6 Pre-Booking Champion Cars of India

Snapshot – Pre-booking cars is gaining steam in India, and manufacturers are now aggressively pitching pre-bookings, which allows them to mop up a good amount of orders even before the launch of the car. Many such schemes also come with zero cancellation charges. The advantage of pre-booking a car is that it will help you avoid the long waiting period that usually besets a popular car model. Some cars fare very well even before their launches, and pre-booking is the trick that helps them get a strong initial foothold. Today, we’ll bring you 6 such champion cars of India, each amassing over 10,000 bookings before their launches.

Tata Nano

When Tata Motors opened up priority bookings for the Nano, the automaker got no less than 203,000 pre-bookings, making it a huge success even before the launch. While the Nano’s fortunes took somewhat of a nosedive after the launch, no other car in independent India has seen the kind of frenzy that the Nano managed to evoke even before its launch.

Maruti Suzuki Swift

The all-new, 2nd generation Swift came in 2011, a year when Maruti Suzuki was hit with major labour problems. Long waiting periods did little to detract Swift buyers, of whom 45,000 pre-booked India’s largest selling B+ segment hatchback. Till date, the new Swift remains the second most pre-booked car in Indian automotive history, save for the Tata Nano.

Hyundai Creta

The Creta is turning out to be yet another champ for Hyundai India, what with the first two weeks of this month seeing more than 10,000 buyers pre-booking this compact SUV. With just days to go for the launch, this number could swell to around 15,000. With production on at full swing in Sriperumbudur, Hyundai seems well equipped to tackle the demand. Waiting periods could still be a concern given the booking deluge this SUV could see after the launch.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

The Ciaz has been another very successful Maruti Suzuki car as far as pre-bookings go. The C-Segment sedan bagged over 10,000 orders before it launch in the second half of last year. Why, the Ciaz even outdid the Honda City, in terms of pre-orders. The car has now settled comfortably as the second best selling car in India’s C-Segment sedan space.

Ford Ecosport

The Ford Ecosport was another hotly anticipated car that got its day under the pre-order sun. Over 10,000 buyers in India flocked to Ford showrooms across the country, to pre-book the Ecosport. Even though the automaker didn’t offer price protection to the initial set of buyers, the high enthusiasm for the compact SUV didn’t ebb for up to 6 months after the launch. The Ecosport has now settled at a steady 4,000 monthly units, with strong export numbers to boot.

Honda City

The 4th generation Honda City sedan got off to a flier. After bagging 9,000 pre-orders, the City annihilated competition in the C-Segment class by selling nearly double of its closest competitor, the Hyundai Verna, which has been pushed down further by the Maruti Ciaz. The Honda City has now settled at a consistent 6,000+ monthly sales number, making it the top selling C-Segment sedan.