Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza continued to be the most sold compact SUV in India in March 2021 as it finished ahead of Venue and Nexon
The compact SUV segment draws in audience in abundance in recent memory and its influence in the overall domestic market share should not be understated. In March 2021, the sub-four-metre SUV saw Maruti Suzuki finishing on top of the sales charts with 11,274 units as against 5,513 units during the same period last year with 104 per cent growth.
The Venue finished closely behind in the second position as 10,722 units were recorded against 6,127 units during the corresponding month in 2020 with 75 per cent sales increase. The Nexon scored its highest ever monthly sales in March 2021 as 8,683 units were sold against 2,646 units twelve months ago with 228 per cent volume surge.
The Sonet was placed fourth with nearly 8,500 units and it has emerged as a top seller for the South Korean manufacturer alongside the Seltos. The Ford EcoSport slotted in as the fifth most sold compact SUV in the country as 5,487 units were recorded against 2,197 units during the same period in 2020 with 149.7 per cent sales increase.
| Compact SUVs (YoY) | Units Sold in March 2021 | Units Sold in March 2020 |
| 1. Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza (104%) | 11,274 | 5,513 |
| 2. Hyundai Venue (75%) | 10,722 | 6,127 |
| 3. Tata Nexon (228%) | 8,683 | 2,646 |
| 4. Kia Sonet | 8,498 | – |
| 5. Ford EcoSport (149.7%) | 5,487 | 2,197 |
| 6. Renault Kiger | 3,839 | – |
| 7. Toyota Urban Cruiser | 3,162 | – |
| 8. Nissan Magnite | 2,987 | – |
| 9. Mahindra XUV300 (217.8%) | 2,587 | 814 |
| 10. Honda WR-V (1037%) | 978 | 86 |
The EcoSport had an SE variant based on the export-spec version with the absence of tailgate mounted spare wheel introduced recently. Since last year, we had witnessed plenty of activity in the compact SUV segment as Toyota launched the Urban Cruiser while the heavily localised Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger based on CMF-A+ platform also joined the fray.
The Renault Kiger ended up as the sixth most sold model in its space as 3,839 units were sold while the Toyota Urban Cruiser registered 3,162 units. The Nissan Magnite managed to record 2,987 units last month as it finished ahead of Mahindra XUV300, which garnered 2,587 units as against 814 units with nearly 218 per cent YoY growth.
The Honda WR-V was the only model in the segment with three-digit sales in March 2021 as 978 units were sold. Citroen India will enter the sub-4m segment likely early next year with what has been codenamed CC21 while Jeep is also working on a compact SUV for launch in the near future.