November 2019 turned out to be a pretty tough month for Honda Cars India as car demand saw a decline of over 50%
With the Indian car market going through its worst-ever slowdown this decade, the sales performance of most carmakers has been, at best, below ordinary. In fact, the condition is so bad that various carmakers reported marginal growth even during this year’s festive season.
November 2019 has been even harsher, with the higher demand for new cars frizzling out as we approach the new year. Honda Cars India Ltd, for instance, reported a sharp decline in sales on YoY basis for all its models, including the Amaze, City, WR-V, Civic, Jazz, BR-V and CR-V.
The Honda Amaze and City experienced a huge de-growth last month. While sales of the Amaze fell by 32 per cent, City saw a massive decline of 58 per cent. Compared to the 3,286 units of Amaze that were sold last month, the carmaker had sold 4,854 units in the corresponding month last year. On the other hand, City’s demand fell from 3,531 units in November 2018 to just 1,500 units last month.
| Model (+/-%) | November 2019 Sales | November 2018 Sales |
| Honda Amaze (-32%) | 3,286 | 4854 |
| Honda City (-58%) | 1,500 | 3,531 |
| Honda WR-V (-74%) | 721 | 2,786 |
| Honda Civic | 375 | New Launch |
| Honda Jazz (-76%) | 341 | 1,427 |
| Honda BR-V (-48%) | 151 | 292 |
| Honda CR-V (-20%) | 85 | 106 |
Even Honda Jazz and WR-V, which is its cross-hatch sibling, saw a massive decline in their demand. The WR-V sold just 721 units last month, which is a massive 74 per cent drop from 2,786 units sold in November 2018. Jazz, on the other hand, reported a 76 per cent decline from 1,427 units in November 2018 to just 341 units last month.
The Honda Civic, however, is the only car in the company’s stable that has been reporting decent sales. It found 375 buyers last month, which, while not being a great number, is definitely a healthy figure for a D1-segment sedan.
Finally, both the SUVs in the carmaker’s lineup, have also reported a huge decline in their respective popularity. Demand for the BR-V fell by 48 per cent from 292 units in November 2018 to just 151 units last month. The CR-V, which had 106 takers in November 2018, recorded a 20 per cent de-growth as it could find only 85 buyers last month.