When you reach the number one position it is equally important to keep doing the good work and secure the position. It seems like Maruti not just wants to be there for long, but also wants to increase the lead further. The company has a spate of launches planned for 2015, close to four vehicles or more and is also planning to use the successful Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) in more of its models.
The contemplated launches for 2015 by Maruti are - SX4 S-Cross, Celerio diesel, light truck, Ertiga facelift and a premium hatchback to be placed above the Swift. The SX4 S-Cross will compete with the Renault Duster and the Ford EcoSport, while the Celerio diesel might fall in a niche category if they price it right. While we aren’t sure of the light truck, the Ertiga facelift is what the doctor ordered with the entry of the Honda Mobilio that has taken the MPV market by a storm.
Maruti had an enviable market share of 44.8 per cent in the April-November period, this figure might just go up a few notches with the introduction of these new products.
Maruti has a near invincible hold on the Indian car market and more than half the credit goes to their range of small cars. However, above the compact sedan segment they don’t have a winning product yet. The recently launched Ciaz is doing well, but that apart they don’t have anything above Rs 10 lakh in our market. We feel the company will focus on adding more products in every segment while strengthening their strong area – small cars.
Source: ET