India Passenger Car Sales : 2024

A heavily protected market means a few brands sell most of the vehicles. Is the protection really necessary when it is well established and successful, selling cars built and priced for the local market? Absolutely not but it remains anyway. Suzuki offers value and reliable motoring with a wide range of small cars and would do so without import tariffs. The next three combined fail to equal the volume of Suzuki. 

Hyundai was being caught by Tata but that has stopped with the latter just short of the number two spot. Mahindra seems to have more of the momentum than Tata but moving on to a higher level can be tricky. How far that will go only time will tell. Toyota shot past Kia with Renault and VW passing Škoda. 

The data is from varying sources, in some cases wholesale and in others retail. Some smaller brands aren't listed if they don't release the data. The numbers are not perfect but close and it does paint a reasonable picture of the market. The total is based on the figures below and a little added for absent friends.

Data source: BHP & manufacturers. 

India Passenger Car Sales : 2023

Registrations were up 9% for the year. Not every brand that operates here is listed but only some minor ones are missing. I believe all the bigger brands are wholesale deliveries to dealers and some of the smaller ones listed are retail but that balances out. The 'Diff' column shows market share change. 

The manufacturers clearly are overprotected and I believe the government wants to address that but those benefitting from the protection obviously are wishing for the status quo to remain.  

Suzuki was here from the early days when sales were paltry but now the economy has grown, they have grown with it and now enjoy the benefits of a strong reputation along with offering value. Hyundai and Tata battle it out for the somewhat distant second place. The Tata Tiago is the top picture and the Tata Safari is below the chart).

 

Mahindra (picture of the XUV300 just above) is gaining ground in them, having passed Kia a few years back. Ford and Datsun left last year if you're wondering why there are gaps in the ranking for past years. Isuzu has been around but only recently have the figures being released. Premium marques are doing quite well but from a low base. 

Getting accurate data can be challenging. The JLR was spoken of as being for nine months of sales as if getting the full calendar year of sales wasn't possible. That sort of issue sums up India in many ways. 

Data source: BHP, manufacturers. 

India Top 50 Passenger Cars : 2023

Websites in Asia for car brands feature cartoonlike pictures or obviously computer generated ones. To me, it comes across as lazy and tacky. Potential customers in this region must have a different view. It doesn't affect sales, if Suzuki India is anything to go by. I won't be using them here. Tata does real pictures so they get the nod to adorn this blog about India model sales. 

Suzuki artwork notwithstanding, the top sellers are all from this manufacturer. It's a dominance rarely seen anywhere helped in part by suffocating import tariffs but also a reputation for cheap, reliable cars. The two local brands of Tata and Mahindra are well represented along with a few others but there is repetition in brand names. 

I used colour to highlight the source of the model by a brand's origin. Data source: BHP.

Tata India Model Sales : 2020-2022

Tata Motors is a company that covers all segments of the car industry from small cars to heavy trucks and buses. It is part of the Tata Group which is a huge conglomerate in which cars are but a sideline business. It entered the passenger car business in 1991, making SUVs. Then in 1998, it released the Indica mini 5-door hatchback, then a few years later complemented by the Indigo, a 4-door version of the car. 

The Indica pushed the share of Tata in India from 1.2% in 1997 to 10% in 1999. In 2002, it passed 16% but then it slowly slip to 14% by 2009. The tiny Nano was introduced in 2008 and was supposed to bring car ownership to hundreds of thousands of Indians each year didn't achieve anything like that. 

By 2014, market share had crashed to 5% and new models were urgently required to meet the increasing competition. The Tiago and then the Nexon and Tigor models did a good job of steadying the ship and regaining some lost ground. 

The Harrier midsized crossover came out in 2019, the small Altroz 5-door hatchback in 2020 (picture below the sales data) and the Punch compact SUV in 2021 were a strong assault arsenal to get Tata Motors back to a respectable position. There's no show without Punch.

We can see the benefit those new models have brought Tata Motors over the past few years with market share up to 13.8% and climbing. If the current success can be maintained, Tata will pass Hyundai for second place. Some of its recent SUVs have a hint of Land Rover styling about them. I wonder why?

VW Brand India Model Sales : 2019-22

With the disappointment of the Ameo, what was VW planning to do now? Would it just walk away or persist with the market? The Ameo and Passat were retired, the latter for the second time in a few years. 

2020: The range was thinning and the T-Roc was imported. It came in two batches which sold out quite quickly but then VW stopped taking orders for them. It isn't cost effective to import so perhaps it was a stopgap measure until the Taigun arrived.

2021: Assembly of the Taigun crossover SUV (based on the T-Cross, picture to the right) commenced this year. It was a badly needed addition as VW tried to make a case for its being here at all. 

