For Indian carmakers 2019 was a year to forget. The automobile industry bore the brunt of the ongoing economic slowdown in the country and most of the major manufacturers reported sales downturn through the course of the year, barring a few months of positive sales.
Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, has also suffered its share of the industry’s pains. The company reported falling sales for most of last year but ended the year on a positive note, registering a 3.9 percent increase in sales in December on a year-on-year basis.
S-Presso, Maruti Suzuki’s compact SUV offering, launched towards the end of September, has quickly emerged as one of the company’s top-selling cars. The car began its journey on an auspicious note, with Maruti receiving 10,000 bookings in the first eight days of its launch.
With its high ground clearance and sturdy build, the car is a mini-SUV that comes at a relatively affordable price range. The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso is priced at Rs 369,000 ex-showroom.
Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, based on the fifth generation Heartect Platform, comes with ten top line safety features and is powered by a BS6 compliant, 1-litre petrol engine. The mini-SUV is the eighth BS6 model introduced by Maruti Suzuki.
Engineers from Maruti Suzuki worked on S-Presso, which derives its name from the famous bittersweet Italian coffee often served as a small shot in a small cup, at the company's research and development centre in Rohtak, Haryana.
In December S-Presso saw a 68 percent increase in sales month-on-month. Maruti sold 5,006 units of the car in November last year and that number swelled to 8,394 a month later.
The next best-seller from the Maruti stable only managed a 23 percent spike in sales. There were 1,786 units of Ciaz sold in December, up 23 percent from 1,448 units in November.
Apart from S-Presso and Ciaz, XL6 (15 percent), Vitara Brezza (14 percent), Alto (3 percent), and Baleno (2 percent) reported an increase in sales in December month-on-month. Every other Maruti offering reported a downturn.
With a tepid 2019 behind it, Maruti Suzuki—and other Indian automobile manufacturers—will hope that 2020 brings it some much-needed cheer.
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