Baleno vs i20 vs Jazz: We take a look at how did these premium hatchbacks perform in sales in December 2015.
Gone are the days when the top 10 selling cars used to comprise of cheap hatchbacks or entry level cars from some segments. Ever since the advent of the Hyundai i20, the premium hatchback segment has been seeing tremendous gain. With the entry of competition in the form of the Maruti Baleno and the Honda Jazz, it is interesting to note that the segment, instead of getting cannibalized, has grown.
Maruti’s Baleno, thanks to its strong features list and attractive pricing, has surprised us and finally managed to pip the Hyundai Elite i20 which has been the ruler of the segment for a long time now. As per Autocar India, the month of December saw Baleno hit a score of 10,572 units while the Elite i20 fell just a few breaths short at 10,379 units…
Maruti however cannot rest on its laurels in the premium car territory considering the drop that they have seen in the S-Cross prompting them to reduce prices of the crossover drastically. The Baleno’s waiting period though is a saving grace for the manufacturer which extends to over three months now on certain models.
Sales can further be expected to be boosted with the possible entry of the 90 PS version of the 1.3 litre Multijet diesel. At present the car in the diesel trim is available only in the 75 PS tune. Hyundai on the other hand has managed to keep the sales of the i20 grow and hit the 4 figure mark.
The segment’s third player, Honda’s Jazz’ sales in December have sadly come down to 2,602 units. To give you an idea, it sold 3,367 and 4,496 units in the months of November and October respectively.
Baleno vs i20 vs Jazz: Dec Sales
It will be interesting to see if Baleno can keep up the momentum. We will also be looking out for how will Honda address Jazz’ sales.