The 5 most-selling hatchbacks in India.

Car sales data of June suggest a slowdown in almost every segment but there are still some that have maintained sales and the title of being the most popular cars in India.

Sale of petrol cars suffered the most with the price of petrol going through the roof. Diesel cars were also hit after the government raised its price also.

Brand value, good features, good after sales and spares, reasonable prices, value for money and last but not the least good mileage made these cars more popular than the rest. While some of these hatchbacks have been around for years, a few were recent additions.

Maruti Swift

Maruti Swift, an A2 segment car, along with other hatchbacks like Maruti Alto, Maruti Wagon-R, Maruti Zen, Maruti Ritz and Maruti A-Star reached a sales figure of 52,599 in June this year a growth of 2.3 per cent over June 2010.

The reasons why Maruti Swift ropes in good sales figures compared to other cars such as Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo, Tata Indica and Chevrolet Beat are its brand value, track record and value for money besides mileage.

Maruti Swift was launched in January 2009.

Its image got a boost thanks to its 85bhp engine with turbocharger, which gave a mileage of 12.8kmpl in the city and 16.6 kmpl on the highways.

The Maruti Swift price ranges between Rs 409,000 and Rs 556,000 ex showroom in New Delhi.

Volkswagen Polo

Launched in May 2010, the Volkswagen Polo is now over a year old and is available in both petrol and diesel variants in the price range of Rs 457,000 to Rs 706,000.

The Volkswagen Polo petrol returns a mileage of 17.0 kmpl just less than Liva and Nissan Micra that delivers a mileage of 18kmpl.

Polo's strengths lie in its awesome looks, interiors and brand value.

Polo clicked a sales figure of 2,679 units in June out of a total of 5,397 Volkswagen cars sold in India in June this year.

Ford Figo

Introduced in February 2010, Ford Figo has touched a year-over-year growth of 53 per cent in June and recently reached 100,000 sales mark.

Good space, powerful engine, large boot and a big car drive feel has considerably pushed Figo sales in India.

The diesel version undoubtedly delivers unmatched performance.

Ford Figo petrol price ranges between Rs 359,000 to Rs 462,000 while the diesel version starts at Rs 493,000 ex showroom.

Figo is in competition with the newly launched Toyota Etios Liva, Maruti Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Maruti Ritz, Fiat Punto and Tata Indica primarily.

Ford as a brand has the highest backing for Figo in terms of sales.

Besides, its after sale service, and spares network are also considerably good.

Toyota Etios Liva

Liva, the 'Lively and Live Life to the fullest' car brings the 'Q' Class experience from Etios and offers QDR standard - Quality, Durability and Reliability at a price range of Rs 399,000 to Rs 600,000.

Launched on June 27 the 79bhp Liva returns a mileage of 18.31 kmpl as per ARAI.

Liva also comes with a 3-year, 100,000-kilometers conditional warranty.

Toyota is also thinking of bringing in a diesel variant of Liva in the coming months. Toyota's brand value besides spacious interiors and looks of Liva are its plus points.

The diesel variant is highly anticipated to further the sales of Liva.

Tata Indica Vista

Tata cars are next to Maruti or perhaps the first preference in terms of diesel cars.

Known for its sturdy nature and long life just like Maruti cars, Tata Indica Vista is a new avatar of Tata Indica.

New body style, new interiors, larger boot are some of the changes made to Indica to make it Vista.

The Vista Aqua has a new 1.3L Quadrajet Fiat engine that churns out 75 PS and delivers 18 kmpl on the highways.

Some users have in fact reported 22 kmpl mileage.

With the improved engine and new platform, the Vista has gained importance and is as maintenance free as any other car contrary to Tata Indica that needs frequent maintenance checks.

Toyota defers Liva launch till June to clear Etios backlog

The world's largest carmaker Toyota have postponed by two months introducing the hatchback version of its sedan Etios in India to June as it tries to clear order backlog of the recently launched car.

The company, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, will be doubling its output at the Bangalore facility to a minimum of 5,000 units every month from April for the Etios sedan.

"We have received very good response for the Etios. We are doubling the production of the car by starting the second shift from April," Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director (Marketing) Sandeep Singh told PTI.

Etios' waiting period is 4-6 months and TKM has decided to fulfill its commitment to existing customers first.

"Hence, to clear the order backlog, we have decided to postpone the launch of Liva by about two months," Singh said.

The company had launched the Etios in December last year and had announced its plans to introduce the small car Liva with a 1.2 litre petrol engine in April 2011.

As part of the new plan, the company will now enhance Etios output to a minimum of 5,000 units from the existing about 2,500 units per month, Singh said.

TKM has so far received about 26,500 booking orders for the Etios since its launch and the company has delivered only about 5,000 units, he added.

The company has invested Rs 3,200 crore to set up its second manufacturing facility in the country with an installed capacity of 70,000 units per annum to roll out the Etios. It has launched the car with a 1.5 litre petrol engine.

