Top 5 car launches of 2013: From Ford Ecosport to Honda Amaze

Check out some of the more successful car launches of the season.

Zero growth in car sales for the financial year 2013 has been predicted and this is reflected in the numbers – this particular financial year is considered to be the weakest in past nine years. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers has actually forecast a 0-1% growth rate for FY13. SIAM had earlier estimated growth rate of 10-12%,but slashed its forecast to more realistic 0-1% for this fiscal.

To beat this depressing slowdown,automakers have turned to new launches to excite an unresponsive market,if fuel prices don’t rise too much.

The best launches list includes the likes of Ford Ecosport,Honda’s first ever diesel car,Honda Amaze,Datsun GO,Mercedes-Benz A Class and Chevrolet Enjoy. These cars are some of the few successful launches of the season in their respective segments.

Ford Ecosport

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The most highlighted news associated with this particular launch,the astounding response of 30,000 bookings in mere 17 days – a record in Indian auto history. The only reason behind its great success is the pricing factor – a starting price of Rs 5.59 lakh makes it one of the most reasonable compact SUVs and quite trendy too. Company said bookings are still open and it continues to log healthy numbers on daily basis.

Honda Amaze

The first ever diesel car by Honda has received an overwhelming response from the market and is still on the top of sales charts. This particular diesel sedan has evoked the maximum response from tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India – this contribution is around 50% of the total sales of the car. In fact,of Honda’s overall growth,45 per cent share belongs to Amaze. Amaze has registered sales of 22,000 units within first quarter of its launch.

Amaze is said to be the most fuel efficient car,delivering mileage of 25.8 kmpl. Along with this fuel economy,the aggressive pricing are just a couple of the elements in this car to boost sales.

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Datsun Go

The parent company,Nissan re-launched Datsun brand after almost 30 years. Under Datsun brand,Datsun GO has been rolled out in the hatchback segment. The Japanese automaker is looking to start its odyssey with one of the more humming segments of Indian auto industry.

This small car has created great curiosity before its launch,but exactly how it is received after that is still a matter of debate.

The car is likely to appear on Indian roads by early 2014.

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Mercedes-Benz B Class

To bring more excitement in the market in the luxury segment,Mercedes-Benz launched one of its most affordable B Class cars with a diesel mill to strengthen the compact portfolio. The car’s diesel version comes with a price tag of Rs 22.60 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai.

The petrol variant of the same,launched nine months back had already marked sales of 500 units. With this diesel B-class car,Mercedes is aiming to outsell the petrol variant. Luxury segment has been waiting long for such a compact and structured model,and seen together alongside a pocket-friendly price (remember,this is a luxury car),will definitely makes it score more points with customers. Company says in merely 10 days 400 bookings were registered.

Apart from this,next on the cards for Mercedes are two different models,compact SUV GLS and the other is a compact sedan CLA – expected to roll onto Indian roads in a couple of years.

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Chevrolet Enjoy

Looking to the growth graph of General Motor,there is a clear 39.28 per cent increase in the sales of the brand. The company has successfully battled back from a major slowdown especially after the new launches. Individually,the MPV Enjoy has contributed sales of 2,177 units,pretty impressive considering the slow growth of the market. This is a multi-purpose car designed with user-friendly features.

The starting price of Rs.5.49 lakh is an affordable option in its segment.

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