Maruti, Hyundai, Tata and Toyota record best-ever CNG sales in October

Increase in CNG market share for Tata Motors and Toyota, however, has eaten into Hyundai’s CNG market share.

Published On Nov 06, 2024 08:00:00 AM

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Festive cheer and high discounting by CNG carmakers see retail sales hit a new monthly high. Cumulative January-October retails at 607,287 units are up 43 percent and have surpassed CY2023’s 590,000 units. While Maruti Suzuki, with 433,033 units, has a 72 percent market share, Tata Motors, with 94,374 units and 104 percent year-on-year growth, has increased its CNG market share by 5 percent to 16 percent. Hyundai has rolled out new variants even as Toyota doubles its sales to 12,355 units.

As per the latest Vahan data (as of November 3, 2024), at 99,967 units, retail sales of CNG-powered vehicles were a handsome 67 percent year-on-year increase (October 2023: 59,909 units). The CNG PV industry's previous monthly best was January 2024’s 67,427 units. This mega performance in October has resulted in the combined sales of India’s four CNG carmakers in the January-October 2024 period registering a total of 607,287 units, an increase of 43 percent YoY (January-October 2023: 426,014 units).

Maruti Suzuki CNG sales

70,281 units sold in October 2024

Maruti Suzuki has the largest portfolio of 13 CNG models having recently added the CNG version of the fourth-generation Swift. Only the Jimny, Ignis and Invicto are not part of its CNG stable. Understandably, with such a wide model spread, the company has a vice-like grip on the market.

As per Vahan data, Maruti Suzuki has delivered a total of 433,003 CNG vehicles in the first 10 months of this year, with October 2024’s 70,281 units being its highest monthly sales yet. Of the total 13,93,001 passenger vehicles the company sold between January and October 2024, CNG-powered vehicles account for a 31 percent share.

The company has outlined an ambitious sales target over 600,000 CNG vehicles in FY2025, which translates into 38 percent year-on-year growth over its FY2024’s 434,122 units, and around 11,000 units more than the entire PV industry’s retails of 589,996 CNG cars and SUVs last fiscal. In the first seven months of FY2025 (April-October 2024), Maruti Suzuki has registered retail sales of 310,669 units.

Tata Motors CNG sales

16,586 units sold in October 2024

Tata Motors, placed in third position in overall sales after Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, is the second largest CNG carmaker in the country. The company, which had first introduced its innovative twin-CNG-cylinder technology in the Tata Altroz hatchback, has now standardised it in its entire CNG line-up which comprises the Tiago CNG, Punch CNG, Altroz CNG and Tigor CNG.

Like Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors too has hit a monthly best of 16,586 CNG vehicles in October, which takes its January-October 2024 total of 94,374 units, up 104 percent year-on-year (January-October 2023: 46,330 units). This translates into its CNG vehicles having a 21 percent share of the total 444,085 vehicles (petrol, diesel, electric and CNG) retailed in the first 10 months of CY2024, as per Vahan data. This also means that Tata Motors, which had sold a total of 83,482 CNG vehicles in FY2024, has gone past that figure in the first seven months of FY2025.

Hyundai CNG sales

9,725 units sold in October 2024

Like the two above, Hyundai too has notched its best-ever monthly CNG retails in October 2024: 9,725 units. For the first 10 months of this year, Hyundai’s cumulative retails at 60,787 units are up 19 percent year-on-year (January-October 2023: 51,285 units). In terms of CNG market share, Hyundai currently has 10.12 percent compared to 12.12 percent in January-October 2023, possibly as a result of the advance of Tata Motors and Toyota which seem to have eaten into its market share.

Hyundai, with three CNG models currently, is looking to rev up sales and has recently launched a new base variant of the Aura CNG. Having introduced a dual-cylinder CNG setup in the Exter in July, Hyundai launched the Grand i10 Nios hatchback with the same layout, leveraging on a trend first set by Tata Motors.

Toyota CNG sales

9,725 units sold in October 2024

Toyota Kirloskar Motor is also faring very well on the CNG vehicle retail front. The 2,800 CNG-powered passenger vehicles it sold in October are its monthly best yet. The company, which has recently expanded its CNG vehicle portfolio to four models with the Taisor joining the Glanza hatchback, Urban Cruiser Hyryder and the Rumion MPV, has sold 12,355 units in the past 10 months, up 109 percent YoY (January-October 2023: 5,918 units).