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.

Tata Motors reclaims No 2 spot in domestic car market

It is by far the country’s largest automaker by revenues. Its dominance in the lucrative commercial vehicle segment is undiminished, despite a flurry of new entrants in the past few years. Is the car segment the next frontier for Tata Motors to conquer?

The company has never been forthcoming on the issue, but the market is buzzing with speculation about an impending battle between Maruti Suzuki — the incumbent — and Tata Motors for the top slot in the fast-growing car market. The speculation has been fuelled by a better-than-expected performance by its car division in June.

Last month, Tata Motors’ passenger vehicle sales in the domestic market jumped 53% year-on-year to nearly 30,000. This makes it India’s second largest carmaker, ahead of Hyundai Motors India. For Tata Motors, growth was led by the success of its recently launched sedan, Indigo Manza, and a big jump in the delivery of Nano. A strong demand for Manza more than doubled the sales of Indigo to 7,500 units last month, becoming a clear leader in the entry sedan segment.

Nano, meanwhile continues to gain traction after inauguration of its green-field manufacturing facility at Sanand, Gujarat. Last month, Nano sales doubled over the previous month and at this rate, the entry-level hatchback could soon emerge as the largest selling car in the Tata stable.

Tata Motors has done well to reclaim the number two spot in the domestic car market but a shot at the top slot looks well-nigh impossible at the current level. Maruti Suzuki is a strong incumbent with the widest model line-up in the industry.

Most importantly, Maruti has a vice-like grip over the bread and butter compact car segment, with a nearly two-thirds market share and a product portfolio to suit any budget. In contrast, Tata Motors continues to lag in the segment with a slow offtake of its Indica range. In the first three months of FY11, sales of Indica range were up just 8%, much below the industry growth rate.

The company’s ambitions have also been hurt by its failure to notch-up higher volumes in the sports utility vehicles(SUV) segment, with a weak response to its newly-launched Sumo Grande. The company’s SUV sales grew a modest 9% in the month of June 2010 and 20% during the first three months of the current fiscal.

Tata Motors can expect a better show in the segment in future, given the impending launch of its new SUV platform.

Tata Nano, world’s cheapest car, set for U.S. debut in New York

The Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car and arguably the world’s most discussed automotive innovation since the Ford Model-T, Volkswagen Bug and ‘57 Chevy, will make its United States on Feb. 18 in New York — sort of.



The Nano, “the People’s Car” which debuted in India last year amid much anticipation as the newest offering of Tata Motors, is currently available in its native country.

But the Nano (only one) will be make its first United States appearance as a “design achievement” at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.

The bright yellow edition of the Nano will be on display at the Great Hall of the museum, located at 2 East 91st Street in Manhattan. The Nano will be on display with accompanying literature and pictures through mid-April.

“The Cooper-Hewitt is showing the Tata Nano because, as the world’s most affordable car, it is a design achievement and it has public fancy,” said Cara Mc-Carty, the museum’s curatorial director.

Tata Motors has already passed all European Union crash tests and safety norms and is expended to launch Nano Europe within a year. Tata’s electric vehicle, Indica, was displayed in at the Delhi Auto Expo in January and a hybrid is in planning stages.

Tata has discussed distribution of the Nano in the United States, but there are no definitive plans.

Auto critics recognise new generation Tata Motors Cars

New generation Tata Motors cars – the Tata Nano, the Tata Indigo Manza and the Tata Indica Vista – have been recognised by auto critics, reflected in the 17 awards that the cars have received, since their respective commercial launches, from auto publications/television channels of India. Tata Motors, as a company, has received two awards. The company has always been rewarded by its customers, making it among the top 3 best selling passenger vehicle makers in the country.

The Tata Nano, which was launched in March 2009, has been declared as the 2010 Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY), an award instituted jointly by six publications – Auto Bild India, Auto India, Business Standard Motoring, Car India, Overdrive and Top Gear India. It has been individually declared as the Car of the Year by CNBC TV18 Overdrive Awards, the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards, and the Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards. The Nano has also received the Jury Award (Business Standard Motoring Car of the Year Awards), Compact Car of the Year (CNBC TV18 Overdrive Awards), Entry-level Mini Car of the Year, Viewers’ Choice Car of the Year, Indian Automotive Design of the Year and the Most Value for Money Car of the Year (all in the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards), Small Car of the Year (Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards), Aajtak Viewers’ Choice Car of the Year (Auto Bild India Golden Steering Wheel Awards) and a Special Award, as the Micro Car of the Year, in the NDTV Profit Car & Bike of the Year Awards.

The Indigo Manza, the new generation sedan of the company launched in October 2009, has received two awards. It received the Best Entry-level Sedan of the Year Award in the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards. It has also been adjudged as the Best Value for Money Car of the Year in the Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards.

As a company, Tata Motors was declared as the 2009 Car Maker of the Year in the ET-ZigWheels Car & Bike of the Year Awards, and the Tata brand the Best Value for Money Brand in the Auto India Best Brands Awards.

This appreciation from auto critics of Tata Motors’ new generation cars began with the accolades received by the Indica Vista, after its launch in August 2008. UTV Autocar Awards for that year rated the Vista as the Best Value for Money Car of the Year. It had also bagged the Jury Award in the Business Standard Motoring Car of the Year Awards.