Maruti Suzuki Dzire continued to lead the segment ahead of Honda Amaze but endured YoY sales drop of 39 per cent
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) registered 17 per cent YoY de-growth and 8 per cent MoM decline in sales in June 2019. Within the domestic portfolio, only Alto, Ciaz, Eeco and Ertiga posted positive sales as the largest carmaker in the country couldn’t get away from the overall industry sales slump.
The Dzire has been dominating the sub-four-metre sedan segment for long and it was no different last month. With 14,868 units, the Dzire recorded a massive 39 per cent sales slump, as 24,465 units were retailed during the same month in 2018. The sedan was the third most sold model in India.
However, among the top ten most sold cars, it had the highest de-growth showing the segment’s nature of the slow down in sales. The second generation Amaze introduced in May 2018 could not have entered the market more timely as it helped Honda to register good sales volume in the last financial year.
In FY2018-19, almost half of Honda’s total volume came courtesy of the subcompact sedan. Since the latest model’s arrival, the Amaze holds on to the second position in the segment. As has been the case previously, the Amaze ended up second last month with 5,306 unit sales and saw a YoY drop of 41 per cent with 12 per cent MoM decline.
Comparatively, the Japanese manufacturer retailed 9,103 units in June 2018 when its streak of finishing close to 9,000 or more units began last year for four consecutive months. In June 2019, Maruti Suzuki launched the BSVI compliant Dzire with price increase of up to Rs. 15,000 – as the upgraded 1.2-litre K-series’ presence was expanded into the Baleno, Wagon R and Swift.
The Amaze, on the other hand, continues to be powered by the BSIV petrol and diesel engines and it will gain BSVI standards eventually before the March 31, 2020 deadline. To celebrate the second-gen Amaze achieving one lakh unit sales in just 13 months, Honda launched the Ace special edition with sporty cosmetic updates last month.