Kia Seltos has topped the overall SUV sales charts for the first time on the back of enduring tremendous reception from customers in its initial months
The compact and mid-size SUV segments have seen the arrival of several new models in 2019 as they have made certain impact on the sales charts. They could not have come at a better time despite the overall sales volumes in the industry plummeted since the beginning of the year.
Addressing the customers’ affinity towards SUVs, models like Kia Seltos, Hyundai Venue, MG Hector and Mahindra XUV300 have broken into new avenues and resultantly performed well on the sales table. More importantly, while they have not expanded the sales volumes in their respective segments, they have made sure new buying options for customers by keeping the competition lively.
In October 2019, Kia Motors’ debut product in India, the Seltos, rose to the top of the sales charts with a total of 12,854 units for the first time. It finished ahead of both Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Hyundai Venue and its bookings have gone past the 60,000 mark.
The Vitara Brezza regained its top spot Hyundai Venue a couple of months ago and it stayed put in October as well with a total of 10,227 units.
| SUVs | October 2019 Sales | October 2018 Sales |
| 1. Kia Seltos | 12,854 | – |
| 2. Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza | 10,227 | 15,832 |
| 3. Hyundai Venue | 8,576 | – |
| 4. Hyundai Creta | 7,269 | 11,702 |
| 5. Mahindra Scorpio | 4,628 | 4,603 |
| 6. Tata Nexon | 4,438 | 4,608 |
| 7. Ford EcoSport | 4,326 | 3,957 |
| 8. MG Hector | 3,536 | – |
| 9. Mahindra XUV300 | 3,045 | – |
| 10. Mahindra XUV500 | 1,378 | 2,156 |
*AutoPunditz
With cumulative domestic sales of 8,576 units last month, the Venue has averaged more than 8,000 units since its market launch in May 2019. Along with it, the Creta’s tally of 7,269 units had made Hyundai a strong contender in the UV department this year. The Creta will be receiving a comprehensive makeover early next year as a brand new model based on the Seltos will more likely debut at 2020 Auto Expo.
The Creta was the fourth most sold SUV in October 2019 as it finished ahead of Mahindra Scorpio and Tata Nexon. The Scorpio posted almost flat growth last month as 4,628 units were sold against 4,603 units during the same month in 2018. The Nexon, on the other hand, garnered 4,438 units against 4,608 units with a minor drop of 4%.
A new generation Scorpio and a facelifted Nexon are in the works for launch next year. The EcoSport came home seventh with a total of 4,326 units as against 3,957 units during the corresponding month last year with 9% YoY sales increase. The Hector has gone past 38,000 bookings already in India and it posted 3,536 units last year, good enough for eighth.
Mahindra covered the remaining two spots as the XUV300 and XUV500 registered 3,045 and 1,378 units respectively in October 2019. The second generation Mahindra Thar, updated TUV300 and an all-new Scorpio could premiere at the 2020 Auto Expo the coming February.