The Japanese auto major had launched Etios with a price tag of Rs 4.96 lakh-Rs 6.86 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It has been pitched against other entry-level sedans such as Maruti DZiRE, Mahindra Logan and Fiat Linea.

At the time of the launch, Singh had said the company was targeting to sell 70,000 units of Etios, including the hatchback, in 2011.

When asked about its sports utility vehicle Fortuner, Singh said: "We had started the booking again in January and so far received about 4,000 orders. The waiting period for the vehicle is 3-4 months now."

The company's first facility at the same location has a production capacity of about 80,000 units per annum.

On the impact of rising commodity prices, he said: "We are under pressure. We will review the prices of our products by March-end."

TKM currently manufactures models like multi utility vehicle Innova, premium sedan Corolla Altis and SUV Fortuner in India. It also sells sedan Camry, SUVs Prado and Land Cruiser and hybrid car Prius in the country as fully imported vehicles.

LONG WAITING LIST- In queue for Etios? Toyota may offer you Liva

Faced with a deluge of bookings for its new sedan Etios, Toyota is considering a unique offering for those in queue by giving them the option to shift to the company’s compact car, Liva, which debuts in March. Alternatively, the company is also considering to marginally increase the production of Etios to accommodate the rush.

According to sources, Toyota is worried that the seven to eight months’ waiting period for Etios may prompt customers to shift to rival brands. So, it is working on a plan to offer those with Etios bookings the option to go for the compact Liva, though details are still being worked out. It is not yet clear whether these people will get a priority in the delivery of the 1200cc petrol-engine Liva, which is likely to be priced around Rs 4 lakh.

The company hopes this move will ensure that the customers will stay within the Toyota fold, while getting an option to cut down on their waiting periods. The Etios, deliveries for which started earlier this month, has been a runaway success for the company and it has so far received bookings over 18,500 units.

When contacted, Toyota Kirloskar deputy MD (sales & marketing) Sandeep Singh said, “We are looking at various options, and a concrete plan is yet to be firmed up.” Singh, however, agreed that the company was looking at increasing the production of Etios from the plant near Bangalore, which has come up with an investment of Rs 3200 crore. Toyota plans to manufacture about 70,000 units from this plant between the Etios sedan and its compact version Liva in the first year. “Our manufacturing team is looking at this and a decision on enhancing production will be taken towards the end of February. However, if it happens, the increment in production may not be a major one. Whatever happens will be through improved efficiency and tweaking things here and there,” Singh said.

The company is gradually ramping up numbers at its plant and will start secondshift operations there. At full steam, the plant can churn out 200,000 units annually, though reaching this capacity will take time.

The Etios and the Liva are the two most ambitious products from Toyota’s stable to boost its share in the fastgrowing Indian car market. The company currently has a low single-digit share and has said it wants a 10% share to “occupy a mindshare of the average car buyer”. It has set a target to sell about 300,000-350,000 units by 2015.

Toyota to launch hatchback 'Etios Liva'

Japanese auto major Toyota will launch compact car 'Etios Liva' by April 2011 to strengthen position in India, where it is a fringe player in the car segment as against its leadership position globally. The company, which is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group, said the pricing of the hatchback based on the same platform as its new Etios sedan will be decided after the Union Budget.

It has priced the entry level sedan Etios between Rs 4.96 lakh and Rs 6.86 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). "The launch of Etios sedan will be followed by the hatchback model called Etios Liva. By the end of March next year or April beginning we will launch the car and deliveries will start from April," TKM Deputy Managing Director Marketing Sandeep Singh told reporters here. On the pricing of Etios Liva, he said, "We will take a call after the Budget."

While the Etios sedan is powered by a 1.5 litre petrol engine, the Liva will have 1.2 litre petrol engine. Singh said both the sedan and hatchback put together, TKM plans to sell 70,000 cars in India in 2011. Recently, he said the company aims to sell 1.45 lakh units of all its models next year, from about 73,000 units expected in 2010. TKM sells models such as sedans Toyota Corolla Altis and Camry along with multi utility vehicle Innova.

TKM aims to capture 10 per cent of the Indian car market by 2015, mainly on the back of the Etios family. Overall, 15 lakh cars were sold in the country in 2009-10. Globally, Toyota was the world's largest carmaker in 2010 despite its consolidated sales declining by 4.4 per cent to 7.24 million units from the previous year.

Singh said the TKM could increase the output of Etios depending on customer demand from the current levels of 80,000 units a year. He said that for Etios sedan, TKM has received 3,077 orders within two days of the launch on Wednesday. The deliveries will start from January.

TKM Managing Director Hiroshi Nakagawa said about 70 per cent of the components of Etios are locally sourced. Only critical components like engines and transmissions are imported. "By 2012, we will shift the engine production to India followed by the transmission in 2013," he said, adding after that the localisation level would be 90 per cent.