By Niranjan N Prabhu
The Indian car market can be broadly classified into 4 segments: Sedans, Hatch, Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) and Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). The Sedans are represented by the likes of the Honda City, Maruti Dzire, Hyundai Verna etc.,. The Hatch segment includes Maruti Wagon R, Tata Tiago etc., MUV has s the likes of the Ertiga and the Hycross and lastly the current flavor of the markets, the SUV, which includes crossovers like the newly launched Maruti Fronx as well as hatchbacks on stilts like the S-Presso) represented by an amazing host of variations, sizes and engine power.
The Indian market until recently was characterized by small and affordable hatchback cars from Maruti like the 800, the Alto and the Wagon R as well as very strong sedan players such as the Honda City. Together they comprised over 80% of the car market.
Another table that throws a lot of light specific to the sedan segment
The trend and the numbers in the above graphs and tables can be interpreted as follows.
The extent of damage becomes clearer when you look at popular models such as the Honda City which gets categorized in the mid-sized sedan segment.(See the numbers marked in the box)
Which segments are then the beneficiaries of this downfall of the sedan segment?
(Disclaimer: Niranjan N Prabhu is the CEO of Cargraphical Analytics Solutions. Views are personal)
