Utility Vehicles have an aspirational value in the Indian market (rather utilitarian). We would either love to have a people/family mover MUV at home or drive an SUV with huge Road Presence. And with infrastructure woes, larger families, long distance travelling, etc these cars makes a whole lot of sense for the buyers as well. The products in the segment have a power of single-handedly establishing an OEM in the Indian market (Duster, Compass, Innova, etc are classic examples).
Both MUVs & SUVs combined sold 5,43,917 units in India. It contributed ~17% of overall sales in India and the segment is growing larger than ever before. It was also evident from the new launches in the segment this year (Hexa, Compass, Kodiaq, Captur, Tiguan, etc).
For better clarity, we have bifurcated the sales volumes of SUVs & MUVs. Let’s start with the sales statistics of Multi-Utility or so called Multi-Purpose Vehicles:
Dec’17 sales – MUV
2017 sales of the cars in the segment – MUVs
Innova has always carried enviable positioning in the Indian market and no other OEM has been able to match the success it always had. At the price point Innova sells, no other OEM can even think about it right now. With an exorbitant pricing, it has matched or even exceeded the sales volume of much cheaper Bolero. Though both the products are from different worlds; they sell almost equal in number.
Due to good monsoons this year, Bolero has been able to sell considerable numbers in 2017 and has earned the Top slot in the table. It again has an unique positioning and sells at an equivalent price of an hatchback in India. The Rural markets just adore this product and Mahindra themselves couldn’t find a replacement for this legend yet.
Ertiga has been a consistent average performer for Maruti till date. The consumers who would want a 7-seater yet compact offering would blind foldedly opt for an Ertiga. The pricing again is a sweet spot for this model and competition is scarce.
Hexa came in with a lot of expectations and potential. It tried to capture the market of erstwhile previous gen Innova and not been able to particularly succeed in its ambition. Though this could be the best Tata product one can find on the roads in terms of quality, consumers are still wary to invest the amount the product demands. However, with time perception can change – will it?
BR-V had a sinusoidal sales this year and was the choice of people opting for a petrol UV. The 1.5L iVtec engine was the sole attraction for this model and the CVT variant too has been able to pull some buyers.
Xylo & Sumo sold whatever it could (primarily in the Taxi segment).
Now the sales statistics of Sports-Utility Vehicles:
Dec’17 Sales – SUV
2017 sales of SUVs in India
Creta has catapulted Hyundai as a prominent player in the SUV space! The product was nothing short of a category leader and has sold in similar proportions. It has been able to consistently garner ~9k units/mth for the Korean OEM.
Scorpio sold almost 50% less than Creta in 2017. 3 years back no could have predicted that this day would come! Mahindra which used to be considered as the Maruti of UVs segment, is facing a sort of Identity crisis right now. No doubt, it still produces the most capable SUVs for Indian roads – However, consumer aspirations have changed and Mahindra is simply not able to match it the way it used to do before.
We have included S Cross into the table with a lot of persistence from our readers. While the product is >4m and some buyers do compare it with the offerings like Creta/Duster; we still believe that it is more of a cross rather than a SUV.
Compass makes a historic entry to the Indian market. It has undoubtedly revived Fiat’s fate in the Indian market and it rightfully deserves to do so. The product has allowed Indians to really taste the Jeep brand at a price point which can’t be ignored. We expect the volumes to sore even higher as the network expands and also eagerly await for the next offering from the brand (Renegade).