The downward trend of passenger car sales in the country continues in the new year as well as evident from the SUV sales figures (doesn’t include sub-4m SUVs) for February 2020
The SUV segment which extremely popular in the country posted a collective YoY decline of 14% last month with total sales of 20,197 units – for the top 10 selling mid-sized SUV segment. For reference, in Feb 2020, the segment registered sales of 23,556 units.
Almost all the SUVs (of course with the exception of the ones that were not on sale in last Feb) posted negative growth, and this has counteracted the significant volume growth brought to the table by new arrivals Kia Seltos and MG Hector. Topping the chart last month was the Seltos which clocked an impressive 14,024 units. The stylish crossover is expected to continue its brisk run for several months to come.
| No | Car | Feb-20* | Feb-19 | Diff | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kia Seltos | 14,024 | 0 | 14,024 | – |
| 2 | Mahindra Scorpio | 1,505 | 4,445 | -2,940 | -66.14 |
| 3 | MG Hector | 1,218 | 0 | 1,218 | – |
| 4 | Hyundai Creta | 700 | 10,206 | -9,506 | -93.14 |
| 5 | Jeep Compass | 666 | 1,304 | -638 | -48.93 |
| 6 | Renault Duster | 642 | 557 | 85 | 15.26 |
| 7 | Tata Harrier | 641 | 1,449 | -808 | -55.76 |
| 8 | Mahindra XUV500 | 344 | 1,806 | -1,462 | -80.95 |
| 9 | Nissan Kicks | 267 | 609 | -342 | -56.16 |
| 10 | MG ZS EV | 158 | 0 | 158 | – |
| 11 | Hyundai Kona | 32 | 0 | 32 | – |
| 12 | Maruti S-Cross | 0 | 2,172 | -2,172 | -100.00 |
| 13 | Renault Captur | 0 | 556 | -556 | -100.00 |
| 14 | Nissan Terrano | 0 | 9 | -9 | -100.00 |
| 15 | Tata Safari | 0 | 443 | -443 | -100.00 |
| – | Total | 20,197 | 23,556 | -3,359 | -14.26 |
*Feb2020 sales are credit to Auto Punditz. The Mahindra Scorpio may have posted a 66% plunge in volume but with 1,505 units, it manages to take the second spot. The stark difference between the first and second best selling product indicates that the Seltos is the only vehicle in the list to withstand the generally poor buying sentiments.
The MG Hector takes the final spot on the podium with a tally of 1,218 units. The tech-laden SUV has sizable quantity of order backlogs, so we expect it to post consistent sales in the months to come. The first gen Hyundai Creta only clocked 700 units last month as against 10,206 units in February 2019 but that is expected because it is at the very end of its lifespan. The all-new Creta is all set to take the baton from next month and this should have a noticeable positive impact on the overall SUV segment sales volume.
The Jeep Compass finds itself in fifth spot with 666 units on board but that is a 49% plunge compared to its performance in the same month last year. The facelift has helped Renault Duster to post 15% sales growth (only SUV in the list to register positive growth) but at 642 units, the crossover is nowhere near its best days.
The Tata Harrier continue to struggle despite periodic updates. The premium crossover witnessed a YoY decline of 56% at 641 units. The company would be hoping that the BS6 update and Gravitas variant extension will improve the platform’s sales potential.
The Mahindra XUV500 is yet another SUV which has fallen from its heyday. The ageing model managed to find only 344 takers last month (81% less compared to Feb 2019) and the replacement will not be here before 2021.
The Nissan Kicks, the newly launched MG ZS EV, and Hyundai Kona EV posted 267, 158 and 32 units respectively. The S-Cross which is set to swap its old diesel engine for a petrol unit didn’t open its account at all last month. Looks like Maruti is focusing on depleting the stock which is already at the dealerships.
