2012 Top Selling Cars - India

Early today, we brought you the list of top-selling cars and trucks in USA. Now, it's time to come back home and look at what clicked and what not in India.

Though the lure of constant double digit growth no longer exist in the Indian market, there are hardly countries elsewhere that offer so much potential for growth in future. The people to car ratio is still very low in India and the number is only going to go up, albeit with a few hiccups here and there. So, inspite of a spate of challenges like sky-rocketing fuel prices, stagnant growth rate, unclear fuel policy and high interest rates, 2012 was still a record year for the industry as the overall new car sales crossed 2.5 million units.

Does the list of top selling cars in India throw up any surprises? Not at all. The Top 10 list has 4 models from Maruti-Suzuki, 3 from Hyundai, 2 from Tata and 1 from Mahindra. Probably for the first time ever, the top 4 positions are all occupied by models from the Maruti-Suzuki stable. In this day and age when competing brands try everything in their arsenal to dethrone them, the king only seems to be getting stronger and stronger.

The Maruti-Suzuki Alto is to India like what Ford F-Series is to United States of America, as it invariably ends up as the top-selling car in India. Though the Alto did not manage to breach the 300,000 units mark like it did in the past three years, the Alto 800 that was launched recently should help the model grow again in 2013. As exactly predicted by us last year, the all-new Swift has taken the Indian market by storm and finished runner-up to the Alto. As if that was not enough, the redesigned Swift Dzire sedan massacred the competition and rounded off the podium. Along with the Ertiga that's topping its segment in sales, Maruti-Suzuki's Swift platform now churns out India's best-selling premium hatchback, best-selling sedan and the second best-selling Utility Vehicle.

With the Swift platform proving to be an unstoppable cash cow, Maruti-Suzuki wouldn't mind the Wagon-R slipping down to fourth position in the list. Mahindra Bolero never ceases to amaze and puts in a stellar performance to end up fifth. Given the fact that the Bolero is built on an age-old platform with just nips and tucks every now and then, Mahindra must be laughing all the way to the bank. The remaining positions in the Top 10 list are either a Hyundai or a Tata, starting with the i10 and Indica/Vista twins, both of which saw significant dip in sales. As if to bring some cheer to the South Korean camp, Eon is slowly gaining traction in the market and ends up as the eighth best-selling car, ahead of it's elder sibling i20 and Tata Nano, which finally makes it to the Top 10 list.

2012 Top 10 in India:

1. Maruti-Suzuki Alto - 286,833
2. Maruti-Suzuki Swift - 186,797
3. Maruti-Suzuki Swift Dzire - 154,273
4. Maruti-Suzuki Wagon-R - 134,823
5. Mahindra Bolero - 113,537
6. Hyundai i10 - 98,702
7. Tata Indica/Vista - 94,717
8. Hyundai Eon - 93,578
9. Hyundai i20 - 85,299
10. Tata Nano - 76,747

Source for Figures: www.team-bhp.com

* Star Performer of 2012 - Maruti-Suzuki Swift & Swift Dzire
* Expected Star Performer for 2013 - Maruti-Suzuki Swift & Swift Dzire

We were right when we predicted that the Swift will be the star of 2012. And we are sure we will be proved right yet again in 2013. There is something with the "Swift" moniker that Indians are crazy about and with such a huge and loyal customer base, the Swift and Dzire are only going to grow in popularity. Over the course of next few years, we wouldn't be surprised even if the Swift ends up toppling the Alto as the largest selling car in India.

Outside the Top 10, models like Toyota Innova, Mahindra XUV 500 and Maruti-Suzuki Ertiga posted impressive sales figures, as did the Renault Duster since it's launch in the second half of the year. Maruti-Suzuki and Hyundai are still the two top brands in India, but Tata loses it's third place to Mahindra, with the latter tasting success with every new Utility Vehicle that it launched. Be it the refreshed Xylo, XUV 500 or the Quanto, all new Mahindra models have hit the sweet spot while Tata's new launches like the Aria, Venture and Safari Storme have failed to live up to expectations. Tata has its work cut out and it looks like the company has already started putting in efforts to gain back its lost market share.

