After the high of October sales the automotive industry expected the momentum to carry through November. With Diwali at the beginning of the month, November sales were expected to go through the roof. But then, Demonetisation happened and many forecasts went for a toss. So, with the cumulative sales coming down, here is a list of the cars that sustained the high despite the odds and the ones that hit the trough.
Highs:
Tata Tiago
The Tiago has made it to the winner’s list twice in a row and that is a good thing for Tata. After the Bolt and Zest initiated Tata’s image makeover, the Tiago had to make sure it took it forward. With over 6,000 units sold in October and November, the Tiago is taking the Tata brand image one step further towards its goal.
Toyota’s big boy is back. It gets all new looks, new platform, new engine and new interiors. But what it retains from the earlier car is its popularity. With the bookings piling up before the launch, Toyota delivered almost 2,000 Fortuner’s in the month of November, the highest ever monthly sales for the SUV.
Maruti Baleno
Demonetisation did hit the premium segments but the Baleno has bucked the trend and this we suspect is mostly because it is a Maruti. It is a good car too and gets all the bells and whistles expected with a premium hatch. The Baleno sold 11,093 units in November as compared to 10,718 units it sold in October.
Lows:
The Superb has been the lone warrior amongst the D-segment sedans. And that is because it offers the space, comfort, feature list and drive equivalent to a premium executive sedan like an E-Class. The ones that can afford the Superb must have been scurrying to save their tender and that is probably the reason to almost a tenth.
Mahindra has been one of the manufacturers to be hit worst by the demonetisation drive. Especially because the rural markets are largely cash driven. The XUV500 that was selling around 3,000 units on an average has managed to sell only 1,069 units in the month of November. And this is the case with the Scorpio as well as the evergreen Bolero.
The Honda City has been one of the best-selling C-segment sedans in the country since it was launched in the late 90s. The sales did dip when the diesels took over but after the Earth Dreams diesel, the sedan sales sprung back. It was selling close to 5,000 units on an average since then but the November sales at just above 2,600 units are almost at 50 per cent.
