Launch date: March 16, 2020
Hyundai Motor India Limited launched its second generation of the best selling SUV Creta amid the chaos and clutter of the Corona virus. Unveiled at Auto Expo, Hyundai Creta was the most liked car of the biennial event. Despite lockdown and uncertainty, the SUV claimed massive bookings of 1.15 lakh till October 2020. It is now the best-selling SUV in India
The South Korean carmaker sold 72,091 units in April-November 2020.
Launch date: October 2, 2020
Mahindra & Mahindra, despite the tough competition in the SUV segment, unveiled its lifestyle off-roader Thar on August 15, 2020. With its fresh styling and new design, Thar broke the jinx and garnered a booking of 20,000 units. Now it has a waiting period of nine months. Launched in both the petrol and the diesel versions, the first Mahindra Thar was auctioned online for Rs 1.11 crore.
So far M&M has sold 2,568 units of Thar.
Launch date: September 18, 2020
Compact SUV is the hottest selling segment of the Indian car market. It has more than half a dozen SUVs and also competes with the premium hatchback and compact sedan segments. Despite this Kia Sonet managed to disrupt the market with distinct styling and flashy interiors. With a starting price of INR 6.71 lakh it attracted 50,000 customers in the initial phase of its launch. It is the best-selling compact SUV in the Indian car market.
The South Korean carmaker sold 32,404 units till November 2020.
Launch date: December 2, 2020
Nissan India has been struggling to find its feet in the Indian car market. With the launch of its compact SUV Magnite the struggle, it seems, is coming to an end. At a starting price of INR 4.99 lakh it is one of the most price-competitive compact SUVs. With this disruptive pricing, the car had 15,000 bookings in 17 days and has a waiting period of eight months. Having only a production capacity of 5,000 units for Nissan with Renault at the Alliance plant in Chennai, it will not be easy to manage the demand and supply for Magnite. Also, the launch of Renault Kiger in January 2021 will make things tough for the Japanese carmaker
Launch date: January 22, 2020
Tata Motors, the only carmaker which managed to move the needle on the market share meter, refreshed its entire product portfolio in January 2020. Along with that the company launched its most anticipated premium hatchback Altroz to fight the battle with segment leaders Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Hyundai i20. Altroz has been able to add 4,000-5,000 unit sales making it the best-selling car for Tata Motors after Nexon and Tiago. It contributes about 25% to the total sales of Tata Motors.
Launch date: July 15, 2020
Honda Cars India launched its fifth generation mid-size sedan, City, amid the mayhem of Corona virus. Despite the uncertainty in demand, Honda has been able to sell 3,500-4,000 units every month. Honda City contributes 40% of the total sales of the Japanese carmaker.
Honda sold 15,333 units during April – November 2020.
Launch date: November 5, 2020
After the flying success of its SUV Creta, South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor India took another shot by launching a new version of its premium hatchback i20. With three engine options along with three transmissions, Hyundai i20 recorded 30,000 bookings in 40 days of the launch. Out of that 85% were for the high-end variants.
The company sold 20,000 units in a brief period.
Launch date: January 28, 2020
Tata Motors would be celebrating next month the first anniversary of its first electric vehicle Nexon. The electric compact SUV has defied the market trends of not-so-sure-sentiment about electric cars in India. The home-grown carmaker has sold over 2,959 units between April and November 2020 despite the first quarter going under lockdown. This is 70% of the total sales of electric cars in India.
Tata Nexon is INR1 lakh to INR1.5 lakh dearer than the diesel Nexon AMT which removes the pricing factor from the minds of the consumers who think that electric vehicles are 2.5 times pricer. But in some states electric Nexon is cheaper than diesel Nexon thanks to government subsidy.
