New Mobilio MPV outshines old legendary Innova in August

Honda Cars India emerged victorious in 2014 August with massive 88% gains; the recently launched Mobilio contributed 5,530 units. It‘s a phenomenal achievement indeed, taking into consideration that it has been only a month since launch. So much excitement was centered on Mobilio months before launch; the attention grabbing characteristics was the size and fashion statement, vibrant and roomy interiors and world class 20 kmpl mileage.

The Indian auto market has a powerful line up of MPV cars; the year long legendary ruler is Innova. It is a common sight on the roads, and popular among the nuclear family network in the country. Mobilio is designed with a view to comfort mass Indians at cost-effective price. The same vision is visible on Innova. With just few days of its arrival Mobilio has over taken the popularity structure of Innova.

Mobilio is among the ace sale contributors in August; about a third of Honda’s profits were contributed by the car. Amaze is the highest contributor with 9,198 pieces and then Brio with 1,211 units. The sale visibility effect of Innova was not as pronounced as Mobilio, the profit output of Toyota was on the negative side. The company sold 11,215 units against 12,007 pieces sold in the corresponding year. The key profit drivers were Etios series, Toyota sold 1,169 units of Etios sedan and Etios Liva hatch.

It was an arch battle between Mobilio and Innova, Mobilio is smartly executed, and has superior power over Innova. Honda has priced the car with a lower value than Innova. Mobilio costs Rs 7 to 12.3 lakhs and Innova Rs 9.8 to 15.2 lakhs. Honda has managed to make stellar profits, despite the City not being in production for a month. The all new City has sparked customer attention since launch early 2014; it along with Amaze contributed highest sales.

Honda has been powerful with its new thinking, the introduction of its first Amaze compact sedan in 2013 turned into a magnificent profit driver. The company made month long profits even under pressurized circumstances when the market weakened at the macro-level. The innovativeness was visible in the potent 1.5 liter iDTEC diesel engine and class performing 25.8kmpl mileage and the same engine formula is used in Mobilio that offers 20.2 kmpl fuel efficiency and is noteworthy for its size.

Honda said most of the profits were driven by Mobilio and Amaze, the forceful growth momentum in August was contributed by massive demand for Mobilio and strong customer buying power of Amaze. The company is geared to encounter positive customer sentiment values during the colorful festive season.

The battle is not over; Toyota is working on a new next-gen Innova, which is the 2016 model. The expected arrival date is sometime in 2016, and it will come with a more premium dressing than the current car. The level of competition between next-gen Innova and Mobilio is going to be close. It will be interesting to observe the power of MPV battle between Mobilio and Innova in the near future.