Cars in demand: Maruti Dzire, Honda Amaze top segment sales in Oct 2018

-Entire segment as a whole was negatively impacted by market conditions

-Dzire still leads the segment by a huge margin over the Amaze

-Tigor and Aspire are the only models to see growth thanks to the launch of their facelifted models

The sales report for the month of October 2018 is out with some predictable results in the sub-compact sedan segment. This month saw all of the top manufacturers’ sales figures drop probably due to various market conditions. Only the Tata Tigor and Ford Aspire saw a significant month-on-month growth thanks to the launch of their facelifted models. The Maruti Dzire stays strong with more than 50 per cent of the market share as usual.

Here’s how each car in the sub-compact sedan category fared on the sales charts in October:

Sub-compact sedans
	October 2018	September 2018	MoM Growth (%)	Market share current (%)	Market share (% last year)	YoY mkt share (%)	Average sales (6 months)
Maruti Suzuki Dzire	17,404	21,296	-18.27	52.17	62.13	-9.96	22,528
Honda Amaze	5,542	8,401	-34.03	16.61	5.56	11.05	8,777
Hyundai Xcent	3,143	4,105	-23.43	9.42	10.52	-1.1	4,036
Tata Tigor	2,927	1,843	58.81	8.77	5.86	2.91	2,405
Volkswagen Ameo	923	1034	-10.73	2.76	3.69	-0.93	796
Tata Zest	896	1722	-47.96	2.68	5.64	-2.96	1,102
Ford Aspire	2,520	1,640	53.65	7.55	6.57	0.98	1,267
Total	33,355	40,041	-16.69

Takeaways

1. All models except the Tigor and the Aspire saw negative growth in October despite the festive season. The Honda Amaze took a big hit selling 2859 units less than in September, while the Maruti Dzire sold 3892 units less in the same period. However, in terms of month-on-month analysis, the Amaze equals to -34.03 per cent as compared to Dzire’s -18.27 per cent. The entire segment saw a negative month-on-month growth of -16.69 per cent.

2. Unstoppable Dzire: The demand for the Maruti Dzire was three-times higher than the next highest selling car. This dominance is likely to remain unchallenged. However, the facelifted Ford Aspire and Tata Tigor could together take away enough market share to bring the Dzire’s share below 50 per cent.

3. Aspire and Tigor on the way up: The only cars that recorded a positive month-on-month growth in October - 53.65 per cent for the Ford Aspire and 58.81 per cent for the Tata Tigor. The growing demand for the Ford could bring down the Hyundai Xcent from the third spot in the coming months.

4. Comfy second for Amaze: In its second-gen avatar, the Honda Amaze is still enjoying a strong demand in the sub-compact sedan segment and commands 16.61 per cent of the market share. The third spot competitors are still struggling to get even 10 per cent of the market share, which leaves the Amaze in a comfortable second spot below the Dzire.

5. Tailenders: As usual, the Volkswagen Ameo recorded poor sales figures as compared to the rest of the segment. However, it is the model that saw the least month-on-month negative growth of -10.73 per cent selling 923 units in October as compared to 1034 units in September. The Tata Zest lost the most that month with a negative month-on-month sales of -47.96 per cent, selling 896 units instead of 1722 units the month before.

The rest of 2018 will be recovery period for most manufacturers as the sales figures return to September numbers. We expect the Diwali sales in November along with the fuel prices lowering to more acceptable rates once again to improve sales.

Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho.