It isn’t surprising that eight out of the 10 best sellers during the month of September are hatchbacks. Maruti Suzuki's Swift emerged as the top seller, with 22,228 units sold. This marks an impressive 68 percent YoY growth for the all-new hatchback that had launched in February 2018, compared to 13,193 units for the second-gen model in September 2017. The Swift was also the third best-selling model in August.
However, Global NCAP's latest round of tests saw the new Swift get just a two-star rating in adult occupant protection and two stars for child occupant protection. Whether this rating will impact sales in India is still a question mark.
Once the undisputed king in terms of sales, the Alto is now in second place. While it is still the best-selling entry-level car, it seems to be losing its sheen. A total of 21,719 units were sold last month, a 9 percent YoY drop compared to the 23,830 units sold in September 2017.
Maruti Suzuki’s Dzire comes in at third with sales of 21,296 units, a 38 percent YoY drop compared to last year’s 34,305 units. The third-gen compact sedan had topped the best-sellers’ list last September.
The Baleno and the WagonR complete Maruti Suzuki's sweep of the top five. While Maruti’s premium hatchback sold 18,631 units in September (a 15 percent YoY growth compared to September 2017’s 16,238 units), the WagonR clocked sales of 13,252 units (a 10 percent YoY drop compared to September 2017’s 14,649 units) despite being a favourite among shared mobility service providers.
Meanwhile, Hyundai’s i20 and Grand i10 came in at sixth and seventh, respectively. The i20 moved up a rung over August with sales of 12,380 units, a 7 percent YoY growth (September 2017: 11,574 units). The Grand i10 however, dropped one place over the previous month. The smaller Hyundai model’s sales fell 20 percent YoY to 11,224 units (September 2017: 14,099 units).
Maruti Suzuki's Celerio, which recently saw a new avatar in the Celerio X, stands at eighth with sales of 9,208 units. It was the ninth best-seller in August, but with higher sales of 9,503 units.
The Honda Amaze, the only other sedan in the Top 10 list, is gaining traction. It sold 8,401 units in September, bagging ninth place, one rung lower than August when it sold 9,644 units.
Tata Motors' Tiago hatchback completes the Top 10 list. The hatchback sold 8,377 units, a marginal YoY growth compared to last September’s 8,316 units).