Maruti Suzuki’s entry-level sedan, Ciaz, has seen a deceleration in sales in June after starting off very strong in October last year.
The model, priced in the Rs 8-9 lakh category, had seen monthly sales of around 6,500 initially. In April and May of this year, sales was around the 5,000/month level.
However, in June, Ciaz sales have fallen to less than 3,700, according to auto sales numbers from Maruti Suzuki.
The Honda City, Ciaz’s main competitor, sells around 6,200 units per month.
Competition has also increased after the launch of Tata Motors’ Zest late last year.
Overall, total vehicle sales by the company rose only 1.8% (year on year) to 1,14,756 during the month. In comparison, monthly sales have been growing by about 18% in Apr-May compared to the same two months in the previous year.
The biggest reason for the decline was a sharp drop in sales of Alto and WagonR. Sales of Alto and WagonR fell 28% to 34,336 in June this year.
On the other hand, sales of Celerio and Swift seems to be going very strong, with the segment seeing a 24% jump to 45,701 units in June.
The trends would indicate that Indian consumers are willing to shell out an extra Rs 1,00,000 to go for a slightly bigger Celerio compared to the Alto. The Alto also had the misfortune of a recent ‘facelift’ that made it look like a ‘non-serious’ car, compared to the earlier minimalistic look.
Further details of Maruti Suzuki’s monthly auto sales for June are as follows:
| Category : | Models | Jun | Till Jun | April’14 – March’15 | ||||
| 2015 | 2014 | % Change | 2015-16 | 2014-15 | % Change | |||
| A: Mini | Alto, WagonR | 34,336 | 47,618 | -27.9% | 104,801 | 102,729 | 2.0% | 425,742 |
| A: Compact | Swift, Ritz, Celerio, Dzire | 45,701 | 36,741 | 24.4% | 129,924 | 120,122 | 8.2% | 495,999 |
| A: Super Compact | Dzire Tour** | 2,893 | 1,542 | 87.6% | 7,909 | 3,175 | 149.1% | 18,639 |
| A: Mid-Size | SX4, Ciaz* | 3700 | 322 | 1049.1% | 13,374 | 519 | 2476.9% | 33,151 |
| TOTAL A: Passenger cars | 86,630 | 86,223 | 0.5% | 256,008 | 226,545 | 13.0% | 973,531 | |
| B: Utility vehicles | Gypsy, Ertiga, Grand Vitara | 5,531 | 5,003 | 10.6% | 15,550 | 15,267 | 1.9% | 68,198 |
| C: Vans | Omni, Eeco | 10,465 | 9,738 | 7.5% | 34,136 | 28,831 | 18.4% | 128,973 |
| Total Domestic Sales | 102,626 | 100,964 | 1.6% | 305,694 | 270,643 | 13.0% | 1,170,702 | |
| Total Export Sales | 12,130 | 11,809 | 2.7% | 35,635 | 29,251 | 21.8% | 121,713 | |
| Total Sales (Domestic + Export) | 114,756 | 112,773 | 1.8% | 341,329 | 299,894 | 13.8% | 1,292,415 | |