endure 9 percent sales slump in comparison to August 2015 while Swift suffered the most with 23 percent decline despite notching 13,027 units of sales last month. Cumulatively, amidst the drop in top four cars’ sales, Maruti Suzuki managed a growth of 12 percent with 1,19,906 sold examples.
ENTRY-LEVEL SALES:
| Omni | 7,072 |
| Alto | 20,919 |
| Eeco | 5,759 |
| Wagon R | 14,571 |
| Celerio | 8,063 |
| Total | 56,384 |
This has become possible in recent months due to the shift in strategy towards making customers buy more premium cars in the volume segment. The Swift’s de-growth in sales is largely attributed with the rise of Vitara Brezza and Baleno. Therefore, until the new generation Swift expected to arrive sometime next year, Maruti would not lose customers anywhere but to its own cars in other segments.
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The popularity of Vitara Brezza and Baleno is complimented by the boost in sales numbers for Ertiga which registered highest growth of all Maruti products with 62 percent surge in August 2016. Additionally, the Ciaz sedan and S-Cross are doing their best to elevate the sales numbers of Maruti’s premium range.
B-SEGMENT AND ABOVE SALES:
| Vitara Brezza | 9,554 |
| Ertiga | 5,024 |
| Ritz | 3,038 |
| Swift | 13,027 |
| Baleno | 8,671 |
| Swift Dzire | 15,766 |
| S-Cross | 2,023 |
| Ciaz | 6,214 |
| Gypsy | 205 |
| Total | 63,522 |
Comparing the entry-level and upmarket vehicles within Maruti’s portfolio, the clearly emerged winner is the latter as they contributed for 52.97 percent of total sales with 63,522 units over 56,384 when Alto, WagonR, Celerio, Omni and Eeco were combined – snubbing the traditional calls that Maruti Suzuki is just a small car manufacturer.