The list comprises of three Maruti Suzuki cars and two newly debuted brands Kia and MG along with others
The recently concluded calendar year of 2019 has been a tumultuous period for the carmakers as the sales slowdown had hampered the automotive industry’s progress by a big margin. However, it did not stop manufacturers from coming up with new vehicles as a barrage of SUVs entered the domestic market between January and December 2019.
In this list, we have analysed the performance of the 2019 launches based on their sales numbers. The first month of the year saw a lot of action as Maruti Suzuki brought in the third generation Wagon R based on the lightweight Heartect platform with thoroughly overhauled exterior and interior.
The tall hatch did live up to the expectations of its predecessor as 1,55,967 units were sold over the last twelve months and maintained an impressive yet consistent run. Hyundai’s long-awaited debut in the sub-four-metre SUV space was answered through the Venue. Despite being late to the party compared to its rivals, the Venue did hit a home run by comfortably beating the segment leader Vitara Brezza for a few months in a row.
| S.No | New Launches In 2019 | Units Sold |
| 1. | Maruti Suzuki Wagon R | 1,55,967 |
| 2. | Hyundai Venue | 70,443 |
| 3. | Kia Seltos | 45,494 |
| 4. | Maruti Suzuki S-Presso | 35,254 |
| 5. | Renault Triber | 24,142 |
| 6. | Toyota Glanza | 17,946 |
| 7. | MG Hector | 15,930 |
| 8. | Maruti Suzuki XL6 | 15,240 |
| 9. | Tata Harrier | 15,227 |
| 10. | Nissan Kicks | 4,776 |
The in-car connectivity based features and the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine have been the major highlights as they helped the Venue to distinguish itself from the crowd. The heated rivalry against Vitara Brezza will rage on in 2020 as the Venue garnered 70,443 units in the space of just eight months.
The Seltos certainly took the mid-size SUV segment to the next level since its launch in August 2019 and rose to the top of the monthly sales standings by beating the long-time leader Hyundai Creta. Between August and December 2019, 45,494 units of the Seltos were retailed in India and the soon arriving second-gen Creta will give it a tough fight.
The S-Presso revitalised the micro SUV segment by tallying up good numbers as 35,254 units were recorded in just four months while MG Motor’s Hector, launched in late July 2019, did capitalise on the mid-size SUV rush by sweeping 15,930 units thus far. The Triber played a key role in Renault’s resurgence in the second half of the year as 24,142 units were retailed since the debut in late August.
Not all new mid-size SUVs tasted success though as Tata Harrier and Nissan Kicks launched just a day apart in January managed 15,227 and 4,776 units respectively. Other notable mentions are the Ertiga based XL6 and Toyota’s Glanza, the rebadged Baleno, as they wrapped 2019 with 17,946 and 15,240 units apiece.