Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza led the segment again in July 2021 while Tata Nexon breached the 10,000 unit sales mark for the first time
The sub-four-metre SUV segment has been all the rage in recent memory as customers have flocked in to purchase value-for-money SUVs at a reasonably affordable price point. Consequently, we have experienced the skyrocketing competition levels in the compact SUV space as one manufacturer looked to better the other with USPs of its own.
Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza has been the table topper ever since making its debut back in early 2016 but its numero uno status was tested quite a few times in recent years courtesy of new entrants. In the month of July 2021, the Vitara Brezza continued to lead the way with 12,676 units against 7,807 units during the same period last year with 62.3 per cent growth.
The Tata Nexon was the second most sold compact SUV last month and it grew in confidence in garnering sales over the years. For the first time, the Global NCAP five-star rated SUV posted more than 10,000 units in a single month in July 2021 as 10,287 Nexons were sold against 4,327 units during the same period last year with 137.7 per cent growth.
| Compact SUVs (YoY) | July 2021 Sales | July 2020 Sales |
| 1. Maruti Vitara Brezza (62.3%) | 12,676 | 7,807 |
| 2. Tata Nexon (137.7%) | 10,287 | 4,327 |
| 3. Hyundai Venue (21.5%) | 8,185 | 6,734 |
| 4. Kia Sonet | 7,675 | – |
| 5. Mahindra XUV 300 (139%) | 6,027 | 2,519 |
| 6. Nissan Magnite | 4,073 | – |
| 7. Renault Kiger | 3,557 | – |
| 8. Toyota Urban Cruiser | 2,448 | – |
| 9. Ford EcoSport (-32.9%) | 1,635 | 2,438 |
| 10. Honda WR-V (-3.4%) | 708 | 733 |
The Hyundai Venue finished in the third position with 8,185 units against 6,734 units during the corresponding month in 2020 with 21.5 per cent positive volume growth. The Kia Sonet recorded 7,675 unit sales last month to slot in at fourth ahead of Mahindra XUV300 and Nissan Magnite.
The XUV300 posted 6,027 units against 2,519 units in July 2020 with 139 per cent sales surge. The Nissan Magnite helped the brand to cross 4,000 unit sales in a long time as 4,073 units were recorded. Its sibling, the Renault Kiger, registered 3,557 units to finish seventh ahead of Toyota Urban Cruiser, Ford EcoSport and Honda WR-V.
The segment will see the arrival of the Citroen C3 Sporty sometime next year while a Jeep compact SUV is also under development. Both could share the CMP platform and a 1.2-litre petrol engine could be utilised.