
12 out of the top 20 cars have been Sports Utility Vehicles as the compact SUV and midsize SUV segments are dominating the market
The month of September 2023 sees as many as 14 SUVs occupying the top 25 passenger vehicle sales charts as the craze for SUVs is here to stay. More interestingly, 12 out of the top 20 cars have been Sports Utility Vehicles as the compact SUV and midsize SUV segments are dominating the proceedings.
Modern-day customers, even first-time buyers, prefer to buy automatic cars and feature-packed vehicles in the above Rs. 8 lakh space. The arrival of more stringent emission standards has led to diesel engines disappearing thick and fast and only a few models are now offered with an oil burner in the below Rs. 10 lakh segment.
The Tata Nexon, the highest-placed SUV, has come in at third and it is just over 3,000 units adrift of the most sold PV in India last month, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. The Brezza, Punch, Creta and Venue are the other SUVs that are featured in the top 10. The high ground clearance and large bootspace offered by SUVs are other deciding factors.
Top 25 Cars (YoY) | September 2023 Sales | September 2022 Sales |
1. Maruti Suzuki Baleno (-5%) | 18,417 | 19,369 |
2. Maruti Suzuki WagonR (-19%) | 16,250 | 20,078 |
3. Tata Nexon (6%) | 15,325 | 14,518 |
4. Maruti Suzuki Brezza (-3%) | 15,001 | 15,445 |
5. Maruti Suzuki Swift (23%) | 14,703 | 11,988 |
6. Maruti Suzuki Dzire (45%) | 13,880 | 9,601 |
7. Maruti Suzuki Ertiga (45%) | 13,528 | 9,299 |
8. Tata Punch (6%) | 13,036 | 12,251 |
9. Hyundai Creta (-1%) | 12,717 | 12,866 |
10. Hyundai Venue (11%) | 12,204 | 11,033 |
11. Mahindra Scorpio (24%) | 11,846 | 9,536 |
12. Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara | 11,736 | 4,769 |
13. Maruti Suzuki Fronx | 11,455 | – |
14. Maruti Suzuki Eeco (-12%) | 11,147 | 12,697 |
15. Kia Seltos (-4%) | 10,558 | 11,000 |
16. Mahindra Bolero (17%) | 9,519 | 8,108 |
17. Toyota Innova (22%) | 8,900 | 7,282 |
18. Hyundai Exter | 8,647 | – |
19. Mahindra XUV700 (41%) | 8,555 | 6,063 |
20. Maruti Suzuki Alto (-69%) | 7,791 | 24,844 |
21. Tata Tiago (-2%) | 6,789 | 6,936 |
22. Tata Altroz (28%) | 6,684 | 5,227 |
23. Hyundai i20 (-11%) | 6,481 | 7,275 |
24. Honda Elevate | 5,685 | – |
25. Mahindra Thar (27%) | 5,417 | 4,249 |
The consistency of some of the models that you see here in the top 25 should not be understated as well. Over the last four to five years, the SUV space has been certainly booming and carmakers are taking advantage of its popularity and the increasing footfall for SUVs at their showrooms, to increase their market share by bringing in new models.
As a result, the SUV segment is witnessing plenty of activity in the form of new launches and customer offers. Maruti Suzuki, for instance, introduced the second generation Brezza compact SUV, the all-new Grand Vitara midsize SUV, the Fronx compact SUV coupe and the Jimny five-door lifestyle off-road SUV in a short space of time.
Its perseverance has paid off and the same can be said for manufacturers like Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra and Kia.