2022: The Polo and Vento models were discontinued this year but the imported Tiguan continues in limited numbers. A smallish saloon car named the Virtus (pic top) arrived and is shared by Škoda, named the Slavia. Market share has passed the 1% mark again! 

VW is continuing in India but it's not proved to be an Eldorado for the brand. Quite the opposite in fact. However, by working with Škoda it can presumably manage to remain due to cost savings from that collaboration. 

For the first in the series, simply click here.

Hyundai India Model Sales : 2019-2022

Hyundai sailed into this period with a strong tailwind and looking well established. The market is tight and Tata was was proving to be stiffer opposition so how would Hyundai react.

2019: As usual, with new models keeping the range fresh. The Venue compact crossover (picture below the sales chart) was successful as you would expect and the Kona also turned up but in tiny numbers. 

2021: The small to medium sized Alcazar crossover (above) was introduced and understandably was solid without being spectacular saleswise. Meanwhile, the slow selling Elantra was withdrawn.

2022: Hyundai's market share slipped noticeably to 14.4%, the lowest since 2012 and the second lowest since 2007. It may be a temporary blip but one to watch. India is not, for the most part, an easy place to be in for a car company. Tata is on the up and close to passing it.  

As for the pictures on their website as seen here, they are embarrassing. Computer generated but they are not very well done to boot. It's not just with Hyundai either. It seems to be an increasingly common practice, especially in Asia. You can't beat well taken photographs but can some manufacturers not be bothered?

The first in the series can be seen by clicking here.

Honda India Model Sales : 2019-2022

The Amaze interior

With market share declining from 2015 down to 5.4% in 2018, where would things go from here? The sort answer is down as some sort of rationalisation took place. Many manufacturers decided that profit was more important than volume and Honda is a company that has been embracing that philosophy more than ever.

In 2020, sales dropped below the 3% mark for the first time in eight years. It then plateaued but so far this year has dipped slightly more so. There are currently just two models of any note. It will be interesting to see where Honda moves from here. New models are coming but volume in itself will certainly not be the focus. 

To read the first of three articles, please click here.

Toyota India Model Sales : 2014-2022

Toyota had about a 6% share in 2013 so the challenge was to at least maintain that. Was that objective achieved? Nothing much changed and keeping things the same slowly eroded market share. The Yaris arrived in 2018, replacing the Etios saloon but didn't exactly set the place alight.

After a few years of deliberation, in 2019 Toyota and Suzuki acquired shares in each other, forming an alliance and in doing so expecting to achieve mutual benefit through various collaborations. The next two models Toyota released must be part of that arrangement. 

2019: Toyota introduced the Glanza (picture above), which is a Suzuki Baleno compact 5-door hatchback. 

2020: A second Suzuki model was added in the form of the Urban Cruiser (right), sold by Suzuki as the Vitara Brezza. 

Both of the above models added useful volume but despite that, Toyota couldn't avoid a drop in market share. The Yaris proved to be a belly flop and was soon withdrawn. Toyota's share is currently below 4.2% so even the Big T has had to admit its current situation in India isn't where it wants to be.  

To do the first installment, please click here.

Suzuki India Model Sales : 2020-2022

In the early 1980's, the Indian government formed a partnership with Suzuki to import and shortly later to start assembling cars. By 2003, what is now known as Maruti Suzuki India Ltd became majority owned by Suzuki. To say the company was a success would be a gross understatement. In the later 90's Suzuki had as much as 70% of total sales in India. 

Market share has fallen from that high with some competition but has remained above 40% apart from a couple of years just ducking below that figure in 2011 and 2012. There is a huge range of cars, most of them strong sellers as well. 

To keep the price down, something has to be sacrificed and crash safety is a major one. Suzuki reply has been that to lift the safety the price would go up, sending more back to two wheeled vehicles which are not as safe as their cars. A moot point but still a difficult one to rationalise.

The brand remains the darling of the car buying public, making motoring affordable for millions of locals. No one gets near them for volume and it would be pointless to try. There isn't room for two Suzukis and profit as well. 

Škoda India Model Sales : 2015-2022

Škoda sales remained modest and nothing much of note happened around here, with the Kodiaq the only change to the status quo. Market share was very consistent at 0.5%. 

Things finally took a turn for the better in 2021 with the introduction of the Kushaq, a small-medium crossover. It's similar to the VW Taigun also sold in India. Then the Rapid was replaced by the Slavia, smallish sized saloon car shared with VW as the Virtus. 

