General Motors cuts prices of Chevrolet Sail U-Va as sales slump

General Motors has cut the price of the Chevrolet Sail U-Va by a whopping Rs. 30,000 in a bid to get some traction in a slippery market. The car has seen its sales dropping month on month quite badly since its launch in November 2012. Also read: Chevrolet Sail U-Va road test and review

The Chevrolet Sail U-Va base petrol variant’s price has been axed from Rs. 4.48 lakh (its launch price) to Rs. 4.19 lakh. The Chevrolet Sail U-Va, when launched, was seen as a good value-for-money premium hatchback, but still it didn’t find too many buyers despite good support offers from GM. This price cut makes it even more value for money, but will it work? Also read: Chevrolet Sail U-Va vs Toyota Liva vs Ford Figo

Losing ground

In the first month of its launch, the Chevrolet Sail U-Va sold 1,595 vehicles, against a planned 5,000 units a month. The next month sales dropped to 1,173 units, but buyers can be forgiven for not being enthusiastic about it, as it was the end of the year. In January, the Chevrolet Sail U-Va’s sales slumped further to 1,076 units. In February, the already struggling car got hit by its bigger sibling, the launch of the Chevrolet Sail sedan, at very attractive prices. Sales in February were a mere 560 units for the Sail U-VA. Also see: Chevrolet Sail U-Va walkaround video

Why is the Sail U-VA not selling?

The Chevrolet Sail U-VA at its launch price itself was quite attractive, as it provided more features and space when compared with vehicles like the Maruti Swift – the premium hatchback segment leader, which has been clocking close to 20,000 cars a month! The Maruti Swift petrol has a starting price of Rs. 4.48 lakh ex-showroom, going up to Rs. 6.88 lakh for the top-end diesel. The Chevrolet Sail U-Va’s top-end LT ABS diesel variant is priced at Rs. 6.68 lakh, about Rs. 20,000 cheaper than the Swift, but offers an equal number of features (except climate control, but it also offers Bluetooth which the Swift doesn’t) and more space. The mid variants also offer safety features such as ABS and airbags. The cars are comparable on engine power and fuel efficiency, and the Sail U-Va also offers a better warranty and maintenance package compared to the Swift. Also read: Chevrolet Sail U-Va vs Maruti Swift

The only reason, one can deduce as to the Sail U-Va not selling in required numbers is a lacklustre marketing campaign by Chevrolet and also the rather plain old-school design on the U-Va compared to the sportier looks of the competition. The car is essentially a good product, but Chevrolet should get more aggressive with its marketing – this price cut may be good in the short term, but it could also cheapen the image of the car. Also read: Is the Chevrolet Sail U-Va overpriced?

Share your thoughts on the Chevrolet Sail U-Va. Why do you think it’s not got off to a good start?