Maruti Suzuki recently stopped the production of Omni MPV in the Indian market owing to the stricter safety as well as emission norms that had been or were going to be implemented in the country. Maruti decided to field Eeco MPV in place of the legendary Omni. The largest automaker of the country updated their Eeco with a plethora of safety features that included ABS, driver-side airbag, reverse parking sensors, and seat belt reminder. The move from the brand has paid off big time now as the Eeco has sold more number of units than other famous passenger market cars like Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue and Creta. This has propelled the Eeco MPV to the spot of the seventh best selling car in the Indian market for the month of June. The sales numbers for June for Eeco stood at 9,265 units. In a departure from the industry slowdown, this is an actual improvement for Eeco as the sales for June 2019 meant 65 % year-on-year increase in sales for Eeco as the MPV managed 5,612 units in June 2108.
The introduction of Hyundai Venue in the market has made the going tough for Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza as the best selling SUV of the segment could only manage 8,871 units in June 2019, with Venue inching closer to the same figure. Apart from the industry wide slowdown, Brezza also has gotten long in the tooth in the market and it looks dated at this point. The availability of only a single diesel engine also does not help its case. However, the brand is indeed planning to launch the facelift and a petrol version of the Brezza and this should arrest the downward trajectory of its sales in the Indian market.
Talking of the Hyundai Venue, the SUV has been off to a blazing start in the Indian market and has managed to sell 8,763, which places it very close to the segment leader Maruti Brezza. The good performance of Venue has also cannibalized the sales of the elder brother Creta in the market. Although this should not concern Hyundai as the South Korean maker is planning to launch the updated model of Creta in India in 2020.
Coming back to the Maruti Eeco, it is a preferred choice among the small transporters and cab operators in India as the company offers 5 seater and 8 seater options for the MPV right from factory. Maruti Eeco is offered by the company in petrol, CNG, and petrol-CNG options, and is a strong seller in the segment. The MPV comes equipped with a 1.2L, 4 cylinder, petrol engine rated to deliver 73 Bhp and 101 Nm and is mated to a 5 speed gearbox. Strong on mileage and reliability, it is a matter of pride for Eeco that it is outclassing other much more expensive and customer oriented SUVs in the market, at least in sales.
