Car Sales Report September 2018: Only Maruti, Tata & Toyota Models Grow As The Best-Selling Cars

Data show that the floods in Kerala and the increased fuel prices have had their effect on the overall car sales. The impact was quite significant that, compared to the same time last year, only Maruti, Tata and Toyota managed to have a slight growth in sales. Every other manufacturer saw at least 2.5 per cent decline in sales compared to September 2017.

That said, here is the car sales report of September 2018:

Rank	Brand	Sep '18 Sales
1	Maruti	1,51,512
2	Hyundai	47,781
3	Mahindra	19,942
4	Tata	18,429
5	Honda	14,866
6	Toyota	12,512
7	Ford	8,239
8	Renault	6,434
9	Volkswagen	3,208
10	Datsun	2,801

(click on the respective headline to know the models offered by the particular brand)

Maruti Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki — India's favourite car manufacturer — has been at the very top for many years and chances for the brand to drop down to even the second position, are unlikely. With the recently-launched Maruti Ciaz making up for the loss in sales in the C-segment sedan market, the overall figures are expected to rise even further. However, it is the small cars such as the Alto 800, Celerio and WagonR which are responsible for a good proportion of the overall passenger car business of Maruti Suzuki.

Sales In September 2017: 1,50,521
Percentage Growth: 0.7%

Hyundai

Hyundai India sells some of the best products in the sub-15-lakh category, including hatchbacks, sedans and compact-SUVs. The new Hyundai Creta has dominated the premium five-seater SUV segment and at one point, it was the best-selling SUV in India. In the sedan category, the ICOTY award-winning Hyundai Verna attracts much of the market while the hatchback segment is expected to have an impact with the upcoming Santro.

Sales In September 2017: 50,028
Percentage Growth: – 4.5%

Mahindra

Mahindra sells a range of capable off-roaders and people carriers at an affordable price. The brand is seeing success with their latest MPV offering, the Mahindra Marazzo. Apart from that, Mahindra is also planning to launch two new products: XUV700 aka Y400 (SsangYong Rexton) and S201 (SsangYong Tivoli). These products in the five-seater and seven-seater SUV market, respectively, will help Mahindra extend their business upwards and compete with some of the premium brands operating in the country.

Sales In September 2017: 23,429
Percentage Growth: – 14.9%

Tata Motors

Tata Motors is also pushing themselves with back-to-back launches scheduled to happen soon. Starting from the Tiago NRG launched last month, the Indian automotive brand has got huge plans for the market. The premium Tata Harrier SUV and 45X hatchback have been spotted testing numerous times on our roads, hinting to a near-approaching launch.

Sales In September 2017: 17,289
Percentage Growth: 6.6%

Honda Car India

Honda Car India has introduced a lot of new business strategies to perform well in the mass market. Earlier, the Japanese brand dealt with only premium (and well-performing) models but sales were not doing particularly well. This made them launch new products, developed specifically for the Indian market and road conditions, in almost all categories such as hatchbacks, crossovers, compact-sedans, compact-SUVs and full-size sedans.

Sales In September 2017: 18,257
Percentage Growth: – 18.6%

Toyota

Toyota is one of the biggest car manufacturers in the business with products sold in almost all countries across the world. With new technologies and innovations in the field of automobiles, Toyota aims to become the key player in the entire industry, including the electric and hybrid car market. In India, the Toyota Yaris is the latest model which the Japanese brand has introduced and it comes with the most amount of equipment in its segment.

Sales In September 2017: 12,335
Percentage Growth: 1.4%

Ford

Ford arguably makes some of the best cars sold in India, both in terms of features and driveability. They are also the first company in India to share their exact service costs on their official website for better transparency of their business. With new models such as the new Aspire compact-sedan and the Figo hatchback, Ford India is gaining market at a rapid pace. In addition to making the best driver-focussed cars, Ford also makes some really good engines, with the least compromise in fuel economy.

Sales In September 2017: 8,769
Percentage Growth: – 6.0%

Renault

Renault has been doing decently well on the Indian market with the majority of their sales accounting to the Kwid and Duster. While the Renault Kwid is a huge success in the budget car segment, the Renault Duster competes really well against the likes of the popular Hyundai Creta. The Kwid is offered in a range of special editions while there is a choice of an all-wheel-drive powertrain for the Duster. Both vehicles have their AMT versions on sale.

Sales In September 2017: 10,874
Percentage Growth: – 40.8%

Volkswagen

Volkswagen cars in India showcase excellent build quality and premium interiors, while also boasting of class-leading German engineering. Most of the sales numbers for the German brand is achieved by three models: Polo, Ameo and Vento. Even though the new Polo is a bit underpowered, there is still the more fun Polo GT TSi and TDi models on offer.

Sales In September 2017: 4,603
Percentage Growth: – 30.3%

Datsun

Datsun India, a subsidiary of Nissan, sells only budget-oriented cars and for the price at which they are offered, the products are good. Competing mainly with the small cars sold by major manufacturers such as Maruti and Hyundai, Datsun sells more cars than Nissan themselves. The all-new Datsun GO and GO+ come with a host of improvements of the previous models.

Sales In September 2017: 3,866
Percentage Growth: – 27.5%

Verdict

As mentioned before, the rising fuel prices and the floods of Kerala have shown their impact on the sales of major car brands. But whatever be the case, Maruti seems to be always at the top and now Hyundai has fixed their position at the near-top, while the rest of the brands try to perform their best.