Gone are the days when one wished for it to rain money, milk or even gold. We live in the age of wanting it to rain petrol. The Indian passenger has been cursed with the fate of never having an answer to the conundrum of his one major problem: the conundrum of petrol prices. The situation is comic, really. One might just have to spend more on the petrol than on an EMI to a Tata Nano car.
Recently however, the skies have turned in favor of the Indian Passenger in the form of reduced fuel prices this year. However, even this happiness was short-lived after yet another big thunder blow in the form of increase in the prices of automobiles in 2015. A plethora of mixed emotions and dynamics indeed.
The sale of cars has seen a ballooning growth of 3% with over 169,300 units sold. The Second largest segment, comprising of SUV's and MUV's has sold 48,681 units marking a significant 6% growth. In Contrast, the sale of Vans has registered a decline of 7%.
Maruti Suzuki registered a sale of 89,014 units in the first month of the year 2015 with a difference of more than 6,000 units in comparison with January 2014. In recent times, it has been observed that the customers of Maruti have shifted their interests towards the higher end models of cars as compared to basic models like the Alto.
Hyundai, the second largest car manufacture, sold over 34,643 units, slightly higher than the previous year of the same month. As sponsors of the ICC World cup, this facilitated the company to push up further along the ladder and increase their sales. This met with a growth in sales and is predicted to register an even escalated increase in Feb and March, 2015.
Honda has also had a few positives to brag about. It's performance, coupled with limited models aided their growth. They also saw mushrooming growth with their flagship products, Honda City and Honda Amaze. Honda has reflected a sale of 15,331 units in January,2015 compared to the 14,597 units they sold in January,2014.
The launching of it's new Tata Zest in August,2014 resulted in the upsurge of Tata Sales. Sales are predicted to step-up after the launching of it's multi drive car, Tata Bolt. The multi-drive feature this car incorporates provides excellent mileage, also keeping in mind the speed of the vehicle. Tata Motors has sold 11, 637 units and manages a consistent position of Number 4 in the Indian car market.
The picture is not painted as pretty with German car Manufacturer, Volkswagen. Sales have been flat and dry and they have scraped a sale of 3,734 units this month. Revival techniques and new strategies could be devised to bring this company back into the market, and earn it's place in the fierce car competition.
American car manufacturers General Motors and Ford have also lodged a dwindle in their sales. Announced as the best car manufacturer in USA, General Motors and Ford have sold 2,605 units and 2,357 units respectively in January, 2015 in India.
Inspite of it's glamorous commercial advertisements proudly exhibiting their new model, Nissan Terreno SUV, Nissan has also seen a repudiation of sales since the beginning of 2015.
Skoda, Fiat, Mahindra & Mahindra and Renault have sold 1,291, 635, 254 and 115 units respectively this year.
In conclusion, it can be seen that the leader of the markets in the car segment is, without doubt, Maruti Suzuki with a market share of 52%. Maruti has also seen a substantial increase in car sales this year, 2% more than the last year of the same month.
Hyundai market share is almost flat with 21% ,though Honda lost its market share from 9.5 to 9.1% in just one rolling year.
Tata Motors has also noted an inflation in its market share from 4.9% to 6.5%. Toyota on the other hand, has a slightly notable increase in it's share of the market.
General Motors are also optimistic, patiently waiting for their turn of good weather in sales and market share for the past couple of months, in contrast to their presently withering sales.
Market share of Nissan, Renault, Fiat, Ford and Mahindra & Mahindra has also slumped over the past few months.
The frontrunner of SUV and MUV sales is clearly Mahindra & Mahindra, backed up by it's strong product portfolio and splendid performance. They have sold 18,550 units this month.
Toyota is also another aggressive competitor in this segment. Their introduction of upgraded SUV and MUV products, namely, Toyota Fortuner and Toyota Innova have greatly aided the increase in their presence in this segment.
The frontrunner of SUV and MUV sales is clearly Mahindra & Mahindra, backed up by it's strong product portfolio and splendid performance. They have sold 18,550 units this month.
Toyota is also another aggressive competitor in this segment. Their introduction of upgraded SUV and MUV products, namely, Toyota Fortuner and Toyota Innova have greatly aided the increase in their presence in this segment.
Mahindra & Mahindra and Toyota both have a strong hold over this segment.
Bolero, Scorpio, Innova and Fortuner are flagship models in this category. Maruti Ertiga has created another segment which has overlapping features of the Innova and Bolero. Renault Duster with it's exclusive features is attracting attention among the markets, including its USP and On road price.
The pioneers of this segment of the market include M&M, Toyota and Maruti. M&M with a market share of 38%, Toyota with another 14% and Maruti showcasing a bold 13%. Ford which is categorized mainly by the SUV segment holds a strong 8.8%, French maker Renault boasts a 6.3% and Honda controls 6.2% after adding Mobilio in its portfolio.
Nissan market sustains a share of 4.9% with its major product Nissan Terrano, General Motors bears 3.7%, Tata maintains a flat 2.8%, Fiat with a minimal .5%, Force Motors with another .5% and Hyundai has maintained a subtle .3% in the SUV and MUV Indian market.
Indian Van market is clearly dictated by Maruti Suzuki by selling 10,113 units more than the previous year of the same month.
“Are you going to make your money back in saved fuel? And the answer to the question is determined by how much you drive and the price of gas.” – Jim Kliesch
Source: Autobei,SIAM
ALso Read Indian Car Market Short Analysis 2014
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Indian Passenger Vehicle Competitor Analysis 2015 (Table of Content availlable on request)
Indian Car Market Analysis and Outlook 2018
Indian Automotive Year Book 2015
