The Maruti Suzuki Baleno continues to remain the best-selling premium hatchback in the Indian market month in, month out
The premium hatchback segment is one of the most popular passenger vehicle spaces in the country, but just like any other segment, lost its pace in recent times due to the unfavourable economic conditions. However, the segment is quickly regaining momentum, which is evident by the fact that it recorded a 1 per cent year-on-year growth in sales in the month of July 2020, as compared to the same month last year.
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno regained its position as the highest-selling premium hatchback in the country last month, since the Japanese manufacturer managed to sell 11,575 units of the car. The Baleno was the only car on this list to record a positive year-on-year growth in terms of sales in July 2020, since Maruti had sold 10,482 units of the hatch in July 2019, 10 per cent less than the same month this year.
The Hyundai i20 Elite came in at second with 6,344 units sold in July 2020, 2,668 or 10 per cent down from the 9,012 units sold in the same month last year. It should be noted that Hyundai will soon be launching the new-gen i20 in the Indian market, and its YoY degrowth is possibly because of the same reason.
| Models (+/-%) | July 2020 Sales | July 2019 Sales |
| Maruti Suzuki Baleno (+10%) | 11,575 | 10,482 |
| Hyundai i20 (-30%) | 6,344 | 9,012 |
| Tata Altroz | 3,636 | – |
| Toyota Glanza (-27%) | 1,323 | 1,804 |
| Volkswagen Polo (-28%) | 1,146 | 1,600 |
| Ford Freestyle (-16%) | 464 | 550 |
| Honda Jazz (-100%) | – | 719 |
Launched in January 2020, the Altroz has performed fairly well, with Tata selling 3,636 units of the premium hatch last month, securing the third position in this list. On the other hand, the Toyota Glanza and Volkswagen Polo recorded a 27 per cent and a 28 per cent year-on-year degrowth in terms of sales respectively.
Toyota sold 1,323 units of Glanza, while Volkswagen sold 1,146 units of Polo in July 2020, down from 1,804 and 1,600 units sold in July 2019 respectively. These two were followed by the Ford Freestyle, 464 units of which were sold last month. This means that the car registered a negative growth of 16 per cent as Ford sold 550 units of the Freestyle in July last year.
Honda is yet to launch the BS6-compliant version of the Jazz, and hence, the hatch takes the last position in this list. However, it should be noted that the Japanese manufacturer shipped 719 units of the premium hatch to buyers in the country in the month of July 2019.