2014 is going to be an important year for auto makers in the Indian car market. Although things do not look too bright at the moment, the prospects of improvement always remain. Figures for the month of November 2013 were revealed recently and results were not good. A number of car makers in the country registered fall in domestic sales. Surprisingly, India's largest passenger vehicle maker and number one brand, Maruti Suzuki, recorded fall in sales, something that is unimaginable considering its market prowess. This fact, just about, sums up conditions that prevail in the Indian auto industry at the moment. Demand is sluggish, fuel rates are high and customers are reluctant to purchase new cars. Resilient as they are, companies have done everything from launching new models to providing discounts but nothing seems to challenge this slump. However, there have been a few bright spots in the form of growth for a few brands. Analysts have forecast names of some car companies that are expected to perform well in 2014.
Year after year and month after month, Maruti Suzuki has registered growth in its sales. Understandably, it was a huge surprise to experts and the media when the company revealed a decline of 10.7 per cent in November 2013. Some analysts are of the opinion that India's largest passenger car maker is going to be a strong force in 2014, irrespective of market condition. If one looks at things objectively, Maruti Suzuki has not done much in 2013 in terms of model launches, unlike other brands. The only new introduction of the Suzuki owned firm was Stingray, which was overshadowed by Hyundai Grand i10. Apart from this, Maruti Suzuki faced stiff competition in compact sedan segment in the form of Honda Amaze, which can be considered as car of the year due to its success.
Strong reports have claimed that Maruti Suzuki is going to launch a couple of models in 2014. According to sources, one of these cars is going to be a compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) based on the XA Alpha concept vehicle that was showcased at 2012 Auto Expo. The demand for compact utility vehicles is quite high at the moment, something that can be verified by the success of Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster. Maruti Suzuki, reportedly, is going to showcase the production model at 2014 Auto Expo in February. The other car that might be launched by the company is YL1 sedan, expected to replace SX4, which, in all probability, is on its way out. Cars like Alto 800, Swift, WagonR and Swift DZire are already doing well in India. Given Maruti Suzuki's brand value and position in the country, it is likely that XA Alpha compact SUV and YL1 sedan will be successful.
If there is one brand that has stamped its authority on the Indian market in 2013, it has been Japanese car maker Honda. Fighting all odds and marketing conditions, the firm has emerged a winner in 2013. Incredibly, according to statistics, this brand has registered a growth of 151 per cent in sales for November. Amaze compact sedan has been the main reason for this sort of growth as the model is going to touch 50000 bookings soon. Capitalising on the success of i-DTEC diesel engine, Honda unveiled the new City sedan, which is set to be launched in January, 2014. Not only the firm but even experts are betting high on City diesel to be a game changer. It is widely expected that the Japan-based car maker might also launch the Brio-based Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV), Mobilio, in India by mid-2014. To sum things up, it would be safe to say that Honda has a bright future in 2014 with models like Amaze, new City and Mobilio expected to perform well.
Nissan, in the festive season, launched the Terrano compact SUV, which has done reasonably well in India. Since it is relatively new in the market, Terrano's demand is still rising in the country. The Japanese firm showcased Datsun Go model in India in 2013 and is likely to launch it in 2014. A compact hatchback expected to be priced under Rs. 4 lakh, this car is going to compete with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon. Experts feel that Nissan's aggressive pricing strategy for the Datsun brand might work well in India as customers are influenced a lot by the cost of a vehicle. In addition, with fuel rates rising in the country, an aggressively priced car with good fuel-efficiency has the potential to do well.