In what can be called a master-stroke of genius, Audi, despite being a late entrant to the Indian market and the youngest of the three German brands, finishes the year a trifle short of BMW, which is still the top-selling luxury brand in India. Having dominated our market every year since its entry here, BMW narrowly leads the race this time, courtesy Audi's big-selling 'Q' series of Sports Utility Vehicles. Mercedes-Benz, the erstwhile leader until BMW and Audi surged past as it watched helplessly, has vowed to get back to the top with several new models like the A-Class and CLA waiting in the wings to pounce on the competition. This is one slug fest that we wouldn't mind getting in and dirty. Watch this space!

2012 Top Selling Cars - USA

There may be hundreds of cars and trucks on sale in the American market but the list of top selling models that we get to see at the end of each year isn't that different as compared to the previous years. In fact, the list of top sellers is astoundingly similar year on year. Being the world's second largest market by volumes and probably the largest in terms of profitability, the United States of America holds a very important place in the books of every automotive manufacturer.

Don't curse us for putting up the same content. Three and half decades since it started it's domination of the market, Ford F-Series still shows no signs of relenting and has, in fact, increased its sales compared to 2011. With a range that consists of almost 25 variants starting from the humble F150 to the monstrous F450 Super Duty, the F-Series continues unabated at the top. As has been the case for many years now, Chevrolet Silverado ends up as the second best-selling automobile in USA, but only just. The recent facelift of the Silverado series should help increase its sales in 2013 and widen the gap to the big-selling Toyota Camry, which rounds off the podium yet again. Powered by the launch of a new generation model, the Camry almost toppled Silverado for second place in 2012.

The big winner of 2012 has got to be Honda with three of its models making it to the Top 10 list in 2012. The Accord and Civic improved significantly compared to 2011, finishing in fourth and fifth respectively. It seems that the car-buying public were least bothered about the negative criticism garnered by the new Civic and trusted Honda blindly. Their trust has also paid off, as Honda recently launched an emergency facelift of the Civic, incorporating updates in a model that's just an year old. Nissan Altima, Ram Pickup, Toyota Corolla and Honda CR-V post significantly increased sales, with Ford Escape rounding off the Top 10 list, having fallen five places compared to last year. Unlike what we thought, Ford's Escape and Fusion couldn't hold on to their impressive results of 2011, with the latter even pushed out of the Top 10.

2012 Top 10 in USA:

1. Ford F-Series - 645,316
2. Chevrolet Silverado - 418,312
3. Toyota Camry - 404,886
4. Honda Accord - 331,872
5. Honda Civic - 317,909
6. Nissan Altima - 302,934
7. Ram Pickup - 293,363
8. Toyota Corolla/Matrix - 290,947
9. Honda CR-V - 281,652
10. Ford Escape - 261,008

Source for Figures: www.examiner.com

* Star Performer of 2012 - Honda Civic
* Expected Star Performer for 2013 - Ford Fusion

You might be surprised to see us listing Honda Civic as the star performer of 2012. But for us, the fact that it sold in hordes despite all those negative reviews in a market that respects media opinion, is nothing short of exceptional. Though it failed to live up to our expectations in 2012, we would still place our bets on Ford Fusion to rise high in 2013, helped in no small part by the striking all-new Fusion that went on sale recently.

Outside the Top 10, Ford Focus, Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Prius and Hyundai Elantra deliver consistent performances, with each of these models selling in excess of 200,000 units. The stylish Kia Optima stands out with a 2-fold and 5-fold increase in sales in 2012 as compared to 2011 and 2010 respectively.

Ford, with over 2 million sales in 2012, becomes the largest selling mainstream automotive brand in USA ahead of Chevrolet and Toyota. At the top end of the spectrum, Mercedes-Benz maintains its position as the largest selling luxury brand in America, with BMW and Audi following suit.

