Maruti Suzuki has been offering big discounts to appease customers during this festive season and revive sales fortunes
In 2018, the car industry endured 8 per cent sales increase despite a rather volatile second half of the year with the festive season contributing to less than ideal volumes due to macroeconomic factors, floods, liquidity crunch, regulatory changes and fuel prices going through the roof. However, the domino effect is that sales in 2019 started alarmingly and hit rock bottom as months went by.
The combination of unfavourable factors and negative sentiments among customers have led to massive drop in sales figures this year in decades and several thousand lost their jobs and many dealerships closed were closed across the country. However, the Indian auto sector is as resilient as it can get currently and car brands are banking on the festive season rush to garner volumes by pouring in discounts in aplenty.
| Model | September 2018 Discounts | September 2019 Discounts |
| Alto | Rs. 55,000 | Rs. 60,000 |
| Alto K10 | Rs. 62,000 | Rs. 60,000 |
| Wagon-R | Rs. 70,000 | Rs. 20,000 (New Gen) |
| Celerio | Rs. 60,000 | Rs. 60,000 |
| Swift (P) | Rs. 47,000 | Rs. 45,000 |
| Swift (D) | Rs. 35,000 | Rs. 67,700 |
| Dzire (P) | Rs. 47,000 | Rs. 50,000 |
| Dzire (D) | Rs. 40,000 | Rs. 74,100 |
| Ertiga | Rs. 55,000 | Nil (New Gen) |
| Eeco | Rs. 30,000 | Rs. 45,000 |
| Vitara Brezza | No Offer | Rs. 91,200 |
| Ciaz | Rs. 10,000 Corporate Discount | Rs. 55,000 |
| Ignis | Rs.30,000 | Rs. 50,000 |
| S-cross | No Offer | Rs. 1,02,900 |
| Baleno | Rs. 22,000 | Rs. 52,400 |
The comparison of the discounts offered by the country’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, this month against September 2018 can give you how lucrative the deals actually are currently. Roughly, the Alto 800 was offered with up to Rs. 55,000 discount while the Alto K10 was sold with up to Rs. 62,000, Wagon R with Rs. 70,000 and Celerio with Rs. 60,000.
The slightly premium models like the Ignis was retailed with up to Rs. 30,000, Swift with Rs. 47,000, Baleno with Rs. 22,000, Ertiga with Rs. 55,000, Dzire with Rs. 47,000, and Ciaz with Rs. 10,000 – all the models listed without out their respective corporate discounts that may range up to Rs. 5,100. The S-Cross did not come under any discount scheme and the Vitara Brezza was offered with only dealer-level benefits in September 2018.
| Model | Septmeber 2018 Cash Discount + Exchange Bonus | September 2019 Cash Discount + Exchange Bonus |
| Maruti Suzuki Alto | Rs. 25000 + Rs. 30,000 | Rs. 40,000 + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 | Rs. 27,000 + Rs. 35,000 | Rs. 40,000 + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R | Rs. 35,000 + Rs. 35,000 | Rs. 20,000 (Exchange Bonus) |
| Maruti Suzuki Celerio | Rs. 30,000 + Rs. 30,000 | Rs. 40,000 + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Swift (P) | Rs. 27,000 + Rs. 20,000 | Rs. 25,000 + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Swift (D) | Rs. 10,000 + Rs. 25,000 | Rs. 30,000 + 5 Years Warranty + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Dzire (P) | Rs. 27,000 + RS. 20,000 | Rs. 30,000 + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Dzire (D) | Rs. 10,000 + Rs. 30,000 | Rs. 35,000 + 5 Years Warranty + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Ertiga | Rs. 20,000 + RS. 35,000 | Nil (New Gen) |
| Maruti Suzuki Eeco | Rs. 10,000 + Rs. 20,000 | Rs. 25,000 + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza | Dealer Level Offer | Rs. 50,000 + 5 Year Warranty + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Ciaz | Rs. 10,000 Corporate Discount | Rs. 25,000 + Rs. 30,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Ignis | Rs. 5,000 + Rs. 25,000 | Rs. 30,000 + Rs. 20,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki S-cross | No Offer | Rs. 50,000 + 5 Year Warranty + Rs. 30,000 |
| Maruti Suzuki Baleno | Up to Rs. 7,000 Corporate + Rs. 15,000 | Rs. 20,000 + 5 Years Warranty + Rs. 15,000 |
In stark contrast, the S-Cross and Vitara Brezza can be bought now with discounts of more than Rs. 1 lakh. The Ignis comes with up to Rs. 50,000 discounts while the Ciaz betters it by about Rs. 5,000 more. The Alto 800 features more than Rs. 60,000 discounts and the Eeco petrol gets up to Rs. 50,000 discounts and benefit schemes.
The highly popular Swift hatchback is sold with up to Rs. 77,000 discounts and benefits while the Dzire sedan can be had with up to Rs. 84,100 discounts this month. Since Maruti Suzuki will be discontinuing the majority of its diesel engines, 5-year extended warranty and higher benefits are also offered for them making this festive season highly attractive for the prospective buyers.