The raging craze for big wheels

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: of Pajero were up 19.5% at 221 units in August compared to 185 units in August last year.

While Ford India is still maintaining its volumes in the segment with its sole SUV model Endeavour, the company has been regularly upgrading the vehicle and adding new features to it to make the vehicle more attractive.

Recently, the company had launched the Ford Endeavour with Navi-gear that boasts of high-tech GPS Navigation system, in-car chiller-cum-warmer and a fifth door convex mirror. Ford India sold 269 units of the Endeavour in August compared to 263 units in August 2007, a growth of 2.3%.

“For car lovers who have a zeal for sport and adventure, nothing, not even the oil prices or high costs of these vehicles, can hold them from splurging on the big wheels,” says an industry expert.

“Since these vehicles are largely bought by deep-pocket people, mileage is never a problem. Hence, despite oil prices touching the roof till some time back, there has been no dip in the sales of sport utility vehicles in the country. Instead, the numbers have gone up despite a dip in the overall passenger vehicles industry,” he adds.

Siam data shows that while the market share of this segment has marginally gone up from 7.52% in August 20007 to 8.1% in August 2008, the overall passenger car industry registered a dip of 2.4% in August at 1,22,748 units vis-à-vis 1,25,769 units in August last year.

However, the picture is not so rosy for Maruti Suzuki India. The company has been present in the segment for more than a year now but its maiden product in the segment, the Grand Vitara, has failed to keep the growth momentum. Grand Vitara sales have come down from 96 units in August last year to 24 in the same month this year, a dip of 75% and analysts attribute this to the lack of a sporty feel of the vehicle.