While we have seen who has hit it big in USA, we also cannot ignore what's going on at the other end. Things were not looking good in USA for India's largest car manufacturer. Finally, Suzuki decided enough is enough and announced winding up of operations, citing lack of sales. Almost all its models, from the Grand Vitara to the impressive Kizashi, failed to click, forcing the Japanese brand to quit the American car and truck market.

Maruti-Suzuki Alto crosses 2 Million units in sales

For the kind of volumes that India's largest car manufacturer Maruti-Suzuki churns out month on month with amazing regularity, milestones are bound to be crossed often. Don't believe us? Take this, the company crossed a domestic sales landmark of a whooping 10 million units this February and followed it up with it's 1 millionth export milestone in April. But this is a special milestone belonging to a particular model and one that no other car in India has achieved before. Smashing existing records and creating new ones isn't new for Maruti-Suzuki in general and Alto in particular. After all, this was the car that broke the two-decade old dominance of 800 and took over the mantle as India's largest selling car in 2004. And there has been no looking back ever since.

Amongst other feats, the Alto was also the fastest car to reach the 1 million sales landmark, a record that is now comprehensively beaten by itself. While it took 8 years and 3 months to reach the first million, the next came in just 3 years and 6 months. Oh yes, don't be so surprised, as the last couple of years have seen the Alto break every conceivable sales landmark in India. It became the only car to cross 300,000 units in sales in one calendar year, a feat that it first achieved in 2010 and then again in 2011. Consistent performances like these have now put Alto firmly in the global map as one of the best selling cars in the world. That the Alto still ended up losing out to Swift since April inspite of this phenomenal run is another story altogether.

Talking about this historic performance, Mayank Pareek, COO, Marketing and Sales at Maruti-Suzuki India said, "The Alto’s superior fuel efficiency, compact sleek design, good maneuverability and overall low cost of ownership are the attributes that make it the best car for first time buyers. The Alto as a complete package continues to win customer's hearts and surprise everyone with its performance". As neatly summed-up, the Alto is still 'the' perfect choice for many first-time car buyers. With the 800-cc variants catering to the value-conscious and the 1000-cc K10 variants targeted towards the power-conscious, the Alto fields two interesting games in its ploy to massacre the competition. Buckle up Tata Nano and Hyundai Eon, the King still reigns supreme!

Maruti-Suzuki Swift overtakes Alto to become India's best selling car in April 2012

For the first time in almost 3 decades, a model not related to the Maruti 800 has become the best selling car in our country. The irony here is that this has happened in the same month in which the production of 800 came to a stop after 29 years. Since its introduction in the year 1984, the small and humble 800 has been topping the sales charts literally unchallenged. It was not until 2004, when its 'two-generations-younger' sibling Alto took over, that it relinquished the top slot. Now, eight years later, yet another model from Maruti-Suzuki, the all-conquering Swift, has did the unthinkable. With sales of 19,484 units in the month of April 2012, the Swift has beaten Alto (17,842 units) to become the numero uno.

 

That the Swift is a stupendous success in the market and a big boost for brand 'Maruti-Suzuki' isn't news to us. We have grown tired of hearing about it since the time it was launched here. An all-new, cheekily-styled small car from a company known for its reliable but boring models spurred the interest of thousands of long-time Maruti enthusiasts, with the launch of diesel variants just acting as a catalyst. The popularity only soared further with the launch of the second generation model last year. In fact, the Swift has been consistently selling close to 20,000 units for the past few months. But what is really surprising is the sudden and massive fall in sales numbers of the 'quintessential best-seller' Alto.

 

Now, is this a temporary blip in Alto's numbers or is it an indication of our market maturing? The shift is too sudden to believe its the latter, despite the fact that the per-capita income and consequently the spending power of Indians continue to rise year over year. This month's sales figures will clear the doubt for us once and for all. Watch this space!

2011 Top Selling Cars - India

The figures that most of us have been eagerly waiting for over the past several days is here, and as usual, there are no surprises at the top. If you are still wondering, we are referring to the top selling cars in India. As it has been for the past half-a-decade, Maruti-Suzuki Alto continues its reign at the top of the charts with absolutely no challenge from any of its competitors. For the second straight year, the Alto has breached the 300,000 figure in a calendar year and has ended 2011 with a whooping sales figure of 311,367. This makes the Alto not just the largest selling car in India but also the largest selling hatchback in the entire world. Hyundai Eon, that was expected to take the fight to the Alto has not fired, leaving the Alto unchallenged as of now. 

