Compacts Driving Sales, Reviving Up Indian Car Market

According to auto expert Tutu Dhawan, features like Bluetooth connectivity or audio controls on steering wheel are much in demand these days as having a chauffeur to drive you around does not work out always for many people.

"Today, having these accessories is a necessity as a majority of vehicles are self-driven and these gadgets help the driver in focussing on the road instead of concentrating on incoming phone calls or changing music tracks," Dhawan told IANS.

Praising the buyers who have become more realistic, Dhawan said: "The Indian car buyer is finally coming of age and becoming a bit realistic in choosing the right type of vehicle to their daily requirement and family needs."

"Earlier it was like monkey see - monkey do."

Cars like the Ford EcoSport, Honda Amaze, Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire and Hyundai Xcent are the popular sub-4-metre offerings. Along with other compact models like the Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Honda Mobilio, they have not only taken the market by storm but also helped some car makers, who were fringe players at best, to change their fortunes.

Companies like Renault and Ford have literally piggybacked on the segment to become prominent players overnight.

While Renault, despite a late entrant in the Indian market, became a household name once it launched the Duster SUV in July 2012, Ford that had tasted limited success in its close to two-decade operations in India saw unprecedented interest among buyers when it launched the Ecosport.

The hugely popular mini SUV got 40,000 bookings in a record 17 days and still has a waiting period of four to eight months in various parts of the country.

Little wonder this segment is the one where car-makers in India seem to be focussing on. In the next six months, at least half a dozen more mini-sedans and SUVs are expected to hit the market from makers like Maruti, Tata, Hyundai, Mahindra, Fiat, Chevrolet and Volkswagen.

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