Highest selling cars of 2016

2016 has been an eventful year for the auto industry. The year witnessed ban on diesel vehicles, the odd-even number scheme, diesel gate, electric and hybrid cars embarking in the Indian market, and lastly the demonetization all affecting the sales of the cars in one way or the other. So let’s have a look which cars managed to make a mark in the Indian car market this year.

Maruti Suzuki Alto:

The Alto kept its unparalleled lead throughout the year selling around 2,27,743 units between January and November. With average sales of 20,703 units every month, the Alto sold the most in the festive season of September reaching a whopping 27,750 units. The lowest dip of 15,750 units was in the month of June. 

Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire:

The compact sedan managed to sell 1,87,433 units between January and November with a monthly average of 17,040. The Dzire found 19,229 takers in July when it almost equalled the highest selling car. But fell to its lowest fourth place in the month of April selling only 13256 units.

Maruti Suzuki Wagon R:

The tall-boy-hatchback is a steady selling car for Maruti Suzuki, with an average of 14,465 units every month. The Wagon R found 1,59,110 homes in the last 11 months. In the festive season of September, it sold 16,746 units and the lowest sales this year was 11,962 units in June.

Maruti Suzuki Swift:

The Swift being the undisputed hatchback king in its segment shows its dominance with 1,54,017 units through the year. Averaging 14,000 units, it is way ahead of any of its competitors. It sold 16,746 units in September but the sales dropped to a lowest of 9033 in the month of June in 2016.

Hyundai Grand i10:

The entry-level hatchback from Hyundai sold an impressive 1,25,668  units from January till November. With an average of around 11,424 units each month, the Korean hatch even outsold the Swift and the Wagon R in June to become the third highest selling car in that month. 

Hyundai Elite i20:

The second Hyundai in the list is the Elite i20. The premium hatchback sold a total of 1,12,686 units in the first eleven months of 2016. It averages 10,244 units every month. This premium hatch even sold more units than the Grand i10 in the months between February and April.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno:

The premium Nexa offering had an impressive sale this year finding 97,580 homes this year. Selling around 8,870 cars every month, the Baleno crossed the 10,000 mark four times in the last 11 months. The global product for Maruti Suzuki is solely made in India.

Renault Kwid

Launched last year, the Kwid turned out to be a runaway success for Renault. The Kwid averages around 8,813 units every month and sold a total of 96,948 units since January. Festive season boosted the sales beyond 10,000 units and it became the fifth highest selling car in June, outselling the Swift.

Hyundai Creta

It is the first car of the list which is not a hatchback which goes on to show how popular crossovers are in India. The Creta sold 86,363 units this year so far, averaging around 7,851 units each month. The Creta’s numbers didn't dip below 6500 and it is the third Hyundai in the list.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio

The Celerio sold 83,292 units in 2016 so far. It sold at an average of 7,572 units each month. The hatchback had its ups and downs the entire year, with sales reaching as low as 5,000 more than twice, but it managed to soldier on with impressive numbers since the festive season.

Honourable mentions:

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza – The compact crossover was launched in March and went on to win the coveted ICOTY award. The car deserved acclamation for the fact that since its launch, the car sold 76,197 units till November with an average of 6,927 units every month. It crossed the 10,000 mark twice and never has it gone down below top 10 selling cars every month since June.

Maruti Suzuki Omni – The 32-year-old van never ceased a sales figure below 5,500 all through the year. It sold the highest number of units in July with 8564 units, outselling Creta, Celerio and Innova in that month. The Omni still sells an average of 7,051 units every month and this year alone it sold around 77,570 units.

Mahindra Bolero - The utilitarian Bolero silently kept a reputable sale of 61,536 units this year even after the diesel ban in India. The Indian SUV found an average of 5,594 takers every month

Conclusion:

Maruti Suzuki dominated the year with a market share of around 50 per cent in India. The top four vehicles and seven out of total 10 vehicles in the list are a part of the Indo-Japanese manufacturer’s line-up. Hyundai retains the second spot, with a market share of around 17 per cent and has the only crossover in the list. Hatchbacks are still dominating body style with 53 per cent cars sold in India being hatchbacks.