Just as we predicted last year, the second and third positions are reversed with Maruti-Suzuki Wagon-R finishing ahead of Hyundai i10 in 2011. Make a few price corrections in the petrol variants, bring in the 1.1 CRDi and see the i10 flying off the showroom floors, we say. Is Hyundai listening? Maruti-Suzuki’s Swift continues its dream run and would have probably finished ahead of the i10 if not for the labour problems that crippled the company’s production for a couple of months. Tata’s Indica and Vista twins nudged ahead of the Swift Dzire, which again takes the title of best-selling sedan in India. There is something with the ‘Swift’ badge that attracts people to this car despite the bulbous looks and odd proportions of the sedan.

Mahindra Bolero continues to surprise us with a sales figure of 96,340 units in 2011, easily becoming the largest selling Utility Vehicle in India. We are sure even Mahindra would be surprised to see the continuous demand that this long-in-the-tooth model is generating year over year. Maruti-Suzuki’s box-on-wheels Omni comes in eighth ahead of Hyundai's premium hatchback i20 whichhas been a massive success for Hyundai. Tata’s Indigo and Manza twins completes the list, courtesy the Call Taxi fleets that are buying the Indigos in truckloads. Just like last year, the Top 10 selling cars in India consists of 5 Maruti-Suzuki models, 2 each from Hyundai and Tata and 1 from Mahindra.

If you had not observed it already, most of the models in the Top 10 are hatchbacks and entry-level sedans that are not much expensive to buy and maintain. At the other end of the automotive spectrum, BMW is still the undisputed king when it comes to luxury brands with Mercedes-Benz still playing catch-up. But, if their show at the recently-concluded Indian Auto Expo is any indication, Mercedes-Benz is pulling out all plugs to try and take the leadership back from BMW. Audi, with a much more impressive growth rate in 2011, is also closing in fast on these two brands. Going forward, the war for supremacy in the luxury segment is sure to heat up and it will be quite a treat to watch these German biggies slug it out in our market.

2011 Top 10 in India:
1. Maruti-Suzuki Alto - 311,367
2. Maruti-Suzuki Wagon-R - 147,299
3. Hyundai i10 - 138,470
4. Maruti-Suzuki Swift - 127,916
5. Tata Indica/Vista - 99,900
6. Maruti-Suzuki Swift Dzire - 99,515
7. Mahindra Bolero - 96,340
8. Maruti-Suzuki Omni 85,620
9. Hyundai i20 - 80,571
10. Tata Indigo/Manza - 75,790   

Star Performer of 2011: Mahindra Bolero
Expected Star Performer of 2012: Maruti-Suzuki Swift

Probably for the first time in more than a decade since it established itself in the Indian market, the Hyundai Santro has finished outside the Top 10. It just goes on to show that the model is in dire need of a facelift. With an astounding 22% increase in sales compared to 2010, Mahindra Bolero is undoubtedly the star of 2011. With labour issues sorted out, deal for supply of additional diesel engines signed with Fiat and the new second-generation model proclaimed as an improvement in every aspect over the earlier model, the all-new Swift is where we would like to place our bets on for 2012. Watch out, the new Swift might even zoom ahead of its younger sibling Wagon-R to finish 2012 only behind the mighty Alto.

(Source for Sales Figures: www.team-bhp.com)

Hyundai Elantra almost beats Toyota Corolla as world's best selling car

Choose a random set of people from the streets and throw them the question "Which is the world's best selling car?". In more cases than what you would have guessed, Toyota Corolla would be the answer. The Corolla has become the definition of 'car' in many countries and has been the best selling automobile in the world for many years now. It even overtook Volkswagen Beetle recently to become the best selling car of all time. So, when another model inches ever so close to almost topple the customary global best-seller, it ought to make headlines across the globe.

