India car sales February 2018: Winners and Losers

When it comes to automotive sales, February and March are known to be slow months, especially with no corporate buying and the usual wait for the budget reforms to be passed. So, there is nothing to worry even if the overall car sales in the month of February have shrunk as compared to the January this year across all manufacturers. Despite these crippling factors, there are a few cars that have still managed to surge ahead of the curve in terms of sales and also a few cars that couldn’t really get going. Here is a rundown on the sales numbers for car sales in February 2018.

Winners:

Ford Endeavour

Ford’s big-boy, the Endeavour SUV, has had one of its best months in the last two quarters at least, with 814 units sold in the month of February. The hefty and immensely capable SUV fights it out with the hugely popular Toyota Fortuner and has been Ford’s steady seller for the past year.

Datsun Redi-Go

It seems that the introduction of the 1.0-litre AMT to the Redi-Go lineup has worked in favour of the little hatch from the Japanese carmaker Datsun. With 18 per cent growth over its sales in January this year and 14 per cent over its sales in February 2017, the Datsun Redi-Go is looking to claw back into the compact hatchback segment.

Tata Zest

Tata Motors has sold over 85,000 Zests till date and also launched the Premio edition of the compact sedan a couple of days ago. The Zest, along with the Bolt, marks the departure of Tata cars from the rickety old image, ushering the Indian car maker into the new era and doing the groundwork that has contributed to the success of the Tiago and the Nexon.

Losers:

Honda Amaze

The sales numbers of the Honda Amaze have suddenly slipped to three digits and has been one of the primary reasons for Honda’s overall dip in sales in February. While we are pretty sure the numbers will bounce back, the fact that Honda has already unveiled the next-gen Amaze at the Auto-Expo might affect its revival.

Hyundai Xcent

Another compact sedan that has taken a hit is the Hyundai Xcent. While its hatchback sibling, the Grand i10 is clocking more than 10,000 units on a regular basis, the Xcent hasn’t managed to repeat the feat. This might also be because of the hugely successful Maruti Suzuki Dzire that has been ruling the compact sedan segment for half a decade now.