Maruti Suzuki WagonR reclaims top spot in Indian PV market

The Maruti Suzuki WagonR regained the top position as the most selling passenger vehicle in India in the financial year 2024-25. Interestingly, the WagonR dethroned the Tata Punch, which was at the top of the sales chart in the calendar year 2024. Maruti Suzuki retailed 1,98,451 units of the WagonR in FY25, marginally lower than the 2,00,177 units sold in FY24.

At the same time, the Maruti Suzuki Alto K10, India’s most affordable car, was the 15th best-selling passenger vehicle in FY25 with a total of 1,02,232 units. Notably, seven out of the top 10 best-selling passenger vehicles in India for the fiscal year were from the Maruti Suzuki lineup.

Despite the strong performance of models like the WagonR, Alto K10, Swift, Dzire, and Baleno, Maruti Suzuki’s compact segment witnessed a 7.58 per cent year-on-year decline. The segment, which includes popular hatchbacks and sedans, such as the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Dzire, WangoR, Alto K10 and others recorded total sales of 8,96,507 units in FY25, down from 9,70,109 units in FY24.

Conversely, Maruti Suzuki's utility vehicle (UV) segment experienced tremendous growth, with contributions from models such as the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Grand Vitara, Fronx, and Jimny resulting in positive traction and recovery of 12.12 percent growth YoY. The company sold 7,20,186 UVs in FY25, compared to sales of 6,42,296 units in the previous financial year, underscoring the shifting preferences toward SUVs for the Indian car buyer.

Growing rural market for Maruti Suzuki

The overall domestic sales of the company were at 17.61 lakh units in FY25, representing a slight growth of 0.05 per cent year-on-year. While the overall growth had remained flat, Maruti Suzuki specifically emphasized a significant growth in rural sales. Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer of Marketing and Sales at Maruti Suzuki India, stated that the company has increased its network to more than 150 upcountry markets, and as a result, there was a 10 per cent growth in rural sales and a 3.5 per cent growth in rural market share.

Interestingly, sales figures of Maruti Suzuki WagonR present a virtually even balance between the urban and rural markets, with 51.8 per cent of sales originating from the urban market and 48.2 per cent from the rural market. This trend implies the increasing convergence between the urban and rural markets. Banerjee underlined that Maruti Suzuki's strategy revolves around connecting with customers better, reinforcing its position in both segments. As market leader, the firm continues to grow its base, with the aim of inducing higher volumes of sales by matching customer needs even more closely.

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