As Mr. Akio Toyoda have been magnanimous enough to admit several times of being wary of, it is none other than Hyundai which is threatening Toyota's stronghold now. Agreed, 2011 has been a horrible year and a one to forget for Japanese manufacturers Toyota and Honda with the massive earthquake and tsunami causing widespread destruction and disrupting production. As if that was not enough, wild floods in Thailand crippled Toyota and Honda further. With Toyota just coming out of a huge 'recall' controversy in 2010, this is just not the right time to watch and match their performance.

But, at the same time, let us not take any credits away from Hyundai, the South Korean manufacturer that has been slowly and steadily climbing its way up the rankings and sales charts with amazing regularity over the past few years. All those efforts are now paying off, with the Elantra and Sonata models fighting their way up the order blowing the competition away. According to a report published by Forbes, the Elantra sold a massive 1.01 million units in 2011, joining an elite list of very few models that have sold more than a million units in a calendar year that includes Ford Model T, Volkswagen Beetle, Ford F Series and Toyota Corolla.

That is not all, the Elantra fell just 10,000 units short of the sales figure of Toyota Corolla. No other car in the recent past has ventured so close to the quintessential best-seller Corolla. Kudos to Hyundai for bringing out class-leading models with an impressive combination of style, features and performance that is catching the attention of the public like no other. Expect Toyota to bounce back strongly in the coming years. This is going to be a fight to watch out for. With the all-new Elantra expected to be launched here this year, we will also be having an Indian episode to witness.

2011 Top Selling Cars - USA

All right, the new year has just begun and memories of the year that was would still be fresh in the back of our minds. Before they start fading away, it is time to look at what clicked and what not in 2011. Though it has lost its charm as the world's biggest automotive market with China taking up that enviable position, the 'all is well as long as its big' market of United States of America is still the second largest in the world by volume and a big contributor to the profitability of auto manufacturers.

So, here are the top selling automobiles in USA for 2011. There are no surprises at the top with the Ford F-Series taking the crown as the largest selling vehicle for 35th year in a row. Now you know why we said all is well there as long as its big. The usual suspects of Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Camry come second and third, the latter impressively holding its forte despite Toyota's troubles with the recalls and production disrupments caused by natural calamities in Japan and Thailand.



Nissan Altima and Ford Escape posted big gains and pushed the Honda Accord and Crosstour twins to sixth. Ford Fusion and Ram Pickup continue their impressive run climbing to seventh and eighth positions relegating the usual big-seller Toyota Corolla to ninth. With Ford's all-new Escape and Fusion coming in, things are looking mighty good for the blue oval brand. Chevrolet's success story with the Cruze across the world unfolded in USA too with the new Chevy entering the top ten with a bang.



2011 Top 10 in USA:

 

1. Ford F-Series - 584,917
2. Chevrolet Silverado - 415,130
3. Toyota Camry - 308,510
4. Nissan Altima - 268,981
5. Ford Escape - 254,293
6. Honda Accord/Crosstour - 253,599
7. Ford Fusion - 248,067
8. Ram Pickup - 244,763
9. Toyota Corolla/Matrix - 240,259
10. Chevrolet Cruze - 232,588

* Star Performer of 2011 - Ford Escape
* Expected Star Performer for 2012 - Chevrolet Cruze



Source for Figures: www.examiner.com



As we predicted last year, Hyundai Sonata continued to sell in big numbers and the model almost made it to the top ten with Hyundai still not able to make enough of Sonatas and Elantras. Honda's rather average redesign of the Civic and the production disruptions at Japan and Thailand ensured that our predictions of Accord and Civic overtaking Toyota's Camry and Corolla in sales went haywire. Also to be noted is Volkswagen's slow and silent climb with the new Jetta putting in an impressive show.

Ford Escape's massive climb from well outside the top ten to as high as fifth in the list makes it the stand-out performer in 2011. For 2012 though, we expect the hot-selling Chevrolet Cruze to make even more giant and rapid strides up the list. Wait for another year to find out if our predictions come true.

