The Tata Nexon continues to hold on to its fourth position in the top-10 four-wheeler sales chart while Maruti Suzuki continues to dominate the top 3 positions. Hyundai seems to have done okay for itself and there is a surprising new entry in the form of the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso.
With Tata Motors continuing to do better than ever, the top-10 sales chart has continued to see a smaller number of cars from Maruti Suzuki. With a total sales number of 1,42,850 units, in July, however, Maruti Suzuki continues to be the biggest four-wheeler manufacturer in the country. Coming in a not-even-close second position is Hyundai, having sold a total of 50,500 units, while Tata Motors is close on its heels making sales of 47,506 units in the month. All three companies have posted a growth however on an annualised basis, of 6.8 percent and 5.1 percent for Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, respectively, and a massive 57.4 percent for Tata Motors.
- Tata Punch- Tata’s crossover SUV, the Punch has managed to outdo itself this month as well. Of course, the Punch wasn’t available this time last year, so there isn’t any growth number. On a month-on-month basis, sales of the Punch have grown by 5 percent from 10,414 units in June 2022. While still a significant enough increase on a monthly basis, the Punch’s overall standing falls to 10th place on the top-10 chart. Launched back in October last year, the Tata Punch has been doing pretty well for itself just like the rest of Tata’s cars, especially the Nexon. The Punch is a punchy-looking micro-SUV with a high nose, muscular stance and an overall design that suggests its HBX concept beginnings. The Punch is feature-rich, too, with tech such as follow-me-home headlamps, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 7-inch semi-digital instrument cluster, auto climate control, rain-sensing wipers, puddle lamps and a rear-view camera. Powering the Tata Punch is a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol mated to either a 5-speed manual or AMT gearbox. This naturally aspirated engine produces 86 hp of power and 113 Nm of peak torque. According to Tata, the Punch is capable of an ARAI-certified fuel economy of 18.97 km/l for the manual and 18.82 km/l for the automatic variants.
- Maruti Suzuki S-Presso – Coming in at number nine is a fairly surprising entry. Selling 11,268 units, the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso has managed to shake up the competition with its SUV-like styling on a hatchback. In fact, Maruti Suzuki’s website also slots the little thing into the SUV section calling it a micro-SUV. In terms of numbers, the S-Presso has done quite well for itself. On a year-on-year basis, sales of the car have grown by 65 percent from 6,818 units in July 2021. On a monthly basis, the growth is even greater. Maruti Suzuki sold only 652 units of the S-Presso in June 2021, constituting a jump of a massive 1,628 percent. The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso as mentioned is marketed as a micro-SUV. The car was only recently given a mild refresh, but most of the changes came in the form of mechanical and feature updates. There is no significant change to the exteriors of the car. It is powered by the updated K10C 1-litre engine that produces 66 hp of maximum power and 89 Nm of peak torque. The new engine means the S-Presso gets the idle start-stop functionality that is also available on a number of other Maruti Suzuki cars. The features list has also been updated with the likes of electrically adjustable OVRMs, ESP and hill-hold assist.
- Hyundai Venue – The eighth sport goes to the Hyundai Venue with sales of 12,000 units in July 2022. In July 2021, Hyundai sold only 8,185 units of the Venue, translating into a jump of 47 percent. On a monthly basis as well, the Venue’s sales have gone up by 16 percent from 10,321 units. In June this year, the Hyundai Venue placed the lowest on the top-10 sales chart and was beaten marginally by the Tata Punch. Last month, that role was reversed. The facelifted 2022 Hyundai Venue was launched in June complete with refreshed exteriors as well as some new interiors. The outside of the Venue now resembles the bigger Palisade with a large grille and sleek split headlamp setup. The side gets new 16-inch alloys and there are new tail lamps at the rear. The changes to the inside are fairly significant as well with new reclining rear seats, a dual-tone colour scheme, air purifier, USB Type-C ports and an updated 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Mechanically, the Venue remains unchanged, however. Three engine options are available. The first is a 1.2-litre petrol powertrain that produces 83 hp, the second is a 1-litre turbo-petrol that produces 120 hp and finally a 1.5-litre diesel that produces 100 hp of maximum power.