The good news for Škoda is that the market share has jumped to 1.4% in 2022. That's the highest it's been. Still a tiny percentage but where the brand is positioned here as an aspirational brand it's quite a good result. 

The earlier article in the two part series is found here: 2010-2014

India Top Model Sales : 2022

Tata is adding some punch to its range

Suzuki got in early, established a reputation for cheap, reliable motoring and has a virtual stranglehold on the market. Hyundai is also a serious player here and local company Tata has lifted its game with some technical and design help from JLR.  I'm picking it may pass Huyundai in 2023. Another local brand Mahindra has achieved success with its range of SUVs and 4wd vehicles. 

In the chart below, the colour yellow represents Asian models and pale blue those associated with Europe. Suzuki is everywhere with hit after hit. Tata has landed a few punches of its own. The list length in total has been reducing over the last few years. I'm picking the likes of Renault and Nissan are mulling over their future here. That's not a prediction of an exit for either but their thinning range of models makes me wonder. 

India Sales : 2022

The data comes from more than one source and that invariably means different ways of tabulating. The larger brands are for factory deliveries to dealers and the smaller ones retail sales. The resulting amalgam is as good as I can get. The '+/- diff' column below is for market share change.

Suzuki's dominance was reduced but hardly an issue when leading by so much. Nearest rival Hyundai lost ground but local brands Tata and Mahindra did very well. Tata outsold Hyundai in December which is unusual and it will be interesting to see if that transpires into a positional change in the ranking for 2023. 

Ford exited the market last year and Nissan ended the Datsun brand this year so the somewhat limited choice the Indian consumer has got that little bit worse. The issue is extremely strong protection for local production through exorbitant tariffs on imports. However, when the local industry is well established as this one now is and the import duty remains, it crosses the line of reasonable protection. 

There were few brands that actually increased their share, the top two are down and most of the smaller brands. Tata and Mahindra are notable exceptions with the former pressing Hyundai hard. Škoda and VW have accelerated their sales. Citroën is making a comeback and how that pans out will be interesting. MINI's sales are based on last year's volume and what BMW/MINI is doing this year.

Renault India Model Sales : 2019-22

Leaving 2018, Renault was back to a minor 2.5% of the total sales in the country. The Duster was running out of steam, the Capture and Lodgy had both failed. The Range needed something new.

2019/20: In came the Triber (picture above), a small MPV that seemed to be a good car for the market. It became the best selling car in the range and took Renault's total share back over 3%. The Capture and Lodgy said their good byes.

2021: The Duster ended its time here and the Kiger (pic right) arrived. Smaller than the Duster, it is identical in length to the Triber but has an SUV body style. 

In a country where a few brands dominate, finding a niche that enables a brand to be viable isn't easy. The figures below are full years except for 2022, which is for the first five months.

2022: Sales are reasonable but not enough to retain market share, as it returns yet again to well below the 3% mark. Apparently, more models are coming which would help as the present lineup looks a little thin. 

For others in the series, click on the dates: 2011-14; 2015-18.

Nissan India Model Sales : 2015-2022

Sales continued to slide as new models were not forthcoming and the existing ones slowly subsided into obscurity. Something needed to kick things along.

2019: That came in the form of the Kicks, a larger version of the model sold elsewhere and based on the Renault Duster. It replaced the Terrano and hasn't been the volume seller hoped for. 

2020: A year later a compact crossover, the Magnite, was introduced a tear later sharing the same platform as the Renault Kiger. It has sold well and took the brand to a 1.2% share of total sales in India but much is resting on the success of this model.

2021-22: The market turned to just two models as importing is all but impossible. The Kicks is imported and by the end of 2022, was finished. It's now down to one model, the Magnite. Is that worth persisting with?

To close a factory in India cannot be done but it can be onsold to another business. That's the only way to extricate oneself from the country. The overly protective market looks to be making Nissan's presence here unsustainable. The tariff duty is excessive, bordering on farcical.  

To see the first in the series, please click here.

Hyundai India Model Sales : 2015-2018

Hyundai had now become an established brand with  a sizable following. Market share was for the most part in excess of 16%, quite an achievement in a brand conservative country. They were doing something right.

2015: The Santro mini hatchback was withdrawn in 2014 and in came the Creta compact crossover (picture above). It obviously wasn't like for like but the new car helped keep sales ticking over.

2016: Hyundai reached an impressive milestone when it passed the 500,000 mark for the first time. The range had a broad spread of models selling well too, which avoids the 'too many eggs in one basket' scenario with its risk.

2018: The Santro nameplate returned (picture just above), replacing the Eon mini hatchback model. Sales passed 550,000 units and were nudging 17% of all sales. Could it get any better than this?

The series final can be seen by clicking here.