2010 Global Top 10 Automobile Companies

The year 2010 ended with high hopes and optimism for the global automotive industry with recovering economy boosting sales in the saturated markets of USA and Europe and tremendous growth opportunities beckoning automakers in the booming BRIC Countries. So, as another calendar year passed by, its time for listing the annual Global Top 10 Automobile Companies by sales. Though most companies posted positive growth over the recession-hit 2009 figures, 2010 was not all smooth sailing for the industry.



Take Toyota, for example. The world’s largest automobile company which was hitherto known for bullet-proof build quality and rock-solid reliability, saw its brand image take a huge dip with those massive recalls of most of its top selling models. Pursuing volumes, Toyota failed to monitor and maintain the earlier quality standards that it set for itself and the entire industry. Having said that, for a company like Toyota whose prime focus has always been ‘Quality’, bouncing back from this would not be a problem at all. The fact that Toyota still holds the top spot even after this recall fiasco proves its popularity and loyalty.



General Motors, which trailed Toyota by a significant margin in 2009, is showing good signs of recovery after taking the bailout money from the US Federal Government. In 2010, the gap between Toyota and GM was down to just 30,000 units. The Volkswagen group, with a spate of brands under it holds on to the third spot but saw its sales increase by over 1 million units compared to 2009. At this rate of growth, Volkswagen looks all set to achieve its aim of becoming the largest automobile company by 2020.



The biggest news of 2010 ought to be this. Continuing their aggressive expansion and relentless growth, Hyundai-Kia managed to overtake Ford for the fourth spot in the global standings. Model after model, the two Korean brands have achieved a string of successes which their competitors could only envy. On the flip side, a leaner, meaner Ford, after declaring a series of profitable quarters, is looking stronger than ever and would do all it could to retake the fourth spot from Hyundai-Kia. This is one battle to watch out for in future.



Nissan came in sixth after overtaking Honda and Peugeot. Renault and Suzuki completed the global top ten. Point to be noted is the combined sales of Renault-Nissan alliance would make it the world’s third largest automaker, but both manufacturers wish to report their numbers separately. Watch this space for more action and position swaps in the coming years.

2010 Top 10 Automobile Companies (By Sales):

1. Toyota – 8.42 Million

2. General Motors – 8.39 Million

3. Volkswagen AG – 7.14 Million

4. Hyundai-Kia – 5.74 Million

5. Ford – 5.31 Million

6. Nissan – 4.08 Million

7. Peugeot – 3.6 Million

8. Honda – 3.56 Million

9. Renault – 2.62 Million

10. Suzuki – 2.54 Million

2010 Top Selling Cars - USA

Every year, the month of January keeps all of us so busy dealing with various numbers and the countless titles being awarded world-wide. One such significant list of numbers is that of the best selling cars in USA, the second biggest automotive market in the world after China and a major influence in the profit-loss accounts of most global auto manufacturers.

2010 Top 10 in USA:
1. Ford F-Series - 528,349
2. Chevrolet Silverado - 370,135
3. Toyota Camry - 327,804
4. Honda Accord - 311,381        
5. Toyota Corolla - 266,082
6. Honda Civic - 260,218
7. Nissan Altima - 229,263
8. Ford Fusion - 219,219
9. Honda CR-V - 203,714
10. Dodge Ram - 199,652

* Star Performer of 2010 - Hyundai Sonata
* Expected Star Performer for 2011 - Hyundai Sonata

(Source for Sales Figures - www.autoblog.com)

For the 34th year in a row, you read it right, yes, for a record 34th straight year, Ford F-Series was the largest selling vehicle in USA by a considerably big margin. Chevrolet Silverado managed to beat Toyota Camry (2009's second best-seller) to the second spot in 2010. The fact that both the F-Series and the Silverado range includes many variants ranging from a Light Truck to a Heavy-Duty Truck is a different thing altogether. Even after so much negative publicity, the Toyota Camry has fared rather well and continued to be the largest selling car in USA.

