Tata Motors' total domestic sales in August 2023 was 76,261 units, and compared to August 2022, it is 218 units less. The all-new Nexon, which has sold more than 500,000 units, has just been unveiled, and it's dressed to impress with loads of tech features and styling improvements. Their numbers in September sales will surely see an upward curve. One trend that has totally reversed from yesteryears is that consumers today want to buy top variants and not entry-level variants. In one of my recent conversations with the CEO of a leading insurance company that does fleet insurance for auto manufacturers, he told me that all the ageing inventories are those of entry variants on the back of easy EMI options and wanting to live life to the fullest. It's high time manufacturers stop giving entry-level pricing to draw consumers to the showrooms, knowing well that they will be buying the expensive, more feature-rich variants of it. Or does the oldest marketing trick in automobile sales still work and is relevant?
Royal Enfield had been keeping quiet all this while, after valiant assaults from Triumph Speed 400 and Harley-Davidson X440, but decided to invite us all to their factory to showcase their real firepower - Bullet. It is impossible today to find anyone who is remotely interested in motorcycles and hasn't gotten smitten by the Bullet. There are movies named after Bullet and endless Indian movies showcasing Bullet being ridden by the hero, making the hero look even more macho. Again, a motorcycle with a huge cult following from the time when it had practically no alternatives to 2023, where a rider has many options to choose from, some very iconic ones too. Times have changed drastically, but Royal Enfield's dominion still rules the market and Indian hearts. It would be interesting to see the power struggle now, with the arrival of new, more potent players.
The all-new Mercedes GLC betters itself in its 2023 edition so much that it can cannibalise into GLE territory. Volvo has launched its first born-electric car in the shape of the C40 Recharge, and it looks like a promising electric mid-size luxury SUV. There needs to be more EVs from luxury brands in the 50 lakh price point, and from mass manufacturers, there needs to be more alternatives to NEXON EV in that price point of 10-15 lakhs; only then the electrification wave will really reach far and wider!
Enjoy the issue and keep the seat belts fastened even at the rear seats.
