Compact SUVs outsell compact hatchbacks in India in December 2021

- Compact SUV segment registers 23 per cent growth in sales in December 2021

- The compact hatchback and mid-SUV claim second and third rank in the country 

As witnessed over the last few years, a significant number of new car buyers have been gradually upgrading to compact SUVs. Back in December 2021, the compact SUV segment outsold the compact hatchback segment in India. The compact SUV segment has witnessed a growth of 23 per cent with 55,850-unit sales in December 2021 as compared to 45,518-unit sales in December 2020. That said, the compact hatchback lost the top rank by just 472 units. The compact hatchback sales dropped by 14 per cent with 55,378-unit sales in December 2021 as compared to 64,033-unit sales in December 2020. 

The top-three bestselling compact SUVs in India last month are from the likes of Tata Motors, Hyundai, and Maruti Suzuki. Tata Nexon leads the segment by registering 12,899-unit sales in December 2021 against 6,835-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby registering a healthy growth of 89 per cent. Hyundai Venue emerged as the second bestseller with 10,360-unit sales in December 2021 as compared to 12,313-unit sales in the same period in 2020, thereby witnessing a 16 per cent drop in sales. Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is the third bestseller with 9,531-unit sales in December 2021 as compared to 12,251-unit sales in December 2020, thereby registering a 22 per cent drop in sales. Interestingly, the recently launched Tata Punch is the fourth bestseller and also a strong contributor to the overall sales in this segment.

The top-three bestsellers in the compact hatchback segment are from Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. In terms of volumes, Maruti Suzuki Wagon R leads the segment with 19,728-unit sales in December 2021 against 17,684-unit sales in December 2020 with a growth of 12 per cent. The second bestseller on this list is Maruti Suzuki Swift which registered 15,661-unit sales in December 2021 as compared to 18,131-unit sales in the same period last year, witnessing a drop of 14 per cent. Despite a 40 per cent drop in sales, the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios has emerged as the third bestseller with 6,151-unit sales in December 2021 as compared to 10,263-unit sales in the same period in the previous year. 

The mid SUV segment emerged as the third bestselling segment in India with 32,818-unit sales in December 2021 as compared to 28,330-unit sales in December 2020, thereby registering a modest growth of 16 per cent. The Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, and the Mahindra XUV700 were the top-three bestselling models in this segment in the country last month.