Maruti Suzuki Dream Series Cars Bag 21,000 Bookings: Hatchback Sales To Boom

Updated: Tuesday, July 2, 2024, 14:02 [IST]

Maruti Suzuki has extended the availability of its special Dream Series line-up for an additional month, as the range has garnered 21,000 bookings so far. The Dream Series offers more equipment than standard models at a price, and has led to a 17% increase in footfalls at Maruti outlets.

However, overall sales for entry-level cars have declined by 24% in Q1 FY2025. Maruti currently has an order backlog of 1.64 lakh units, with the Ertiga CNG accounting for a majority.

Entry-level Car Sales Decline

Despite the success of the Dream Series, Maruti Suzuki reported a nominal 1.2% uptick in Q1 FY25, with total domestic sales of 419,114 units. Entry-level models saw a nearly 24% decrease to 30,816 cars.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales at MSIL, said that while their existing stock levels are slightly higher than normal, they are almost within the standard range.

Limited-edition Runs Boost Volumes

To counter the situation, limited-edition runs are helping Maruti Suzuki with volumes. The company has experimented with this strategy on other models as well, such as introducing the Fronx Velocity Edition available on all variants. Discounts are expected to remain prevalent and will vary depending on the model and market.

Maruti's Pending Orders

As of the end of June 2024, Maruti's order book stood at around 164,000 cars, with the Ertiga CNG claiming almost 26% or 43,000 units of this pendency. The company says it can mostly fulfil customer requirements promptly; however, there is a waiting period of around 2-3 weeks due to unique colour preferences.

DriveSpark Thinks

Recently, Maruti Suzuki witnessed a slight decline in its hatchback sales. While this is not a big trouble for the country's largest automaker, it responded to the trend with the introduction of the Dream Series with an aim to boost hatchback sales.

That being said, with more than 21,000 bookings for the company's Dream Series models, Maruti Suzuki has once again showcased that they know Indian customers very well and it is not easy for other manufacturers to claim the No.1 spot.