Even as overall domestic passenger vehicle sales remain affected due to the prolonged slowdown, there is no dearth in demand for some of the newly launched vehicles.
According to data released by carmakers, month-on-month sales of vehicles such as Kia Seltos SUV and MG Hector SUV saw significant rise in the festive month of October, while Maruti Suzuki’s small car S-presso helped the carmaker to post growth in monthly sales figures for the firm time this fiscal.
Korean manufacturer Kia Motors in October registered a month-on-month growth of 65.72 per cent and sold a whopping 12,800 models of Seltos. The carmaker is now the fifth largest brand in India in terms of sales volumes.
“Seltos has skyrocketed to the ranks of being one of the most demanded product in the segment with over 60,000 bookings till now. We are elated with such a strong response and this shows that our first product has not only addressed the unmet needs of the Indian customers but has also set a new benchmark in the Indian automobile industry,” said Manohar Bhat, VP and Head – Sales and Marketing, Kia Motors India.
While the slowdown has forced major manufactures to cut down their production days, new players, on the contrary, are ramping up their production to reduce the waiting period. “We have already commenced a second shift at our Anantapur facility to cater to the rising demand and ensure timely and seamless delivery of the Seltos to our valued customers,” Bhat said.
Similarly, MG Motor, which re-opened bookings for Hector on September 29, is starting second shift operations this month. The carmaker recently announced recording retail sales of 3,536 units of Hector in October. Its total booking by the end of last month had crossed 38,000 units.
Rakesh Sidana, Director – Sales, MG Motor India, said, “As we gradually ramp up our production, we aim to ensure the highest levels of customer satisfaction through timely vehicle deliveries.”
Experts have attributed aggressive pricing, connected features and buyers’ preference for SUVs over other vehicles for the ever-rising demand for newly launched utility vehicles. Maruti Suzuki’s new entry level segment car S-Presso, which by design looks like a mini SUV, has accumulated more than 20,000 bookings, averaging about 750-800 units per day.
The two launches, coupled with heavy festive buying helped Maruti’s overall volumes to go up by 5 per cent year on year (growth after six consecutive months of double-digit decline) to 153,435 units in October 2019. Its entry and compact hatchback car segment volumes increased by 6 per cent year on year led by launch of new S-Presso in October 2019.
The other vehicle which is immune to the slowdown is Hyundai Venue, which recently outperformed Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza to become India’s largest selling subcompact SUV. The carmaker had last month informed that booking for Venue has crossed the 75,000 units mark in a just 5 months.
Booking Numbers
Kia Seltos: 60,000
MG Hector: 38,000
Maruti Suzuki S-Presso: 20,000