India car sales analysed – January 2021

The new year 2021 has ushered in a ray of positivity and has built fresh hopes. The Indian government launched the COVID-19 vaccine on 16 January and commenced the first phase of vaccination for healthcare and frontline workers. As businesses gradually gain pace and consumer sentiments improve, car manufacturers have witnessed modest growth in sales in January 2021. Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Tata Motors continue to be the top-three highest-selling vehicle manufacturers in the country in January 2021. 

The country’s largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki witnessed cumulative sales of 1,39,002-units in January 2021 as compared to 1,39,844-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby witnessing a mild drop in sales by 0.6 per cent. The top-three key contributors for Maruti Suzuki in January were the Alto (18,260 units), Swift (17,180 units), and the WagonR (17,165 units). 

India’s largest car exporter, Hyundai continues to be the second bestseller in the country. Interestingly, the company has witnessed a healthy 23.8 per cent growth with 52,005-unit sales last month as against 42,002-unit sales in January 2020. The top-three popular sellers for Hyundai last month were – the Creta (12,284 units), Venue (11,779 units), and the Grand i10 (10,865 units).

The country’s popular utility vehicle manufacturer, Tata Motors witnessed 26,980-unit sales as against 13,893-unit sales in the same period last year. Interestingly, Tata Motors has witnessed an impressive 94.2 per cent growth in January 2021 as against the same period in 2020. The top-three popular sellers for the company last month were – the Nexon (8,225 units), the Altroz (7,378 units), and the Tiago (6,909 units). It is also worth noting that the Nexon has registered its highest ever sales milestone in India last month. 

Mahindra continues to outsell Kia Motors for the second consecutive month in a row. Mahindra has registered a 4.8 per cent growth in January 2021 with 20,498-unit sales as compared to 19,555 units sold in January 2020. The Bolero (7,567 units), XUV300 (4,612 units), and the Scorpio (4,083 units) are the key contributors to the overall sales. 

Kia Motors, relatively a newer brand in the country, continues to compete strongly in the Indian market with just a three-product line-up – Seltos, Sonet, and the Carnival. The company sold 19,056 units in January 2021 as against 15,450-unit sales in January 2020, thereby registered a 23.3 per cent growth in sales in India last month. The Seltos and the Sonet have been the key contributors with 9,869-unit and 8,859-unit sales, respectively.

Honda Amaze continues to be a strong seller for the company in India last month. Honda cumulatively sold 11,320 units last month as against 5,299-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby registering a strong 113.6 per cent growth in sales. The Honda Amaze sales have increased by 73 per cent with 5,477 units sold last month as against 3,160-unit sales in January 2020. The Honda City is the second bestseller for the company with 3,667-unit sales last month.

Toyota registered a 91.7 per cent growth in sales last month. The company sold 11,126 units in the country last month as compared to 5,804-unit sales in the same period last year. The Innova Crysta and the Glanza have been the popular selling models for the company for a while now. 

Renault has witnessed a 5.2 per cent growth with 8,209-unit sales in January 2021 as against 7,805-unit sales in the same period last year. The Renault Triber is among the top 25 popular selling models in the country with 4,082 unit sales last month. The upcoming Renault Kiger is expected to boost up sales for the company in the months to come.

Ford has registered a 15.2 per cent drop in sales, with 4,141-unit sales in January 2021 as against 4,881-unit sales in the same period last year.

Nissan has registered its highest ever 184.6 per cent growth in January 2021 with 4,021-unit sales in January 2021 as compared to 1,413-unit sales in the same period last year. The Nissan Magnite has been the game-changer for the company in India and we expect to witness a substantial growth in sales in the months to come.

MG Motors currently has four models on sale in India – the Hector, Hector Plus, Gloster, and the ZS EV. The company has registered a 15.1 per cent growth in sales with 3,602-unit sales last month as compared to 3,130-unit sales in the same period last year.

The German car manufacturer, Volkswagen has witnessed 85.2 per cent growth in sales with 2,041-unit sales last month as against 1,102-unit sales in the same period last year. 

Skoda has witnessed a 25.5 per cent drop in sales with 1,004-unit sales in January 2021 as compared to 1,347-unit sales in the same period last year.

FCA has also witnessed 43.8 per cent drop in sales with 394-unit sales in January 2021 as compared to 701-unit sales in the same period last year.

Most of the major car manufacturers have already lined up fresh product launches this year. Backed by improving buyer sentiments and new product launches, car sales are expected to grow positively in the months to come.