After that comes the usual train of Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Nissan Altima. The year 2011 could very well see the Accord and Civic overtaking Camry and Corolla respectively, going by the recent downward trend of the Toyota duo. As a matter of fact, both the Honda models are already snapping at the heels of their respective competitors from Toyota. After its high profile entry into the Top 10 in 2009, Ford Fusion continued its good run and took the 8th spot for 2010. Honda CR-V and Dodge Ram completed the Top 10.

Among the models in the Top 10, only the two Toyota models posted negative sales compared to 2009, the recent 'Recalls' not helping the company's cause. All the other models posted growth over 2009 numbers, with the two Ford models increasing their sales by over 20%. Honda continued its dominance with three of their models in the Top 10 despite having the least number of product platforms and models sold amongst the top companies.

As predicted in this blog last year, Hyundai's new Sonata has been a stupendous success and was really the 'Star Performer' in the American market with sales of around 196,623 units in 2010, an impressive 64% more than what Hyundai sold in 2009. With the recent addition of Turbo and Hybrid versions, I strongly feel that the Sonata will continue its upward sales climb and stands a fair chance of entering the Top 10 in 2011.

2010 Top Selling Cars - India

The year 2010 ended on a high note for the automotive industry across the world and more so in India with the market exploding towards the second half of the year. Though most manufacturers were well prepared to meet this increase, some of them struggled to cope up with this sudden surge. Its time now to look at the top-sellers of 2010.

There are no surprises at the top. Maruti-Suzuki Alto remains India's largest selling car by a wide margin, helped in big part with the recent addition of K10 model. It has also created history by becoming the first ever name-plate in India to record sales in excess of 300,000 units in a single calendar year.

Hyundai's brilliant small car, the i10 takes the second place with Maruti-Suzuki Wagon-R close in its heels. 2011 will most probably see the second and third places reversed going by the recent upward trend of the Wagon-R and the downward trend of the i10. A small price correction for the i10 would help increase its numbers massively. Is Hyundai listening?  



Maruti-Suzuki Swift and Tata Indica finishes just outside the podium. Maruti-Suzuki's Swift Dzire is the largest selling sedan while its Omni is the largest selling Utility Vehicle in India. Considering the fact that the existing Swift is almost 5 years old and with the impeding launch of the new Swift and Dzire this year, I expect their numbers to go up further.



Overall in the Top 10, 5 models are from Maruti-Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata have 2 models each and Mahindra has 1 model. Hyundai's high-priced premium hatchback i20 just missed out being in the Top 10. But with phenomenal sales over the past few months, I strongly feel that the i20 will enter the Top 10 in 2011. That is if the Tata Nano does not see considerable increase in sales.



In the German slug-fest for the crown of India's largest selling luxury brand, BMW (6246 units) once again beat Mercedes-Benz (5819 units) to the top spot. With the recent launch of X1 at extremely competitive prices, BMW is all set to maintain its lead in 2011 also. Audi finished a distant third with 3003 units sold in India.



2010 Top 10 in India:

1. Maruti-Suzuki Alto - 300,950

2. Hyundai i10 - 159,158

3. Maruti-Suzuki Wagon-R - 156,509

4. Maruti-Suzuki Swift - 142,549

5. Tata Indica - 104,841

6. Maruti-Suzuki Swift Dzire - 103,306

7. Maruti-Suzuki Omni - 92,539

8. Hyundai Santro - 87,800

9. Tata Indigo - 85,201

10. Mahindra Bolero - 78,895



Star Performer of 2010: Maruti-Suzuki Alto

Expected Star Performer for 2011: Hyundai i20



(Source for Sales Figures: www.team-bhp.com)

2009 Top Selling Cars - USA & Europe

Though there are quite a lot of television shows, magazines, websites and blogs to keep track of what's happening in the Global Automotive Industry, nothing beats the sheer excitement of seeing the actual sales figures at the end of every month or year. After all, it's the sales numbers which reveal the actual performance of a vehicle in the market irrespective of the reviews by auto-journalists. Speaking about sales, 2009 is one of those years which would not make an auto manufacturer happy with the numbers. But the positives of the year surely would be the early signs of recovery of the global auto industry with even the two biggest markets of USA and Europe showing signs of hope at the end of the year.

