It was a good start to the year for SUV manufacturers, as YoY sales have zoomed 50.36% in January
The top ten bestselling SUVs registered total sales of 76,418 units, as compared to 50,825 units in the corresponding period last year. This impressive growth comes at a time when most carmakers had increased prices, effective from January 2021.
Hyundai, Kia dominate SUV Sales
In a very short span of time, Hyundai and Kia have emerged as market leaders in SUV space. While Creta has been among bestsellers for several years, it has been joined by new products such as Venue and Kia Seltos and Sonet. Together, these four SUVs command a market share of 56%.
Leading the pack is Creta with 12,284 units sold in January 2021. YoY growth is up by 78.03%, as compared to 6,900 units sold in January last year.
Creta Maintains No 1
Creta sales have picked up pace ever since the next-gen variant was launched last year in March. Not counting the lockdown period, Creta has remained a bestseller for several months. Creta’s market share in January 2021 stands at 16.07%.
Next in the list is Hyundai Venue with 11,779 units sold in January 2021. YoY growth is 74.94%, as compared to 6,733 units sold in January last year. Market share is 15.41% in January 2021. Launched in 2019, Venue became an instant hit owing to its trendy design and long list of segment-first and best-in-class features.
At number three, Maruti Suzuki Brezza sold a total of 10,623 units in January 2021. YoY sales have improved by 4.83%, as compared to 10,134 units sold in January last year. Market share stands at 13.90%. Brezza was once the top selling SUV in the country, but it has fallen behind due to increased competition from new rivals. It could take a while for Brezza to move up, as next-gen variant will be launched only in 2022.
Seltos hits a rough patch
At number four, Seltos YoY sales are down by -34.21%. A total of 9,869 units were sold in January 2021, as compared to 15,000 units in January last year. Seltos market share in January was 12.91%.
At number five is Kia Sonet, which was launched last year in September at a starting price of Rs 6.71 lakh. With its sporty look and feel and comprehensive range of hi-tech features, Sonet has quickly emerged a bestseller. Sales in January 2021 were 8,859 units with market share of 11.59%.
Tata Nexon Records Highest Ever Sales
On No 6 is Tata Nexon, registering sales of 8,225 units. This is the highest ever monthly sales registered by Tata Nexon, ever since it was launched back in 2017. Previous high registered was in Oct 2020 – 6,888 units. Huge push in sales have come since the lockdown ended in India last year.
Other SUVs in the Top 10 list include – Mahindra XUV300 (4,612), Mahindra Scorpio (4,081), Toyota Urban Cruiser (3,075), and Nissan Magnite (3,011). With the exception of Scorpio, all other SUVs have positive YoY growth. Max YoY gain in percentage terms is that of Nexon at 143.20%. Recently launched Magnite has also emerged as a popular choice in its class. It has already registered bookings of more than 35k.
