Report Card – How are recently launched Cars & SUVs doing?

The past couple of months have seen a bunch of car & SUV launches. While these cars have had big anticipation levels before the actual launches, the time has now come to see how they’re actually faring at the marketplace. Here’s the first month’s report card.

Ford Figo Aspire

The Figo Aspire is Ford’s first ever sub-4 meter compact sedan. The response to this car has been good, with the American automaker sitting on about 10,000 bookings. Around 8,500 cars have already been sold, and the Figo Aspire is expected to settle at about 3,000-4,000 monthly units. While this is not big by any stretch of imagination, Ford will be happy with these numbers as it seeks to get around the problem of being a one-trick-pony brand. The Figo Aspire’s sharp pricing is expected to sustain the momentum for it.

Renault Kwid

Never before in its history in India has Renault received such a big booking response. In 2 weeks, the Kwid hatchback received over 50,000 bookings, and that’s success right there. While the first month of sales saw Renault dispatching about 5,200 units of the Kwid, the coming months are likely to see a higher figure. The Kwid will also be exported to emerging markets around the world. In the times to come, A 1 liter-3 cylinder petrol engine, and an AMT option will be served up on the car.

Ford Figo

The previous generation Figo was Ford’s first real success in India, and the second generation model is likely to continue it’s predecessor’s good run. The first month has seen over 3,500 Figo hatchbacks being dispatched to Ford dealers across the country. Booking response has been good too, with over 5,000 bookings clocked in just a week of launch. The sharp pricing is a major factor that could work in favour of the Figo. Also, it’s one the most powerful diesel car in its segment.

Mahindra TUV300

Mahindra has scored a success with the TUV300, sub-meter compact SUV. In its first two months of sale, the ladder frame equipped SUV has managed over 4,500 monthly units. In fact, the TUV300 is the country’s second best selling compact SUV, next only to the Hyundai Creta, and that’s quite something. Another positive is that the TUV300 isn’t cannibalizing the Bolero’s sales. Rural and semi urban demand could drive future sales of this compact SUV, which is easily Mahindra’s biggest success this year.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

The limited reach of Maruti Suzuki’s premium NEXA dealerships hasn’t stopped the Baleno from putting up a very strong show in its first month, with over 4,200 wholesale dispatches. Notably, the Baleno is already commanding waiting times of 3 months for certain variants, and this indicates good demand. With Maruti Suzuki aiming to progressively increase the number of NEXA dealerships across the country, the well priced Baleno could gun straight for the best selling Hyundai Elite i20. This will be one battle to watch out for.