The Hyundai Creta led the way ahead of Toyota Innova Crysta and Mahindra Bolero in diesel car sales in the month of February 2021
Since the arrival of the BSVI emission standards in April 2020, the popularity of the diesel cars had only shrunken than it already was and their usage was limited to only a few segments due to a number of reasons – primary being the oil-burner equipped variants not making a strong business case cost-wise in upgrading to meet the more stringent emission norms.
However, some of the carmakers did keep their faith in diesel cars and they have suitably been rewarded overtime courtesy of the boom in premium segments. Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has the Creta as its best-selling SUV in the country in February 2021 as 12,428 units were sold and of which, 7,558 units were for the diesel-spec trims.
The statistics suggest that only 4,870 Hyundai Creta’s dispatched last month were petrol. The Toyota Innova Crysta was the second most sold diesel passenger vehicle in the domestic market last month as 5,886 units were recorded with only 137 units favouring the 2.7-litre petrol engine in the premium people carrier.
| Top 10 Diesel Cars | Feb 2021 Diesel Sales | Feb 2021 Petrol Sales | Total |
| 1. Hyundai Creta | 7,558 | 4,870 | 12,428 |
| 2. Toyota Innova | 5,886 | 132 | 6,018 |
| 3. Mahindra Bolero | 4,843 | 0 | 4,843 |
| 4. Mahindra Scorpio | 3,532 | 0 | 3,532 |
| 5. Kia Sonet | 3,397 | 4,600 | 7,997 |
| 6. Kia Seltos | 3,150 | 5,155 | 8,305 |
| 7. Mahindra Thar | 2,228 | 614 | 2,842 |
| 8. Toyota Fortuner | 2,030 | 23 | 2,053 |
| 9. Tata Harrier | 2,030 | 0 | 2,030 |
| 10. Ford EcoSport | 1,948 | 1,223 | 3,171 |
Mahindra & Mahindra finished in third place courtesy of the Bolero as the workhorse opted 4,843 units and bearing in mind that it is only offered with a diesel engine, holds true for the Scorpio as well, which reserved the fourth position. The SUV managed to record 3,532 units for the 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine equipped variants last month.
Kia’s Sonet compact SUV ended up as the fifth most sold diesel model in the country in Feb 2021 as 3,397 units were registered for the 1.5-litre diesel engine with the petrol motor contributing to 4,600 units. Nearly 8,000 units of the five-seater were posted as it slotted in ahead of the Seltos mid-size SUV, which saw the brand garnering 3,150 units for it.
Just as the Sonet, the contribution of the petrol-engined variants was high in the Seltos. The Mahindra Thar posted 2,228 units with the diesel engine while the Toyota Fortuner, Tata Harrier and Ford EcoSport finished in eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.