Hatchbacks Vs Sedans Vs SUVs – May 2020 Car Sales Analysis

The sales of SUVs, crossovers and MPVs have only increased in recent years as more customers are preferring them over traditional hatchbacks and sedans

The global trend of customers preferring SUVs and crossovers over other body types has been largely prevalent in India for the last three to four years. This is mainly due to them wanting to own more premium products that has led to the market share of entry-level mass market hatchbacks decreasing gradually while some auto majors have given up on the small hatches altogether.

The rise in fame of SUVs could clearly be seen on the Rs. 7 lakh to Rs. 16 lakh segments as the compact and mid-size SUVs are largely chosen by customers. The sub-four-metre SUV segment began gaining attention following the debut of Ford EcoSport while Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza took advantage of the space and it continued to lead the space for more than three years.

As the segment share began increasing, more manufacturers stepped in as Tata Motors brought in the Nexon in late 2017 while the Honda WR-V also joined the party. Mahindra did give the five-seater segment another try by introducing the XUV300 in early 2019 and the Venue pulled out all the stops with a comprehensive package that led to the top spot of Vitara Brezza shaken for good.

In a similar fashion, the mid-size SUV segment rose to spotlight courtesy of the Hyundai Creta and more brands followed suite with an aim to grab a big pie. Just as the Vitara Brezza, the Creta consistently posted more than 10,000 units every month and in 2019, new rivals came pouring in, as the Tata Harrier was launched in January 2019 along with Nissan Kicks just a day apart.

The Seltos and Hector acted as debutants for Kia and MG respectively along the course of CY2019 and they tasted tremendous success as well. In May 2020, the first operational month following the nationwide industry shutdown, more than 53 per cent of total volume sales in the passenger car division arrived from SUVs and MPVs which includes popular models like Creta, Brezza, Ertiga, Innova Crysta, Triber, Seltos, Hector, Harrier, Scorpio, Eeco and more. The total UV sales in Month of may stands at 19,610 units (SUV/MPV/Vans) which is around 53.6% of total sales (36,576) last month.

The remaining 46.4 per cent (16,966 units) belong to hatchbacks (39%) and sedans (17%) as the shift in trend could be clearly witnessed. The micro SUV segment, having high volume potential, is also being explored by carmakers and it could spring up the share of the total sales of SUVs in the near future.