India’s love for SUVs

Indian Market has shown sudden love towards the compact SUV segment and the sales are booming despite the ongoing economic crisis. Who doesn’t like some road presence along with a lot of practical conveniences offered at a reasonable price? 
In this article, we have some interesting data and facts about why they are doing so well.

I. Ground Clearance

Good ground clearance is one of the factors that attract a car buyer due to the Indian road condition. While all the other segments may just make it through the potholes in the road but if you are in an SUV there is no need to worry about one. A good approach angle also gives you that off-road capability during hill climbs.

Seating Position

Next comes the seating position, all the SUVs because of their raised height offer a commanding driving position enhancing the driver view. The road presence due to their beasty looks is something that we can’t deny.

Storage Space

We all love some extra space especially when we have more friends to drive with on a weekend. SUVs with wider seating space and legroom can seat 3 people comfortably in the back while all your luggage is loaded to the boot. They offer good space utilization that stores all the necessary things within the reach of your hand.

Sales Over the Years

Market share growth of car segment
The chart shows the growth of each segment over the years. While the B+ hatchbacks stick between 23% to 25% and see a 1% downfall in 2020. The hottest segment is clearly the compact SUVs with a steady increase in the growth and a 4% increase even during the global pandemic. While the Midsize SUVs see 3% growth this year but MUVs and vans toggle between 13% and 14%. Sedans are clearly dying with a gradual downfall in sales and an overall 7% reduction in sedan sales this year.
Market Share of different segments
The above chart shows the yearly break out of segment-wise market shares. B+ segment hatchbacks have conquered the market with 24% market shares currently. The premium and executive sedan have less than 1% and 3% respectively. While our favorite compact SUVs have reached 14% shares but the premium SUVs still hold the 1% steady shares.
Most sold SUVs
This chart shows the hottest compact SUVs that are selling like hotcakes. Hyundai Creta has been a bestseller from its launch because of its pricing and ride quality. Following Creta is the newest addition to the fleet, Kia Sonet takes 2nd place just after the launch leaving Vitara Brezza and Kia Seltos behind.
Least sold sedan Charts
As sedan sales are going down rapidly, the above chart shows some currently in market sedans that might fade away from the market in the next couple of years. Mahindra Varito, Skoda Octavia, Honda Civic, Volkswagen Vento have seen a huge downfall in sales. Toyota Camry and Hyundai Elantra have never seen a good market but Ford Aspire and Skoda Superb have seen some growth in the sales even with their less overall sales number.
Hatchbacks have conquered the market from the early 2000s when there were not many options to choose from. The market interest moved towards compact SUVs when the carmakers started offering them at reasonable prices. There is a strong chance that compact SUVs might take over the market share in the next couple of years. Sedans on the other hand are about to go extinct because of their high cost and low ground clearance.

Image Credits and References:
Hyundai
Maruti Suzuki
Honda
Tata
Ford
Rushlane
autopanditz

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