What Makes India's Best-Selling Cars Special
The fact that India is a very price sensitive market is no surprising revelation about our automobile space! Our market sentiments have always been like this, but, over the years, a customer's choice of features and expectations have evolved manifold! Now, this really pressurises manufacturers to offer the best possible features in the most value-for-money packaging. In this race, a few cars succeed, while others live under the shadow of the popular ones. Let us see some of India's best-selling cars and what makes them special. Time to roll!
Maruti Suzuki Alto
Average sales +20K monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 2.46 lakh (Alto 800)/ 3.27 lakh (Alto K10)
Ever since its launch in September of 2000, the Alto has been the defacto choice in the country's entry-level segment. It succeeded in shifting masses from the bare basic Maruti 800 to a relatively premium Alto, and the latter soon outsold the former.
To keep the momentum going, Maruti constantly updated the car and had also offered zippier models such as the Alto 1.1 and the previous Alto K10. The year 2012 saw the launch of the all-new Alto 800 (technically the spiritual successor of the Maruti 800), and subsequently in 2014, the automaker launched the all-new Alto K10. Last year, the Alto nameplate reached 30 million sales milestone.
What makes it special: What's special about the Alto, like the 800, is this nameplate's emotional connect with Indians. And that coupled with Maruti's unmatched after sales support have kept the Alto label sturdy all these years.
Maruti Suzuki DZire
Average Sales 15-20k monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 5.27 lakh
Despite competing in one of the most flooded segments in the country, the DZire has been the undisputed champion in the sub-4m sedan segment. Based on the ever popular Swift, the current DZire packs relatively better styling compared to the previous-gen model.
What makes it special: It offers almost everything one ‘DZires' from a sub-4m sedan, such as an automatic option with both petrol and diesel engines, goodies and Maruti's peace-of-mind ownership. Also, the upcoming all-new third-generation Swift DZire is expected to take this nameplate to new heights.
Maruti Suzuki Swift
Average Sales 10-15k monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 4.75 lakh
This nameplate acquainted Indian customers with the concept of premium hatchbacks. The B-segment wouldn't be like what it is right now, if it wasn't for the Maruti Suzuki Swift.
What makes it special: There's no denying that the Swift has always been one of the benchmarks when it comes to performance and features of the B-segment hatches. And with the all-new third-generation model's launch around the corner, like the DZire, the Swift nameplate is bound to reach new heights, considering the inclination of customers towards it.
Maruti Suzuki WagonR
Average Sales 10-15k monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 4.11 lakh
Introduced as a relatively premium offering to the Alto, this boxy little hatchback certainly ticks the right boxes since it proved to be a runaway success for the automaker. Unlike the initial version, the later ones were tailor made for the Indian market and with constant updates, the WagonR kept on going. Maruti even added a sportier variant, Stingray, and in its latest avatar, the WagonR offers goodies such as an AMT (automated-manual transmission), dual-front airbags, and others.
What makes it special: What's special about the WagonR is its tall boy design, which turned out to be a boon for city dwellers considering its extremely easy ingress and egress.
Hyundai Grand i10
Average Sales 10-15k monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 4.58 lakh
Ever since the introduction of this Maruti Swift rival, Hyundai has been giving sleepless nights to Maruti with the Grand i10. And with its latest 2017 facelift, Hyundai has considerably upped its game, courtesy a brand new diesel engine, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support and tonnes of other goodies.
What makes it special: What makes the Grand i10 special is its segment-defying features. Even when it was launched, it came with features such as a push-button start-stop, built-in memory audio system, reverse parking camera, and others. To put things into perspective, even the first-gen i10 was once offered with an optional sunroof for God's sake!
Hyundai Elite i20
Average Sales 8-12k monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 5.60 lakh
If Swift is responsible for creating the B-segment, the i20 is single-handedly responsible for establishing the B+ segment. Its popularity and acceptance in the Indian market even shocked Hyundai, which was not hoping for such outrageous sales. And certainly, the current-gen hatch has managed to pull customers to Hyundai showrooms solely by its sharp Euro looks.
What makes it special: What makes the Elite i20 special is the same formula that Hyundai has always been applying to its cars in India – loading to the brim with features. In fact, the previous-gen was so well loaded that it used to give several mid-sized sedans a run for their money!
Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Average Sales 8-12k monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 5.28 lakh
Maruti has certainly learned a thing or two from its arch rival, Hyundai, as the Baleno was the first car in many years that outnumbered a rival Hyundai – the Elite i20 – in terms of features. It has got everything and more than one could possibly expect from a premium hatchback. And this is certainly what worked in its favour along with its chic styling.
What makes it special: What's special about the Baleno is that it broke the premium-jinx of Maruti by becoming the most successful premium car offered by the automaker in India. Also, the Baleno has had a big hand in establishing Maruti's premium range of dealerships – Nexa – in the country.
Maruti Suzuki Celerio
Average Sales 8-10k monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 4.04 lakh
When it was launched, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio became the most economical automatic offering in the country with an optional AMT (automated-manual transmission) variant. The launch of the Celerio saw the discontinuation of the Zen Estilo and the A-Star. The Celerio is a spacious hatchback with a decent list of features along with Maruti's tried and tested 1.0-litre petrol motor.
What makes it special: The Celerio is considered special because it was first car in the country to features an AMT. It was the Celerio that started the AMT rage in the country and today, even a Rs 10 lakh-plus vehicle – the Renault Duster – comes with an AMT option.
Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
Average Sales 8-10k monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 7.26 lakh
It is Maruti's first attempt at the sub-4m SUV segment, which was ruled by the Ford EcoSport. And like most of its offering, the Vitara Brezza also proved to be a runaway success for the automaker. In fact, it had generated so much anticipation that it forced Ford to massively cut the prices of the EcoSport (by as much as over a lakh) post its launch.
What makes it special: What makes the Vitara Brezza special is its tried-and-tested 1.3-litre diesel, neutral styling and a long list of goodies; all of this at a competitive price point.
Renault Kwid
Average Sales 5-10k monthly
Price (ex-showroom, New Delhi): Rs 2.64 lakh/ Rs 3.88 lakh (1.0-litre)
The Kwid single-handedly made Renault a household name in the country. When the Kwid was launched in 2015, it was unequivocally the most anticipated launch in recent years. The market went into a frenzy for this car and its unbelievable pricing (September 2015: Rs 2.56 lakh) bewildered the buyers! Now, the automaker has also added a more powerful motor – the Kwid 1.0-litre – along with an AMT option which widens its appeal.
What makes it special: What makes the Kwid special is its SUV-ish styling, Renault understood the taste of Indian in cars with the success of the Duster (the country's first compact SUV) and applied the same formula with the Kwid. This, coupled with its unparalleled cabin and boot space, proved the Kwid to be a perfect option for many!
Raunak
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