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Diesel cars Chevrolet Beat, Maruti Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna give petrol cars a run for money
They may be pricier, but cheaper fuel has resulted in sales of diesel cars steadily outstripping their petrol counterparts ever since the price differential widened in May. With diesel cheaper by an average of 53% across the major metros, buyers are making a beeline for cars powered by these engines.
Some 56% of all compacts sold in August were diesel cars. The figure has steadily risen from 39% in July 2010 to 45% in January to 51% in June. Compacts, which range from the Chevrolet Beat to the Maruti Swift, Volkswagen Polo and Ford Figo, account for 70% of all cars sold.
It's a similar story in the sedan segment comprising models such as the Honda City, Volkswagen Vento, Maruti SX4, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Verna and Chevrolet Aveo. A year ago, diesel vehicles comprised just 28% of the car market. That figure would be as high as 64% now, according to estimates by industry insiders.
But prepare they have to. When the price difference between diesel and petrol was 9 last year, 55% of Maruti's customers preferred the diesel option in the segments in which India's largest car maker offered that option. Today, when the difference between petrol and diesel prices is more than 20, 85% of them are opting for the diesel version.
In the April to August period, Maruti sold about 4 lakh cars, with diesel models accounting for a little over a fifth of those sales.
Maruti offers diesel variants in four of its 12 models - the Swift, SX4, Ritz and Swift DZire. As Suzuki isn't best known for diesel technology, it has partnered with Fiat for engine supply. In 2011 so far, three-fourths of the Swifts, three-fifths of the Swift DZires and two-thirds of the Ritz models sold have been diesel variants.
In comparison just two-thirds of Swifts and under half of Ritz cars sold a year ago were diesel models.
The shift has been more dramatic for Ford India. Till around December 2010, around 55% of the Figo's sales were of diesel versions. That figure has now shot up to 75%.
VW, which bet on diesel early on in India, is reaping the benefits. All its cars in India are available in diesel, barring the Beetle. In fact, VW's sedan Passat is available only in diesel.