To those of you who are interested in numbers and statistics, and I know there a quite a lot of them, here are the list of Top Selling Cars for the year 2009 in two of the World's biggest markets - USA & Europe.

2009 Top 20 in USA:

1. Ford F-Series - 413,625


2. Toyota Camry - 356,824


3. Chevrolet Silverado - 316,544


4. Toyota Corolla - 296,874


5. Honda Accord - 290,056


6. Honda Civic - 259,722


7. Nissan Altima - 203,568


8. Honda CR-V - 191,214


9. Ford Fusion - 180,671


10. Dodge Ram - 177,268


11. Ford Escape - 173,044


12. Chevrolet Impala - 165,565


13. Chevrolet Malibu - 161,568


14. Ford Focus - 160,433


15. Toyota RAV4 - 149,088


16. Toyota Prius - 139,682


17. Hyundai Sonata - 120,028


18. GMC Sierra - 111,842


19. Chevrolet Cobalt - 104,724


20. Hyundai Elantra - 103,269

• Star Performer of 2009: Ford Fusion 


• Expected Star Performer for 2010: Hyundai Sonata

Ford Fusion has made a stunning entry into the Top 10 from the 19th or so place that it earned in 2008, making it the Star Performer. With the impending launch of the new 6th generation model, I expect the Hyundai Sonata to shake up the market and climb further in the sales charts. All the negative publicity that Toyota has garnered in the recent months is going to be an added advantage for Ford, Honda and Hyundai in 2010.

2009 Top 10 in Europe:

1. Volkswagen Golf - 571,838


2. Ford Fiesta - 472,091


3. Peugeot 207 - 367,160


4. Opel/Vauxhall Corsa - 351,807


5. Fiat Punto - 323,536


6. Renault Clio - 312,925


7. Ford Focus - 309,134


8. Fiat Panda - 298,914


9. Volkswagen Polo - 282,780


10. Opel/Vauxhall Astra - 275,638

• Star Performer of 2009: Ford Fiesta


• Expected Star Performer for 2010: Volkswagen Polo

Calling what the Fiesta has done for Ford globally as an epic turnaround will not reveal the full story. Seriously, the current generation Fiesta has been a textbook success for Ford globally, more so in Europe and China making it a Star Performer. The new generation Polo, which has recently won the 2010 European Car of the Year award and is strongly contending for the 2010 World Car of the Year award is sure to make a strong upward climb in the sales charts in 2010.

Racing to the Top

Around the same time last year, quite a lot of people (except for a few auto-buffs who foresaw this) were surprised when Hyundai-Kia became the world's 5th largest auto manufacturer leapfrogging Nissan and Honda. The same set of people were in for a bigger surprise this year - Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group (HKAG) has overtaken Ford to become the world's 4th largest auto company in Jan-Jun 2009 global sales. The once-a-butt-of-jokes Korean underdog has risen meteorically in the past decade to become a global superpower in the world of automobiles

When the company declared 10 years back that their ambition is to get into the Top 5 by 2010, there were no takers for the statement. But the Koreans had the audacity and commitment which paved the way for them to move from 11th in 1999 to 4th in 2009. What makes the acheivement even more remarkable is the fact that there was a difference of about 1 million vehicles between Ford and Hyundai-Kia in 2008. Of course, Ford lost quite a few brands from its kitty (Jaguar, Land Rover & Aston-Martin) in its restructuring process, but that should not take the credits away from the Korean duo.

The startling success of this company can be attributed to several factors such as a string of globally super-successful models (Sonata, Elantra, Ceed & Soul to name a few), multifold improving Brand-Image (Genesis Sedan & Coupe), the extremely successful new European nomenclature (i30, i10 & the recent i20) and renewed focus on Safety & Quality which puts its cars on par with the best.

 

Great going Hyundai-Kia!!! I sincerely hope that you will treat us with many more surprises with every new model launch which will not only be leaps & bounds ahead of the model it replaces but also lands directly on top of that particular segment.