Small no longer beautiful for car buyers: Sale of compact models down 3%

Combined sales of models in the overall mini and micro segment dropped 3 per cent to 573,000, down 3 per cent over a year ago, according to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers

Small is no longer beautiful for car buyers in India. Though overall passenger vehicle sales in one of the fastest expanding automobile markets of the world have been growing year-on-year, small car or hatchback sales have remained neutral for most part of the decade.

Passenger vehicle sales in India advanced 27 per cent to 3.3 million in 2017-18 from 2.6 million in 2011-12. But hatchback (includes entry-level cars and premium small cars) sales dipped to 1,352,000 from 1,358,000 in the same period, according to IHS Markit, a sales forecasting and market research firm.

The drop has largely been led by