Car of the year 2016!

We decided to announce the Car of the Year 2016 basis the sales statistics of the Calendar Year. 2016 was an interesting year with many new launches holding the flag for the respective OEMs and NEWER segments were created. Indian love for SUVs was showcased in the overall design of the manufacturers and products like Kwid (hatchback with a SUV look), KUV100 (bigger hatck with SUV inspired design) sold in good numbers. This also heralded the birth of recently launched Ignis. Let us see who wins the race to become the Car of the Year 2016 –

Top 25 selling cars of 2016

*The rows highlighted in Yellow are the cars which were launched in the Indian soil in the past 18 months. Also these cars would be in the race of the Car of the Year award.

Top selling Hatchbacks of 2016 –

Top selling Sedans of 2016 –

Top selling UVs (MUVs/SUVs) of 2016 –

And the Auto Punditz car of the year award goes to – MARUTI NEXA BALENO!!! Baleno was instrumental in establishing Nexa network in India post the dismal sales of S-Cross. It sold over a lakh units in past 12 months and gave a really tough competition to the segment leader i20 (it even outsold i20 if you remove the i20 active numbers!). The product even as of date commands a waiting period of over 3 months and is still sold without any discounts! It created a benchmark in terms of features that a Maruti car can offer and stood the test of time. See how crucial Baleno was for Nexa’s success in India –

We have made a comparison of how valuable a product had been to the overall OEM’s sales numbers and Baleno topped the list – with over 66% contribution to Nexa’s volumes in India it in a way ensured that the viability of Nexa showrooms in India. Though the car was launched in the last quarter of 2015; we would name it Car of the Year 2016 because the sales assessment for the model was not done in 2015 CY (also unfortunately missed by major Auto Journalists/TV Shows).

Auto Punditz Car of the Year 2016