The year 2019 saw a plethora of car launches take place in India. The debut spanned across multiple segments, be that of a compact SUV or an entry-level offering. Though the year 2019 saw the Indian auto industry go through one of its biggest slowdowns, certain products still managed to gather outstanding sales numbers. That said, there were certain models which failed to make their mark and were not able to gather sales figures as expected by the manufacturer. In this report, we have compiled a list of all the cars, which were a hit in the year 2019 and also of those were a flop. Read along!
Hit car launches of the year 2019!
When talking about the cars which were a hit in 2019, we have to mention the name of Kia Seltos. This compact SUV, which is the first product from the South Korean automaker in India, launched earlier this year, in the month of November, sold more than 14,000 units. The company has received more than 60,000 bookings for the Seltos. Not only this but with the help of the Seltos alone, Kia has managed to become the 4th largest carmaker in India.
Hyundai’s offering in the sub-compact SUV segment, the Venue, has also turned out to be a very big success for the South Korean carmaker. In the month of November 2019, Hyundai sold more than 9,000 units of the Venue in India, which is what the company has been averaging for this vehicle every month since launch. The Hyundai Venue currently competes against the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and the Mahindra XUV300.
Maruti Suzuki S-Presso
Though the design of the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso might not be to everyone’s liking, the overall package that this entry-level hatchback offers has many going for it. In the month of November 2019, Maruti Suzuki sold more than 11,000 units of the S-Presso in India and hence, it was amongst the top 10 best selling cars for the carmaker in the country. The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso is likely to continue this sales momentum, just like every other budget offering from Maruti Suzuki.
Another blockbuster product from Maruti Suzuki, during the year 2019 was the fourth-generation iteration of the WagonR hatchback. With an average monthly sale of more than 10,000 units every month, the new generation of the WagonR has even surpassed the sales figures for the older generation model. The tall-boy, which currently competes against the likes of Hyundai Santro continues to remain the best-selling vehicle in its segment.
Renault Triber
The Renault Triber, a compact, sub-four-meter seven-seater, based on the same platform as that of the Renault Kwid, has been bringing in decent sales numbers for the French carmaker in India. In the month of November 2019, Renault sold more than 6,000 units of the Triber in India, making it the best-selling car for the brand in India.
MG Hector
The MG Hector, which is the maiden product from the British marquee in India has also been accepted well in the Indian market. MG is still trying to fulfil the 40,000 plus bookings which it has received for the same. In the month of November 2019, MG sold more than 3,000 units of the Hector in India, which is quite impressive for the segment in which it is positioned.
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic, which made its comeback to the Indian market after a hiatus of more than six years, is currently sitting at the top of the leaderboard in its segment. Averaging a triple-digit monthly sales, the Civic’s sales figure are more than the combined sales of its competition. It is also one of the few sedans that have manged to become successful in the middle of an SUV onslaught as demanded by the buyers.
Misses for the year 2019!
Tata Harrier
The Tata Harrier was amongst one of the most talked-about cars of 2019. With its out-of-the-box styling, it was assumed to be a big success in the Indian market. However, though the sales picked up initially, they tumbled down in the following months. What let the Harrier down was lack of features in comparison to the competition, which included the likes of MG Hector and the Kia Seltos. In the month of November 2019, Tata Motors sold under 800 units of the Harrier in India. The lack of an automatic transmission also hurt the vehicle’s sales in urban areas.
Ford introduced a major facelift for the Figo hatchback in India this year. It received considerable exterior design changes along with a major overhaul of its interiors with the introduction of additional features. The sales did pick up in comparison to the pre-facelift model, however, remained low in comparison to what the competition was doing. Despite being an absolutely fun-to-drive car with good safety, the Figo couldn’t succeed in the fight against the offerings from Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai.
Nissan Kicks
The Nissan Kicks, despite being a good product, failed to make its mark in India because it failed to match up to its biggest segment rival, the Hyundai Creta. The Kicks though on its own is a decent product, fails to offer multiple first-in-segment features, which is exactly what was required to dethrone the Hyundai Creta off its top spot. Also, the unavailability of an automatic gearbox, which it still isn’t available with was a major deterrent for buyers. For reference, in the month of November 2019, Nissan sold just under 300 units of the Kicks in India.
