Although petrol cars currently dominate the Indian market in terms of sales, the demand for diesel vehicles continues in the BS6 era
Last year, before the BS6 emission norms came into effect, industry experts predicted that the demand for diesel-powered vehicles would fall drastically. The primary reason for that was the massive price difference between equivalent BS6-compliant petrol and diesel vehicles. As such a few carmakers decided to discontinue diesel engines, but a few others decided to keep them.
In February 2021, i.e., last month, 16.8 per cent of all cars sold in the Indian market had diesel engines. Although the figure is quite small compared to petrol-powered vehicles, it should be noted that diesel vehicle options are relatively limited in number.
Maruti Suzuki led the sales chart in terms of petrol vehicle sales, with 100 per cent sales comprising of petrol-powered models. Mahindra & Mahindra emerged as the leader in terms of diesel vehicle sales, with around 87.4 per cent sales coming from diesel-powered models.
| Petrol and diesel vehicles sales – February 2021 | ||
| Manufacturer | Petrol vehicle sales | Diesel vehicle sales |
| Maruti Suzuki | 1,44,761 (100%) | 0 (0%) |
| Hyundai | 39,956 (77.4%) | 11,634 (22.6%) |
| Tata | 20,810 (77.8%) | 5,922 (22.2%) |
| Kia | 9,755 (58.4%) | 6,947 (41.6%) |
| Mahindra & Mahindra | 1,935 (12.6%) | 13,445 (87.4%) |
| Toyota | 6,104 (43.4%) | 7,950 (56.6%) |
| Renault | 11,043 (100%) | 0 (0%) |
| Honda | 8,097 (86.8%) | 1,227 (13.2%) |
| Ford | 2,958 (51.2%) | 2,817 (48.8%) |
| MG | 2,887 (70.0%) | 1,238 (30.0%) |
| Nissan | 4,244 (100%) | 0 (0%) |
| Volkswagen | 2,186 (100%) | 0 (0%) |
| Jeep | 557 (50.5%) | 546 (49.5%) |
| Skoda | 853 (100%) | 0 (0%) |
Other manufacturers that experienced a healthy demand for diesel vehicles last month include Toyota, Jeep, and Ford, with close to half of their sales coming from diesel-powered cars, with Kia following close behind. Hyundai, Tata, and Honda had a moderate demand for diesel vehicles in comparison.
Apart from Maruti Suzuki, other carmakers currently relying solely on petrol-powered vehicles include Renault, Nissan, Volkswagen, and Skoda. Renault’s sales have been quite strong recently, thanks to its small but strong portfolio of affordable models. Nissan has also been gaining popularity in the Indian market recently, thanks mainly to just one model, the Magnite.
Skoda and VW are towards the bottom of the sales chart, but that might change soon. Skoda has officially unveiled the Kushaq (Creta/Seltos rival), which will go on sale in July 2021. Volkswagen will also debut a new SUV soon, the Taigun, which will be based on the Kushaq. The two sister brands are also planning to launch a slew of new cars in the future, including new generation versions of the Polo, Vento, and Rapid.
*Petrol sales figures include CNG-powered vehicles as well, wherever applicable