Toyota Fortuner remains the highest-selling premium D-segment SUV in India followed by MG Gloster, Hyundai Tucson and Mahindra Alturas G4
Any automaker’s exit from a country is not a healthy sign for the local automotive industry but it also gives rival brands an opportunity to cannibalise sales of the discontinued models. A similar scenario has occurred with Ford exiting the Indian market last month.
Ford’s Loss Is Toyota’s Gain
This led to discontinuation of an iconic premium SUV like Endeavour which had built a cult status in the country. Endeavour’s loss has turned into Fortuner’s gain as the full-size SUV has recorded a YoY growth of 79 percent in September this year. With the American carmaker not selling its big burly SUV anymore, it has benefited its immediate Japanese nemesis.
Fortuner led the sales chart of the premium D-segment SUV with 1,869 units sold last month. In comparison, Toyota sold 1,045 units of Fortuner during the same period last year. The second spot was grabbed by MG Gloster with 292 units dispatched by the carmaker last month.
Gloster was followed by Hyundai Tucson with a registered sales volume of 139 units last month as opposed to 85 units dispatched during September last year. It translated to YoY growth of 63.53 percent.
Dismal number by Alturas
Mahindra was able to sell only 51 units of its flagship SUV Alturas G4 which is a drop from 73 units recorded in September last year. With a dismal sales volume recorded over a long period of time, the homegrown automaker is planning to discontinue Alturas in the near future.
Overall, a total of 2,351 SUVs in this space were sold last month as opposed to 1,897 units dispatched across the country in September last year. This led to YoY growth of almost 24 percent. The next entrant in this will be the facelifted Skoda Kodiaq which will be launched sometime next year.
Fortuner Legender 4×4
Toyota recently launched the range-topping Fortuner Legender in a 4×4 guise. Prior to this, Legender was only available in a rear-wheel-drive configuration. Other specifications remain identical. It is powered by a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel motor that is coupled with a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox as standard. This powertrain delivers an output of 201 bhp and 500 Nm of peak torque. It is priced at Rs 42.33 lakh (ex-showroom).
The last iteration of Ford Endeavour was towards the end of its life cycle. It is expected to get a generation upgrade in the coming future which could make its global debt the end of next year. Alas, with the exit of the American brand, the Indian audience won’t get to witness the new-gen model here.