WagonR, which was India’s ‘big’ small car for over a decade, has become the third car to cross the 2 mln sales milestone, Maruti Suzuki said.
Launched in 1999, WagonR and Hyundai’s Santro were the most affordable cars after Maruti 800 and Alto, which ruled as the mass models.
With its taller stance and higher headroom, the car appealed to those who wanted something different from the masses, or who were too tall to fit into the Maruti 800 and Alto.
It is still one of the hottest models in India’s second hand market due to the easy and cheap availability of spare parts.
Almost twenty years after it was first introduced, it continues to feature among the top five best selling cars.
“WagonR has always attracted discerning customers, who want their car to be unique,” its maker said.
It took about nine years for the car to hit the 5 lakh mark in 2008, by which time WagonR sales were really picking up.
The 10 lakh mark was hit in another three years, in 2011, and in another three, it had breached the 15 lakh mark in 2014.
Another three years on, it has now crossed the 20 lakh mark.
45% of WagonR customers are first time buyers.
Surprisingly, 20% of WagonR buyers were upgrading from another WagonR they owned, which should count as one of the highest levels of loyalty in the car world.
It was more popular in cities, particularly Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
Over the years, the company introduced features such as dual airbags, multiple fuel options, ABS, premium interiors and Auto Gear Shift in WagonR.
Auto Gear Shift trims account for over 16% sales while CNG accounts for over 20% sales.