After witnessing the worst ever sales of the last decade in 2013, this year was really a challenge for all the carmakers in India. In fact, the first half of 2014 too didn't bring any good news; but as soon as the second half began, things started changing and car sales started growing. That said, the overall car sales in the year has not been that great, but it showed the signs of revival.
Now that the 2014 is about to end, we bring you the list of top 10 selling cars of the year. Since the carmakers haven't shared their December 2014 sales figures yet, we have included the sales of the first 11 months (January 2014 - November 2014).
Top 10 selling cars
Maruti Suzuki Alto - 242248 units
Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire - 193680 units
Maruti Suzuki Swift - 185421 units
Maruti Suzuki WagonR - 146931 units
Hyundai Grand i10 - 95539 units
Mahindra Bolero - 92297 units
Hyundai Eon - 74349 units
Honda City - 71308 units
Maruti Suzuki Omni - 68246 units
Maruti Suzuki Celerio - 62765 units
Also Read: Top 10 Most Anticipated Cars of 2015
Key Observations
- The last year's top-selling car, Maruti Suzuki Alto, continued to rule the market this year as well. The company sold a total of 242248 units which is about 23% more than the second most selling car in India.
- The country's largest selling carmaker once again dominated the sales chart with 6 of its cars entering top 10 sellers of the year. In fact, Maruti retains all top 4 positions in the top selling cars' list.
- Despite having some really capable competitors like Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent and Tata Zest in the entry-level sedan segment, Maruti Swift Dzire continued to dominate the space. In fact, the Dzire has been the only sub-compact sedan in the top-10 selling cars of the year. Selling a total of 1,93,680 units in last 11 months, the Dzire is the second most selling car in the country today; and it will easily cross the 2 lakh mark by the end of this year. Honda's first ever diesel car, the Amaze, did really well in the first half; but due to production issues, the company failed to control the rising waiting period for its sub-compact sedan. Despite all the issues, Honda managed to sell 60325 units of the Amaze in the first 11 months of the calendar year.
- India's most loved premium hatchback, the Maruti Suzuki Swift, kept the attendants busy at all MSI dealerships across the nation. The Swift, till November, sold over 1.85 lakh units, which makes it the third best-selling car of the year. This too will easily cross 2 lakh sales mark by the end of the year. Its closest competitor, Hyundai i20, couldn't even do 1/3rd of its sales in the year. But things might start changing from now onwards, since the new-gen i20 has been claimed to have garnered over 56,000 bookings within 4 months of its launch.
- The budget hatchback segment that currently is the largest contributor in the overall car sales, has three Maruti Suzuki cars - Alto, WagonR and Celerio. Hyundai Eon is the only non-Maruti vehicle to have been able to do good. Hyundai Eon at 74349 units is the 7th largest selling car in the market.
- Ever since its launch, the Grand i10 has been the top-selling Hyundai car in India. In fact, the Grand i10 is the only non-Maruti vehicle that has managed to enter the list of top-5 selling cars of the year. Hyundai sold a total of 95539 units in the first 11 months of the year, and will easy cross 1 lakh sales mark by the end of this year.
- Despite being a 13 year old vehicle, Mahindra Bolero is still among the hot favourites in semi-urban and rural markets of India. Though, the company has recorded a constant drop in its sales over the years, it is still the top-selling vehicle in Mahindra's passenger car division. Selling a total of 92297 units in first 11 months of 2014, the Bolero is the sixth largest selling car in India.
- Maruti Omni is among the oldest car in Maruti's current line-up, and has almost done its life-cycle. But when you look at its sales, it still sells more units than several contemporary cars; and that is essentially because of its practicality and affordability. Available in three verisons - Cargo, Ambulance and Standard - the vehicle has once again managed to stay in the top-10 selling cars of the year. MSI sold a total of 68246 units of its van in 2014.
