When the country’s largest passenger car maker Maruti Suzuki showcased its sub compact SUV the Vitara Brezza in the 2016 Indian auto expo, the buzz was strong that it will help Maruti to compensate its previous effort to become a dominant force in the highly competitive compact and sub-compact SUV segment.
Maruti’s previous tryst to become a major force in the segment was not received well by consumers. After an average start, its compact SUV S-Cross failed to garner big numbers and is currently trailing behind market leader Hyundai Cretta and Renault Duster.
However a competitive price tag, decent looks and a good fuel economy is turning the wheels for Maruti in the sub-compact SUV segment. If latest numbers are to go by, Brezza’s sales have outnumbered its prime competitor the Ford EcoSport by 1,107 units.
Maruti Suzuki sold 5,563 units of the Vitara Brezza in the month of March 2016 while Ford sold 4,456 units of the EcoSport. Even a price reduction by up to Rs 1.12 lakh just days after the Maruti Brezza's launch couldn’t help the American carmaker to maintain its market leader status but it boosted its sales by nearly 70 per cent in March 2016 compared to Feb 2016.
What’s working for Brezza? Two prominent factors are highly contributing in Brezza’s high sales. Its fuel economy which the company claims to be 24.3 km is higher than EcoSport’s 22.27kmpl. Another reason is the affordability quotient. While Ford EcoSport prices start at Rs. 6.68 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 7.28 lakh for the diesel variant, Vitara Brezza, which is only available in diesel, starts at Rs 6.99 lakh.
But the dark side for the Brezza is the waiting period. Buyers will have to wait for 5-month delivery time for the top-end variant as it had garnered 2,600 orders within 24 hours of its launch, and the number went to over 40,000 nearly a month later.
BW Reporters
The author is Senior Correspondent with BW Businessworld
