Swift Dzire tops May sales chart; leaves Etios and Indigo far behind

It doesn’t take a four digit IQ to figure out that the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire is selling more than any of its competition as the sheer number of Dzire’s on road is evidence enough.

The question is, by how much? CarToq compared (May) sales figures of the Dzire with its competition and found an answer to just that!

The Swift Dzire is a compact sedan and some of the other cars buyers in the segment consider include the Toyota Etios and Tata Indigo. Those who choose cars based solely on affordability and don’t mind the dated looks may even consider the Hyundai Accent.

Now, Toyota’s much talked about Etios Sedan which starts at as low as Rs.4.96 lakh (ex-showroom-Delhi) sold 3412 units in the month of May, which is a fairly decent number. The Tata Indigo sedan (which pulls plenty of numbers from taxi fleet operators) sold a healthy 4268 units (including the Man za) in the same period. This is when the Indigo eGLS model is priced at a low Rs.4.41 lakh (ex-showroom-Delhi).

The Big News

But what you are about to read will leave most of you baffled, the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire (yes the car whose looks do NOT kill!) has sold an unfathomable 10,812 units in May! That is more than the sales of the Toyota Etios and the Tata Indigo in the same period put together! In fact from January 2011 up to May 2011 the car has been consistently selling over 9,000 units, every month. Also read: A quick look at Indian car sales in May 2011

The Hyundai Accent (Priced at RS.5.01 lakh ex-showroom-Delhi) doesn’t even come close to the Swift Dzire and has sold only 1,047 units in May. The Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire LXI is priced at Rs. 4.94 lakh (ex-showroom-Delhi) which makes it cheaper than the base models of the Toyota Etios, Hyundai Accent and the Indigo eGLS.

So why is the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire walking all over its competition? Let’s take a closer look at what the car offers.

What makes the Dzire tick with buyers?

The Dzire was built on the foundations of the successful Maruti Suzuki Swift Small car and after the Baleno’s ouster it is the only car in the small sedan segment. After the Etios’ initial runaway popularity it was expected that Maruti would need to either update the Dzire or make it cheaper but as figures indicate the Dzire has held its position at the top so far.

The Dzire borrows its interiors from the top trim Swift small car and has a traditional layout format with the central console in the middle and the speedometer, tachometer and various gauges in a scooped out shell in front of the driver.

The Zxi and Zdi variants of the Dzire come equipped with steering mounted audio controls and automatic climate control (ACC) system, which enables you to set the cabin temperature. Despite of its shortcomings the Dzire has been consistently pulling buyers towards it, roping in huge volumes for Maruti Suzuki.

The Dzire’s new K series engine is dependable; the 1.3 litre Fiat Multijet unit found in the diesel variant however is the preferred variant. The petrol engine delivers decent mileage and performance making it a hit among money conscious buyers.

The Dzire sports features like ABS, dual SRS airbags, electronic power steering, power windows, remote locking, tilt steering, alloy wheels, body colored door handles and ORVMs (Vxi and Zxi variants). All these features however cannot justify the cars phenomenal sales figures; so what is it that keeps the Dzire’ sales ticking?

We believe it’s the Maruti Suzuki Brand name. No other brand can claim to have inspired as much trust and loyalty as Maruti Suzuki has and that appears to be the reason for the Dzire’ practicality defying sales.

What remains to be seen is whether the Dzire can continue this sales spree in the months to come, as the Etios is moving up the sales ladder rather fast. The Dzire may soon get a slightly refreshed look following the launch of the new Swift small car.