Even as the prevalent slowdown continues to hit the Indian car market, it is not stopping auto makers from competing with each other. Surprisingly, despite the constant decline in demand for the past months, Maruti Suzuki, in an official statement, reported a growth in sales for the month of July. This comes as a surprise to a lot of experts in the auto industry and has, once again, reinstated the kind of power Maruti Suzuki holds in India. It would be safe to say that all the car companies have been enduring a torrid period in recent times.
However, there is one trend that has been spotted of late, which is being considered the go-to resort for car makers in the country. Analysis reports and statistics have shown that the Indian car market has tremendous growth potential after things are restored to normal, in terms of the economy. Rather than waiting for things to improve, car makers have resorted to launching new cars to pump up their sales.
If one was to consider the kind of slowdown that is prevalent in the market, the number of cars launched this year are quite incredible. Mercedes-Benz, the German luxury car maker, has introduced the like of GL-Class Sports utility Vehicle (SUV), E-Class saloon, A-Class and B-Class Diesel premium hatchbacks, and most recently the E63 AMG. According to company claims, it has adopted an aggressive strategy for the Indian car market, marking 2013 as the 'Year of Offensive'.
Another car maker that has been quite active in terms of introduction of new vehicles is Nissan. The Japanese auto maker recently launched the Datsun brand by unveiling the compact hatchback Go in New Delhi. Datsun was introduced after Nissan had launched the facelifted Micra and the Micra Active models. And the car maker is not planning to stop here as it is expected to launch the Terrano Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in the festive season. Notably, Terrano will be the last car based on the product-sharing policy between Nissan and Renault.
Volkswagen Group owned auto maker Skoda is also expected to launch the new Octavia soon after unveiling it in Mumbai on 9th of August. It must be noted that the older versions of Skoda Octavia enjoyed great success in the Indian car market and the firm is relying on the same to push sales for the new model as well.
The market for compact SUVs, in particular, has witnessed definite growth in the recent past. Despite the car market being bogged by the slowdown, vehicles like the Ford EcoSport, Renault Duster and Maruti Suzuki Ertiga have been really successful. Other than the compact SUV segment, a lot of luxury cars have hit and some are expected to be launched soon. Some of the recent launches include Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, Audi RS5 Coupe and Jaguar F-Type.
