The government is working on a recall policy.
With Nexa, the value-for-money mass-market car maker hopes to attract premium buyers. Sangeeta Tanwar reports.
Compact sedans (Maruti Dzire, Hyundai Aura, Tata Tigor)' share in the overall sedan category grew from 68% in 2021 to 74.6% in 2024. Mid-sedans' (Honda City, Maruti Ciaz, Volkswagen Virtus) share declined from 26.2% in 2021 to 20.2%.
The country's biggest carmaker is now more valuable than the combined market cap of the three leading automobile companies in the country: Tata Motors (Rs 1,18,684 crore), M&M (Rs 86,336 crore) and Ashok Leyland (Rs 34,700 crore).
Popular new models like Maruti Ciaz and Hyundai Elite i20 are reported to get dearer in a few days time.
With multiple options in the compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) and compact sedan space, the mid-size sedan seems to be losing its charm among customers.
The company had sold 1,58,076 units in March last year, Maruti Suzuki India said in a statement. Domestic sales declined by 46.4 per cent at 79,080 units last month as against 1,47,613 units in March 2019, it added.
The carmaker has managed to significantly improve its product mix in the past two-three years by successfully launching sedans, utility vehicles and premium hatchbacks.
Known for its fuel efficient vehicles, car market leader Maruti Suzuki India is pushing it further to enhance mileage of its refreshed models.
Maruti is expected to post double-digit growth on product launches and good demand for entry-level cars.
Maruti Suzuki had discontinued the mid-sized sedan Baleno in 2006, which was replaced by SX4 later on.
Sales of mini cars comprising Alto and WagonR were at 11,577 units as compared to 37,710 units in July last year, down 69.3 per cent.
The company had sold 50 units of SX4 sedan in August 2014.
The company had launched the Yaris in May 2018 at a price range of Rs 8.75 lakh and Rs 14.07 lakh (ex-showroom), competing with the likes of Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. However, it didn't have a robust response in the market, clocking a cumulative wholesales of around 19,800 units.
The country's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Friday reported a 4.5 per cent increase in total sales at 1,53,435 units in October.
At a time when consumers increasingly embrace green mobility solutions, it is not electric cars but hybrids that are taking the lead, as automotive sales data indicate. Since January, 64,097 electric cars have been sold compared to 266,465 hybrids, according to data from the ministry of road transport and highways' Vahan dashboard. Hybrid car sales have surged from 4.42 per cent of the 4.1 million cars sold in calendar year 2022 to 7.2 per cent this year.
FY16 saw the highest number of new product launches in a year from Maruti
At a time when consumers increasingly embrace green mobility solutions, it is not electric cars but hybrids that are taking the lead, as automotive sales data indicate. Since January, 64,097 electric cars have been sold compared to 266,465 hybrids, according to data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' Vahan dashboard. Hybrid car sales have surged from 4.42 per cent of the 4.1 million cars sold in calendar year 2022 to 7.2 per cent this year.
Auto maker is giving extra accessories in the existing model.
Maruti is now at a market share of 50.4%, up from 47.3% last year. In China, the world's biggest market, Volkswagen is the largest, with a share of 17%. In America, the second biggest, GM is leader with 18%. One exception is South Korea, where Hyundai has a market share in excess of 60%.
The company cut production of its mini cars comprising Alto, and S-Presso by 98.32 per cent at 401 units as against 23,874 units in the year-ago month.
Major carmakers in the country are loading barrels for the coming battle in the field, reports Arnab Dutta.
Auto firms have reported a good jump in sales for the month of December
Ford India and Renault too reported good sales growth in April
Its sales grew 21% to 165,346 units
Car marker leader Maruti Suzuki India is looking at nearly doubling the number of models to 25, including entry into SUV and LCV segments, as it aims a target to sell 3 million cars annually.
Maruti recorded 20 per cent jump in sales during November.
Maruti Suzuki India, country's largest carmaker on Thursday reported 3.7 per cent rise in total sales in September.
The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Thursday reported a 30.8 per cent increase in total sales at 1,60,442 units in September. The company had sold 1,22,640 units in September last year, MSI said in a statement.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Tuesday said it is recalling around 994 units of its recently launched mid-sized sports utility vehicle Urban Cruiser Hyryder to fix a faulty seat belt part. In a statement, the company said it has initiated a voluntary recall campaign for certain Urban Cruiser Hyryder units to investigate for a possible issue with front seat belt shoulder height adjuster plate assembly. Around 994 vehicles of the specified models may have been impacted by this concern, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said in a statement.
The model, which will compete with the likes of Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Skoda Rapid, now features smart devices ecosystem including Alexa remote capability and 32 connected features as standard feature across all variants with a five-year free subscription.
While sales of Maruti's compact segment grew, its mini segment witnessed a slump
Strong festive demand in October helped carmakers register a seven-per cent volume growth in the domestic market, even as the largest player, Maruti Suzuki, reported low single-digit growth.
The first month of the new fiscal year saw a slight change in sales trends as market leader Maruti Suzuki saw a decline in sales of its popular models.
Prominent ones are Maruti's smoky Ciaz and Fiat's gorgeous Avventura.
The diesel variants of the vehicle come with Smart Hybrid technology.
Car makers see good sales post Diwali.
Dealers have stocked up vehicles in the run-up to a price hike, which is expected to be announced by leading players some time this month.
The ongoing elections and overall subdued market sentiment continue to affect the sales momentum
Maruti has chosen to call the S-Cross as a premium crossover, which is evident once you look at the hatchback-like profile of the vehicle.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances