Mahindra beats Tata Motors to get back 3rd place: Marazzo effect?

Mahindra has reclaimed the third spot in terms of vehicles sold every month in India from Tata Motors. Mahindra & Mahindra had lost its spot as the third largest carmaker in India in June after sales of its utility vehicles slowed down mainly due to the increasing demand for compact SUVs like the Maruti Vitara Brezza and the Tata Nexon. However, Mahindra, which launched the Marazzo MPV in India last month at a starting price of Rs 9.99 lakhs, has bounced back to reclaim the final podium spot in the race for the largest carmakers in India and sits behind Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai shipping out 19,942 units in the month of September 2018.

According to the latest sales figures, Mahindra shipped out 1,513 more vehicles than Tata Motors which sold 18,429 units in the month of September 2018. However, worryingly for Mahindra, the figure of 19.942 vehicles sold in September is actually lower than what the company did in the same month a year ago. In September 2017, the sales number was actually 23,429 units, meaning Mahindra actually registered a negative growth of -14.9% year-over-year. Tata Motors on the other hand actually registered a positive growth in sales of 6.6% selling 1,143 more vehicles than it did in the same month last year (17,286 units). Tata Motors was one of just three carmakers to register positive growth in September 2018 with the other two being Maruti and Toyota.

However, September’s sales report should cheer up Mahindra as it has regained its spot as the 3rd largest carmaker in India from Tata Motors. Mahindra’s launch of the Marazzo MPV in September may just be the biggest factor in it regaining the coveted third place spot in sales numbers last month.

The Marazzo is the largest vehicle to be sold in the passenger vehicle market by Mahindra and can easily seat seven to eight passengers in relative comfort. The Marazzo sits on new chassis and features a brand new turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that produces 121 Bhp and 300 Nm of torque which is sent to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox. Mahindra has placed the Marazzo in what was an empty spot between the top-spec Maruti Ertiga and the base Innova Crysta from Toyota, and even though there is still some overlap between the competing models, the aggressive price, features and options on the MPV make it a very attractive offering for customers.

Sales Figures Source – AutoPunditz