Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Baleno
New launches of Maruti Suzuki are in pole position in April sales. Pictured: Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, BalenoPR handout

With the phenomenal success of the Vitara Brezza compact SUV and the Baleno premium hatchback, Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest car-maker, is inching towards clocking a market share of 50 percent in the domestic market. The company clocked 48 percent in April with the two recent launches of the company — the Vitara Brezza and the Baleno -- making it to the Numero uno position in their respective segments last month.

According to a report of Press Trust of India (PTI), Maruti Suzuki's four models-- Vitara Brezza, Baleno, Ciaz and S-Cross -- have contributed to over 25 percent of the market share of the company in April. The company sold 25,603 units of the above mentioned four models together in April. Maruti had posted highest growth of 46.8 percent in the last seven years in the last fiscal. If the ongoing trend continues, the 50 percent market share would soon become a reality for the company. Maruti Suzuki's all-time highest market share was in 2000-2001 with 48.6 percent.

Last month, Maruti sold 7,832 units of the Vitara Brezza, outselling its main rival Ford EcoSport. Ford India managed to sell only 3,789 units of the EcoSport in the same month while Mahindra's TUV300 found just 1,928 takers in April. Coming to the Baleno, the premium hatchback, which made its market entry in October 2015, made it to the top in April with sales of 9,562 units, outnumbering its closest rival Hyundai's Elite.

Hyundai sold 9,400 units of Elite i20 in April. Maruti Suzuki's all-time highest market share was in 2000-2001 at 48.6 percent. Maruti Suzuki cars such as Alto, Swift, Swift Dzire and WagonR are also in the the top selling passenger car lists in the country.

Going forward, the Nexa, a new concept of Maruti Suzuki to sell premium offerings, which currently contributes to about 8 percent of the total sales of Maruti Suzuki, is expected to attain a double-digit share in the coming year. Nexa is expected to contribute 15 percent of Maruti's total sales volumes by 2020. Currently, Maruti has 100 Nexa showrooms in India and the company plans to expand the number of outlets to 250 by next year.