After almost zero sales in April due to lockdown, auto companies are taking their first steps towards recovery
It’s certainly a long and challenging road ahead, but it’s heartening to see that sales have started trickling in. The fast-growing SUV segment is showing promising signs of revival after the lockdown, with a total of 11,196 units sold in May 2020. This translates into YoY loss of -79.12%, as compared to 53,627 units sold during the same period last year.
Top selling SUV in May was Hyundai Creta with sales of 3,212 units. As compared to May 2019 sales of 9,054 units, parentage de-growth is -64.52%. Creta was also ranked at No 1 position in the list of bestselling cars in May 2020. All new Creta was launched in March and it has been steadily rising in popularity ever since. The SUV has undergone a design upgrade, added new features and comes with new BS6 engine options.
At number two is Creta’s rival Kia Seltos with sales of 1,611 units. Before lockdown, Seltos had emerged as the top selling SUV in the country. However, new Creta is giving tough competition, as is evident in the sales numbers. To maintain its competitiveness, Kia had launched 2020 Seltos in May. The updates include some cosmetic enhancements and new safety features such as emergency stop signal (ESS), smart-key remote engine start and new voice commands for the UVO connected car tech. Both Seltos and Creta share the same engine options.
Top 30 SUV Sales – May 2020
| No | SUV | May-20 | May-19 | Diff | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyundai Creta | 3,212 | 9,054 | -5,842 | -64.52 |
| 2 | Kia Seltos | 1,611 | 0 | 1,611 | – |
| 3 | Mahindra XUV300 | 1,257 | 5,113 | -3,856 | -75.42 |
| 4 | Hyundai Venue | 1,242 | 7,049 | -5,807 | -82.38 |
| 5 | Mahindra Scorpio | 713 | 3,476 | -2,763 | -79.49 |
| 6 | MG Hector | 672 | 0 | 672 | – |
| 7 | Tata Nexon | 623 | 4,506 | -3,883 | -86.17 |
| 8 | Maruti Brezza | 572 | 8,781 | -8,209 | -93.49 |
| 9 | Toyota Fortuner | 267 | 1,459 | -1,192 | -81.70 |
| 10 | Tata Harrier | 161 | 1,779 | -1,618 | -90.95 |
| 11 | Renault Duster | 138 | 672 | -534 | -79.46 |
| 12 | Ford Endeavour | 122 | 628 | -506 | -80.57 |
| 13 | Honda WRV | 114 | 1,520 | -1,406 | -92.50 |
| 14 | Skoda Kodiaq | 112 | 95 | 17 | 17.89 |
| 15 | Jeep Compass | 93 | 977 | -884 | -90.48 |
| 16 | Nissan Kicks | 74 | 79 | -5 | -6.33 |
| 17 | VW T-ROC | 70 | 0 | 70 | – |
| 18 | MG ZS EV | 38 | 0 | 38 | – |
| 19 | Mahindra XUV500 | 36 | 1,195 | -1,159 | -96.99 |
| 20 | Ford EcoSport | 33 | 3,604 | -3,571 | -99.08 |
| 21 | VW Tiguan | 30 | 0 | 30 | – |
| 22 | Hyundai Kona | 4 | 0 | 4 | – |
| 23 | Honda CRV | 2 | 66 | -64 | -96.97 |
| 24 | Maruti S-Cross | 0 | 1,507 | -1,507 | -100.00 |
| 25 | Renault Captur | 0 | 76 | -76 | -100.00 |
| 26 | Nissan Terrano | 0 | 166 | -166 | -100.00 |
| 27 | Tata Safari | 0 | 152 | -152 | -100.00 |
| 28 | Mahindra TUV300 | 0 | 1,393 | -1,393 | -100.00 |
| 29 | Mahindra Alturas | 0 | 209 | -209 | -100.00 |
| 30 | Hyundai Tucson | 0 | 71 | -71 | -100.00 |
| – | Total | 11,196 | 53,627 | -42,431 | -79.12 |
Mahindra XUV300 takes the third place with sales of 1,257 units in May 2020. YoY sales growth is down -75.42%, as against 5,113 units sold in the same period last year. Mahindra had launched BS6 XUV300 diesel in March at a starting price of Rs 8.69 lakh. It was one of the few cars that hadn’t undergone a price revision with the BS6 upgrade. While torque output is the same at 300 Nm, power output has reduced marginally from 117 bhp to 115 bhp.
At number four is Hyundai Venue with sales of 1,242 units. YoY sales are down -82.38%, as against 7,049 units sold in May 2019. With its snazzy profile, a range of segment first and best-in-class features, and peppy performance, Venue has emerged as a popular choice in the compact SUV space.
Mahindra Scorpio takes the fifth spot with sales of 713 units. Percentage de-growth is -79.49%, as compared to 3,476 units sold in the same period last year. Mahindra had launched BS6 Scorpio in April at a starting price of Rs 12.40 lakh. As compared to BS4 model, BS6 Scorpio is pricier by an average of around Rs 60k.
Other SUVs in the top 10 list include MG Hector (672 units), Tata Nexon (623), Maruti Brezza (572), Toyota Fortuner (267) and Tata Harrier (161). Excluding new launches, all SUVs have registered negative growth in May 2020. Only exception is Skoda Kodiaq that has registered positive growth of 17.89%. SUVs that failed to open their account in May include Maruti S-Cross, Renault Captur, Nissan Terrano, Tata Safari, Mahindra TUV300, Mahindra Alturas and Hyundai Tucson.
