Cars In Demand: Maruti Dzire, Honda Amaze Top Segment Sales In December 2018

The Xcent sees a big drop in monthly sales, getting passed by the Tigor, while the demand for Ameo has revived

• Sub-4 metre compact sedans witness a MoM decline in sales and demand in Dec 2018

• Honda Amaze sees a 14 per cent increase in monthly sales, solidifying its second place spot in the segment

• Xcent month-on-month sales plummet while Tigor becomes the third most popular car in its segment in December

The sub-4m compact sedan segment continues to be dominated by the Maruti Dzire by a considerable margin over its rivals in terms of buyer demand. This is despite the Dzire suffering a large drop in month-on-month sales after a positive November while the second most popular model in the segment, the Honda Amaze, recorded an increase in sales. The Dzire sold three times as many units as the Amaze while other rivals like the Hyundai Xcent and Tata Tigor continued to see a negative month-on-month buyer demand in December 2018.

In terms of market share, the Maruti Dzire still has the biggest chunk with 58.77 per cent but that is less than what it had in December 2017. This is thanks to the Amaze, which has slowly been gaining popularity. It currently has a 19.47 per cent of the market share in this segment; Amaze market share in Dec 2017 was only 4.53 per cent.

Here’s how each car in the sub-4 metre SUV segment performed on the sales charts in November:

Key Takeaways:

• Sales-slump continues: Despite various year-end offers, demand and sales of models in this segment declined as observed by the overall -15.55 per cent month on month negative growth.

• Dzire still the most desirable: The sub-4m compact sedan from Maruti sold 16,797 units in December which is a -20.15 per cent month-on-month growth. That is the least number of units sold in the last four months. Yet it still sold over 10,000 units more than its closest competitor and remains the most popular car in this segment.

• Steady second for Amaze: Almost no foreign carmaker can overcome the home field advantage and distribution network that Maruti has in a price-sensitive segment but Honda has done well to secure the second spot. The Amaze is one of the two models in this segment to have a positive December with 5,565 units sold, which was a 14.64 per cent month-on-month growth and as high as its popularity was in October 2018.

• Xcent doesn’t appear to excite customers: The Hyundai Xcent was one of the biggest losers in this segment for December 2018 as only 1,723 units were sold, a 30.94 per cent decline in month-on-month sales. As a result, it was less popular than even the Tata Tigor. The Xcent’s YoY market share has also dropped by over 2 per cent.

• Tigor moves up: The Tata Tigor also saw a decline in monthly demand in December but still managed to nudge out the Hyundai Xcent in terms of monthly sales. Despite a month-on-month growth of -18.78 per cent, Tata was able to sell 1,751 units of the updated Tigor.

• Ameo recovers, Zest the least popular: The Volkswagen Ameo saw more popularity in December with a 41.30 per cent month on month growth. It sold 715 units, which is still low but not as low as the Tata Zest which only sold 529 units. That is a 56.20 per cent decline in month-on-month sales and demand for the Zest.

• Aspire least affected: The recently updated Ford Aspire also saw a slight decline in December 2018 with 1,497 units sold for a 5.43 per cent month-on-month decline. However, if the Xcent and Tigor continue to see a fall in demand and popularity, the Aspire may well catch up to contend for the third spot in the segment.

Overall, the sub-4m compact sedan continues to see a decline in sales and demand in December which is likely to continue in January with various manufacturers increasing prices in 2019. However, there may be some January offers as well so stay tuned to CarDekho for all the updates.

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