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Cars In Demand: Maruti Vitara Brezza Sales Dip But Still Retains Top Spot, Tata Nexon and Ford EcoSport Follow

By : Agencies | Updated at : 08 Jan 2019 07:30 PM (IST)

While the ranking has not changed much, the figures for December 2018 do tell a different story than the last couple of months

The Brezza leads the table but MoM demand weakened in December 2018 by 33 per cent.
Nexon stays strong in second spot, once again crossing the 4000 unit mark.
The EcoSport has dropped down from third with the Honda WR-V taking its spot.

The sales figures for the month of December 2018 are in. Let’s take a look at sub-compact SUVs and crossovers that did or didn’t do well in the last month of the year that just went buy. While the positions remain pretty similar to the previous months, the numbers have an all new story to tell.

Sub-compact SUVs & Crossovers
	December 2018	November 2018	MoM Growth	Market share current(%)	Market share (% last year)	YoY mkt share (%)	Average sales (6 months)
Maruti Vitara Brezza	9667	14378	-32.76	45.56	50.47	-4.91	13626
Tata Nexon	4393	4224	4	20.7	17.61	3.09	4310
Honda WR-V	2425	2786	-12.95	11.42	16.44	-5.02	2849
Ford EcoSport	2275	2724	-16.48	10.72	7.58	3.14	3537
Ford Freestyle	1389	1508	-7.89	6.54	0	6.54	1974
Mahindra TUV300	1069	992	7.76	5.03	7.87	-2.84	1670

Takeaways

Vitara Brezza’s dominance despite dip in numbers: Maruti’s subcompact SUV continues to lead the demand in the sub-compact SUV space. But compared to last month, there is a sharp drop in its sales. There could be multiple factors that have led to a dip in sales numbers of the Brezza. Primary ones could be: less demand for 2018 model with 2019 around the corner back then, as older year manufacturing date leads to a lower resale value in the short to mid ownership term (2-4 years). Another factor is that Maruti is working on a facelift for the Brezza and that could soon be revealed. However, the Vitara Brezza still remains the undisputed king of the segment despite seeing its sales figures dip sharply.

Tata Nexon maintains its trajectory: The Nexon has made a habit of crossing the 4,000 mark every month and despite the Brezza seeing a strong dip in sales figures, the Nexon sold more units in December 2018 when compared to November 2018.

Ford EcoSport and Honda WR-V fight for the third spot: While first and second spots are pretty much decided every month, the third spot on the list is always up for grabs between the EcoSport and WR-V. While the difference between the two was negligible in November, December saw it grow to a couple of hundred units in favour of the WR-V. Only these two SUVs get sunroof as a feature in this list.

Mahindra TUV300 and Ford Freestyle try to avoid the last spot: The Mahindra TUV300 didn’t manage to cross the 1000 units mark in November and barely did so in December. The Ford Freestyle on the other hand rakes in 1200-1500 sales units on a monthly basis. Those figures are enough to keep it above the last spot but will not allow it to climb higher on the list.

The subcompact SUV and crossover segment is already a tightly contested affair and with Mahindra and Hyundai planning to add the XUV300 and QXi to it in a few months, there will be cut-throat competition. Both these sub-compact SUVs are expected to be feature-rich.

Maruti also plans to update the Vitara Brezza, but expect only minor cosmetic updates and some new features. If Maruti decides to add a petrol engine to the mix, then that might just make the Brezza a more compelling buy, especially because the entry-level price for the SUV will then come down.

Do you think the newcomers will be able to dethrone the Brezza and Nexon from the top 2 spots? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.