Mahindra sold 1,257 units of the XUV300 in the month of May 2020, making it the only sub-4m SUV apart from the Hyundai Venue to cross the 1,000 mark
The sub-compact SUV space is currently one of the most popular segments in the Indian market, and currently hosts five cars from different manufacturers. Until now, the segment has largely been dominated by the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, and the Hyundai Venue. However, the May 2020 sales report came as a surprise to everyone, since the best-selling sub-4m SUV in the month wasn’t either the Japanese or Korean SUV, but the home-grown Mahindra XUV300.
Mahindra managed to sell 1,257 units of the XUV300 in May 2020, which helped it become the only sub-compact SUV to cross the 1,000 unit mark, apart from the Hyundai Venue which came in at second (1,242 units sold). While the XUV300 was the best-selling car in the segment, the SUV still registered a de-growth in YoY sales by 3,856 units, since Mahindra managed to sell 5,113 units of the said car in the same month last year.
The Mahindra XUV300 is one of the most expensive cars in the sub-4m SUV category, and hence, has always lagged behind in terms of sales for the same reason. It is also one of the safest volume based cars in India and is usually overshadowed by relatively more affordable offerings.
| Model | May 2020 Sales | May 2019 Sales | Growth |
| 1. Mahindra XUV 300 | 1,257 | 5,113 | -75% |
| 2. Hyundai Venue | 1,242 | 7,049 | -82.40% |
| 3. Tata Nexon | 623 | 4,506 | -86% |
| 4. Maruti Vitara Brezza | 572 | 8,781 | -93% |
| 5. Ford EcoSport | 331 | 3,604 | -91% |
| 6. Honda W-RV | 114 | 1,520 | -93% |
| 7. Mahindra TUV 300 | 0 | 1,393 | -1% |
Mahindra currently offers the XUV300 with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine rated at 110 PS/200 Nm, along with a 1.5-litre oil burner that puts out 116.6 PS of max power, and 300 Nm of peak torque. The transmission duties on both the powertrains are handled by a 6-speed MT, while the diesel engine can also be had with an optional 6-speed AMT gearbox.
Mahindra retails the XUV300 at a starting price of Rs 8.3 lakh, which goes up to Rs 12.69 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom). Apart from the Mahindra XUV300, the segment currently consists of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and the Ford EcoSport.
In addition, at least three other manufacturers are confirmed to be working on launching their own sub-compact SUVs in the Indian market – Kia, Nissan and Renault.