The Hyundai Creta has established an unassailable lead in what is one of the most lucrative segments in India
The mid-size SUV segment emerged as one of the strongest in India’s auto market since 2019. This niche has been witnessing regular product launch / model update activities in a bid to keep things bustling. The segment’s sales performance for the month of January 2021 is out and it looks like there is still a lingering effect of the pandemic.
Mid-size SUV sales January 2021
Not surprisingly, the new Hyundai Creta took the top spot with a tally of 12,284 units last month at a YoY growth of 78% compared to last year. The impressive growth rate is mainly due to the fact that in January 2020, a significant number of prospective buyers were waiting for the new generation model to arrive.
The Creta’s sister car, the Kia Seltos seals the second place with 9,869 units on the board. However, this represents a negative YoY growth of 34.21%. This does not necessarily mean the crossover is losing its popularity. The drop in dispatch numbers could be attributed to Kia India rationing its available production capacity to cater to the smaller Sonet as well as the export operations of both the SUVs.
The good old Mahindra Scorpio took a distant third with 4,083 units at a YoY decline of 12%. Given that the ladder frame SUV is very close to its life span, the sales numbers are impressive. The recently updated MG Hector finished fourth with 3,003 units dispatched.
The Tata Harrier has been having a great run post lockdown, and last month, posted a massive YoY growth of 240% at 2,443 units, finishing fifth. The next SUV on the list, the Mahindra XUV500, only managed 888 units at a negative growth of 39%. Unlike the Scorpio, Mahindra’s crossover is in dire need of a replacement and it is coming soon.
The also-ran brigade
In its BS6 avatar, the petrol-only Maruti S-Cross clocked 580 units last month which represents a minor YoY growth of 4%. The Jeep Compass which received a significant facelift only managed 394 units at 44% YoY decline but things are expected to improve for the American crossover in the coming months.
The Renault Duster and Nissan Kicks bring up the tail with 336 units (-17% YoY) and 150 units (-13% YoY) respectively. The overall mid-size SUV segment accounted for 34,030 units in January 2021 as against 34,356 units (-0.95%) in the same month last year.
New SUVs coming in 2021
In the near future, the highly competitive and lucrative mid-size SUV segment will witness the arrival of Skoda Kushaq and its sibling VW Taigun. With heavily localized platform and a decent economies of scale, both the models are expected to be priced quite aggressively. If you are in the market for a mid-size SUV, you are going to be spoilt for choice if you aren’t already.
