Total utility vehicle wholesales, at 13,43,363 units, were up 12.2 percent YoY (H1 FY2023: 11,86,953 units), which translates into 1,56,410 additional UVs being despatched between April and September 2024 over the year-ago period. What’s more, this stellar performance has meant that the UV share of overall PV sales has scaled a new high – 64 percent vs 57 percent in H1 FY2024. Of the over 110 SUVs and MPVs and a mind-boggling 800-plus variants sold, the top 20 best-selling models for H1 FY2025 revealed here clearly make a difference in what is a highly competitive marketplace. Let’s take a close look at the first half of the top 20 models.
- Tata Punch leads, with Hyundai Creta and Maruti Ertiga following
- Mahindra Scorpio gained one position compared to last year
- Nexon, Venue and Grand Vitara sales declined compared to last year
Cumulative wholesales of the top 20 models add up to 11,74,122 units, which constitutes an overwhelming 87 percent of the total 13.4 lakh utility vehicles sold between April-September 2024. As per the estimated wholesales data gleaned from SIAM and company releases, the Tata Punch (ranked third in FY2024) is currently in the lead with 1,01,820 units. The Punch, sold in petrol, diesel, CNG and electric avatars, has recorded strong 40 percent YoY growth (H1 FY2024: 72,626 units).
Hard on the Punch’s wheels are three other models – the Hyundai Creta (96,416 units), Maruti Ertiga (95,061 units) and Maruti Brezza (93,659 units). The Creta, which is India’s best-selling midsize SUV and ranked as the fourth best-selling UV in FY2024, is now in second position with 96,416 units, up 15 percent YoY (H1 FY2024: 83,693 units). Credit this performance to the new Creta launched in January 2024. The popular Ertiga MPV (ranked fifth in FY2024) has moved into No. 3 position as a result of its strong performance – up 47 percent YoY (H1 FY2024: 64,677 units).
The game-changing Maruti Brezza, which kicked off the compact SUV juggernaut all those many years ago, is No. 4 with 93,659 units, up 14 percent YoY (H1 FY2024: 81,928 units) but down on its No. 2 rank in FY2024. The Mahindra Scorpio has moved up one rank from FY2024 to No. 5 in H1 FY2025 with sales of 81,293 units, up 36 percent YoY (H1 FY2024: 59,849 units).
Currently ranked No. 6 is the Maruti Fronx with 73,841 units, up 16 percent YoY (H1 FY2024: 63,477 units). In September this year, the Fronx became the second Nexa SUV to achieve 2 lakh sales, after the Grand Vitara. In FY2024, the Fronx was ranked seventh.
UVs No. 7, 8 and 9 are all currently witnessing a YoY sales decline. The Tata Nexon, India’s best-selling SUV for three straight fiscals – FY2024, FY2023 and FY2022 – has dropped all of six ranks to No. 7 position. At an estimated 72,350 units in H1 FY2025, the Nexon is down 8 percent on year-ago dispatches of 78,975 units. With the recent launch of the Nexon CNG as well as the Nexon ICE model acing the Bharat NCAP crash test with a 5-star rating, it is expected the Nexon should recover market momentum. Sibling Punch has been outselling the Nexon right since January 2024. The Nexon, which turned seven years old in September 2024, has sold over 7 lakh units since launch.
The Hyundai Venue, the Korean manufacturer’s first compact SUV, with 56,521 units, is down 11 percent YoY albeit it retains the same eighth ranking as it did in FY2024.
Demand for the Maruti Grand Vitara seems to have slowed down a tad – the 55,751 units are down 6 percent YoY. The highest-selling Nexa SUV with over 2.17 lakh units sold since launch, the Grand Vitara maintains its No. 9 position of FY2024 in H1 2025.
The Kia Sonet is ranked 10th with 55,017 units, which marks strong growth of 41 percent YoY (H1 FY2024: 39,066 units). The rollout of a new model has clearly accelerated demand for this compact SUV.
Compact SUVs have 50 percent share of Top 20 UVs
The compact SUV segment, which accounted for 6,71,674 units or exactly 50 percent of the total 13,43,363 UVs sold in the April-September period, also lords over the Top 20 best-selling UVs in H1 FY2025. Starting from the No. 1 model, the Tata Punch, there are all of nine models whose combined wholesales of 5,92,179 units make up the same ratio – 50 percent of the total 11,74,122 units these Top 20 models have sold in the first six months of FY2025.
The midsize SUV segment, starting with the Hyundai Creta, has seven models whose combined wholesales of 3,81,123 units constitute 32 percent of the cumulative Top 20 number. And there are four MPVs – Maruti Ertiga, Toyota Innova Crysta / Hycross, Kia Carens and Maruti XL6 – whose combined sales of 2,00,820 units give them a 17 percent share of the Top 20 models.
In terms of OEM model-wise share in these Top 20 UVs, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra & Mahindra have five models each while Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia have three each. Tata Motors and Toyota Kirloskar Motor have two models each.
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