The Best and The Worst Selling Cars Of 2019: Fame or Shame

The year 2019 saw great distress in the global economy. This had an adverse effect on the automobile industry of India. Other major factors such as BS6 emission norms also made it more difficult. Some major automakers saw a decline in sales and even the plants saw non-manufacturing days. Many employees lost their jobs. Amidst all this, there were some companies which were able to stay put. Let’s take a look at the best selling and the worst-selling cars of 2019.

The Top Selling Cars of 2019 | The Hall Of Fame

Best ones first. Below is the list of top 5 selling cars of 2019.

1. Maruti Suzuki Dzire | Hail to the King
   

   

   Dzire dethroned the already 15-times top-selling car, Maruti Alto in the year 2019. Swift Dzire, the sub-4-metre compact sedan version of the Maruti Suzuki Swift, was introduced as Dzire in the year 2017 with a completely new facelift. The company sold 19,94,371 units of Dzire making it the top-selling model of 2019 between January and November. It has been updated to meet the BS6 emission norms and is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine. The fiat-sourced 1.3-litre diesel engine will be discontinued from April 2020 due to the company’s decision to not dabble in the diesel engines arena as of now.
   Is It? Car Sales Report December 2019 | Maruti is Unbeatable!

2. Maruti Suzuki Alto | No worries Champ you did well
   

   

   The Alto was the undisputed champion for straight 15 years when it came to top-selling model in India until 2019. It was dethroned and became second in the list. As sad it is, but at least the one to beat it was Maruti Suzuki Dzire, another car from the same company. Maruti sold 1,92,598 units of the family car in the January to November period of 2019. The Alto 800 got an update in the engine to make it BS6 compatible and was equipped with enough safety features to meet the upcoming crash test norms. The Alto k10 will continue to be powered by the 1.0-litre petrol engine.

3. Maruti Suzuki Swift | Damn! India loves Maruti 

   

   Maruti has been around in the country for more than 35 years and still is the most loved carmaker brand all thanks to the affordable cars. The sedan version is already on the top of the list and Swift made it to the third place.

   

   The hatchback and sedan both share the same 1.2-litre BS6 engine which comes equipped with 5-speed manual transmission or a five-speed AMT. The fiat-sourced diesel engine in Swift will also be discontinued.

4. Maruti Suzuki Baleno | The Nexa Marvel

   

   Suzuki released a line-up under the Nexa branding. One of the most popular and best selling Nexa brands is Baleno. The company sold 1,65,398 units of the hatchback in January to November period of 2019. Seeing the potential of the premium hatchback, the Indian automaker gave it a facelift which included the latest Smartplay 2.0 infotainment system. It is also based on Maruti’s Heartect platform like Swift and Dzire. It is powered by a 1.2-litre BS6-compliant petrol engine. Diesel engines won’t be able to make it for Baleno also.

5. Maruti Suzuki WagonR | Tallboy Design Winning Hearts

   

   Maruti sold 1,45,186 units of WagonR in the year 2019 giving it the 5th spot in top-selling cars. This tallboy is also based on the Heartect platform like the others. The engine options with the WagonR: the 1.0-litre petrol engine and 1.2-litre BS6-compliant petrol engine which powers many other Maruti offerings. The success of WagonR is also an outcome of increasing popularity of Ola and Uber taxi services where the car comes as an affordable taxi option.

It is clear from the list that Maruti Suzuki still dominates the market. Although 2020 will be a deciding year for the company as many other foreign companies like Kia and MG Motor have already entered the market with a pretty impressive opening sales and other companies like Great Wall Motors from China are readying their arrival in India. Now let’s take a look at the car models which failed to impress the Indian audience.

Worst-Selling Cars Of 2019 | The Hall Of Shame

1. Tata Nano and Toyota Prius | Why are you selling?

   

   Both the companies were able to sell 1 unit each, yes just one unit. Tata Nano was aimed to be the cheapest car in India but was not able to make a spot in the heart of Indians.

   

   On the other hand, Prius, The first hybrid of India was also a failed try by Toyota. The premium sedan was not able to attract customers due to the ₹45 lakh price tag.

2. Mahindra Nuvosport | Breaking sale records since NEVER

   

   Mahindra launched Nuvosport last year to attract semi-sport sub-compact SUV lovers. But it failed miserably as the company sold only 19 units of the vehicle. The best-in-class engine made no impact on the customers at all.

3. Hyundai Kona Electric | Has the EVolution Really begun?
   

   

   Hyundai Motors launched India’s first all-electric SUV, Kona electric last year. But the electric vehicle is still in the beginning phase of gaining popularity. The company was able to sell 280 units of the electric car. Although by the end of the year, many other companies have launched rivals such as MG ZS EV and Tata Nexon EV. Maybe, 2020 will become the year of electrics.
   
   Who won? Who’s Next? Electric Car Sales Report 2019 | Let’s See Who Won?

4. Tata Bolt | Got Bolted out of the charts
   

   

   Tata Motors is a well-known brand and has introduced many cars to the customers which are well known for high sales and quality. Even the safest car of India, Nexon, is a product of Tata Motors. But not all fingers are the same. So was the case with Tata Bolt which sold only 305 units in the past year’s January to November period.

5. Hyundai Elantra | Not Connected to the Customers Premium Sedan

   

   Hyundai Motor’s Elantra was a flop show premium sedan as the company managed to sell 447 units of it. The price tag of nearly ₹18 lakhs on-road which may have caused Indians to choose other options.

Has the competition arrived? MG Hector Sales in December 2019: 3,021 Units Sold!

The year 2019 was really tough for the companies as few luxurious brands such as BMW and Mercedes were not able to sell some models at all. Let’s hope that the companies are able to revive the sales this year. Maruti Suzuki will be facing tough competition from foreign brands. There will be new entrants like Great Wall Motors of China. Let’s see what the future beholds for the industry.