Maruti Suzuki’s (MSIL) premium crossover S-Cross, which took off on a tepid note, has cruised its way ahead by notching sales of over 21,000 units in the past seven months, especially after reducing prices ranging from ₹40,000 to around ₹2 lakh recently depending on the model.
The carmaker said it recently started exporting S-Cross to Bhutan and Nepal as pilot markets. The next course of action will be determined after feedback from these markets, a senior company executive told BusinessLine . “Sold through Nexa channels exclusively, S-Cross has clocked sales of over 21,500 units in seven months. Going forward, with over 120 Nexa outlets in place in over 70 cities, we expect an uptick in demand,” said RS Kalsi, Executive Director, Marketing and Sales.
Available only in 1.3L and 1.6L diesel engines, Kalsi said the contribution of 1.6L variant is about 15-16 per cent to S-Cross’s overall sales, but demand has picked up for both variants after the price cut.
While the 1.3L (DDiS 200) is priced between ₹8.03 lakh and ₹10.60 lakh, the 1.6L (DDiS 320) is priced between ₹10.23 lakh and ₹12.03 lakh (all, ex-showroom, Delhi).
Launched in August 2015, S-Cross users have appreciated its bold crossover shape, dynamic character lines and plush interiors, he said.
“Interestingly, nearly 50 per cent of the customers considered competition vehicles before selecting the S-Cross as their choice. This strengthens our belief that with Nexa and premium offerings like S-Cross we are able to meet aspirations of new customers,” Kalsi added.
MSIL said the S-Cross currently helps the company expand its range. As customers move up, this would be an option for them. Over 35 per cent sales of Nexa have come from S-Cross so far, the rest from Baleno, it said (the company sells both the cars from Nexa channels only).
The S-Cross competes mostly with the Hyundai Motor’s i20 Active, which is available in both petrol (1.2L) and diesel (1.4L) engines. The petrol version is priced between ₹6.65 lakh and ₹8.13 lakh, and the diesel variant is priced between ₹8.01 lakh and ₹9.51 lakh (all ex-showroom, Delhi). Hyundai Motor India sold around 27,700 units of the i20 Active till February-end since its launch in March last year.
The other crossovers in the market are Volkswagen Polo Cross, Fiat Avventura and Toyota Etios Cross, but their sales are small in number. Put together, the market for crossovers in India is around 6,000 units a month on an average right now, say analysts.