Maruti Suzuki Wagon R Crosses 2 Million Sales Mark In India

Maruti Suzuki cars have a knack for achieving milestones and the latest one to do so is the WagonR hatchback. The boxy sedan that was launched in India way back in 1999 has achieved a sales milestone of 20 lakh units in the domestic market, with the magical number coming up this month. The Maruti Suzuki WagonR is one of the top five bestselling cars in the country and has country been on that list for the past 10 years. With this achievement, the WagonR is now the third model in India to join the 2 million sales club alongside the Maruti 800 and Alto hatchback.

According to Maruti, about 45 per cent customers choose the WagonR as their first car, which makes it second to the Alto entry-level hatchback. The automaker also says that nearly 20 per cent of WagonR customers have purchased the car multiple times.

Commenting on the success of the WagonR, Maruti Suzuki - Senior Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, R S Kalsi said, "Since its inception, WagonR has been ahead of its peers. Its comfort seating, spacious interiors superior fuel efficiency, practicality and pleasure of driving have made it a popular choice. To keep it strong, Maruti Suzuki has systematically upgraded the brand with new design and features. Needless to say WagonR has continued to top the sales chart. Despite intensified competition in small car space, WagonR continues to be the preferred choice of the practical car buyers."

(The Japanese inspired WagonR Stingray is also sold in India)

The Maruti Suzuki WagonR registered its first million sales figure in 2011, and its popularity has only increased further in the more recent years. Apart from first time buyers, the hatchback has also found a dominant space amidst fleet owners which has also contributed to the sales figure. No wonder, then, that the next one million sales mark was registered in just 79 months.

The Wagon R started life in 1993 as a kei car in Japan and was in fact, one of the first cars to carry the "tall boy" design. While its design may have had polarised opinions, the car has time and again turned out to be an extremely practical offering. Over the years, several new features have made it to the hatchback include dual airbags, LPG and CNG fuel options, as well as automated manual transmission (AMT). Maruti says the AMT version accounts for nearly 16 per cent of the sales, while the CNG version accounts for over 20 per cent.

Maruti Suzuki WagonR Journey:

2004: 100,000 units
2008: 500,000 units
2011: 10,00,000 units
2014: 15,00,000 units
2017: 20,00,000 units