- Hyundai Creta – At 12,625 units in July, sales for the Hyundai Creta have fallen by 3 percent on a year-on-year basis from July 2021’s 13,000 units. On a monthly basis as well, sales of the Creta have fallen by 8 percent from 13,790 units in June 2022. That same month, the Hyundai Creta also placed fifth in the sales chart, falling in ranking now down to number seven in July. The Creta has always been the Korean car company’s best-selling car overall and while it continues to retain its top slot within the company, the Tata Nexon continues to do better against it. As for the Hyundai Creta itself, the SUV is available with three engines on offer. The 1.5-litre diesel engine produces 115 hp of maximum power and 250 Nm of peak torque. Then there are two petrol options. While the naturally aspirated 1.5-litre produces 115 hp of power and 143.8 Nm of torque, the 1.4 litre turbo petrol churns out 140 hp of maximum power and 242 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic, iMT and 7-speed DCT.
- Maruti Suzuki Eeco – With sales of 13,048 units, Maruti Suzuki’s van has managed to break into the top 10 this time, gaining five places to number six in July from number 11 in June. In June, Maruti Suzuki also sold 10,130 units of the Eeco which means a jump of 28 percent. On a year-on-year basis as well, sales of the Maruti Suzuki van have grown 30 percent, against 10,057 units in July last year. The Maruti Suzuki Eeco is all set for a makeover with reports suggesting a launch during the festive season. Currently, however, the Eeco is powered by a 1.2-litre engine that produces 62 hp of maximum power and 85 Nm of peak torque. Once the refreshed car is launched, we could see minor styling tweaks along with some feature updates such as power steering and idle start-stop tech for better fuel efficiency.
- Maruti Suzuki Dzire – The next car on this list is Maruti Suzuki’s entry-level sedan, the Dzire. At 13,747 units in July 2022, sales of the Dzire have grown 31 percent on a yearly basis. In July 2021, Maruti Suzuki sold 10,470 units of the Dzire. On a monthly basis, too, Maruti Suzuki sold 12,579 units of the Dzire in June, logging a growth of 9 percent in July. The Dzire is the only sedan on this list and comes powered by a single 90 hp 1.2 litre petrol engine. This is mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT transmission. According to the company, the Dzire is capable of a fuel economy figure of 23.26 km/l for the manual version and 24.12 km/l for the AMT variant. The facelift back in 2020 has managed to keep the Dzire fresh, but it could do with some more changes now. A new grille, front bumpers and fog lamp housings highlight the exteriors. On the inside, everything remains largely the same save for a new SmartPlay Studio infotainment system. Some feature updates include cruise control, colour TFT, ESC and hill-hold. The car was recently launched with a factory-fitted CNG option starting at Rs 8.14 lakh.
- Tata Nexon – The Tata Nexon—like with the company’s other SUVs—continues to do well in the Indian car market. The sales chart was dominated by just Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai for years, but the Tata Nexon continues to outperform Hyundai. With sales of 14,214 units in July 2022, growth was almost insignificantly lower than June’s 14,295 units. On a yearly basis, however, sales have gone up by 38 percent from 10,287 units in July 2021. This makes it the best-selling SUV in the Indian market again, beating the Hyundai Creta by a fair margin. The Nexon also continues to hold on to its monthly ranking from June’s fourth position. The Nexon is available with two turbocharged powertrain options. The 1.2-litre petrol is capable of producing 120 hp of maximum power and 170 Nm of peak torque. The 1.5-litre diesel on the other hand produces 110 hp of power and 260 Nm of torque. Transmission options come in a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed AMT form. Then there is the Nexon EV and Nexon EV Max which are powered by 32 kWh and 40 kWh battery packs, respectively. Both the EVs utilise the same 143 PS and 250 Nm electric motor to move the car with ranges of 312 km and 437 km, respectively, as per the MIDC cycle.
- Maruti Suzuki Swift – Dropping down to third this time around is the Maruti Suzuki Swift with sales of 17,539 units. In a month-on-month analysis, sales of the Swift have grown by just 8 percent from June’s 16,213 units. On a yearly basis, however, sales seem to have fallen by as much as 5 percent, with 18,434 units sold in June last year. However, the Swift has consistently been one of Maruti Suzuki’s best-selling cars and has managed to always remain in the top-five segment. The Maruti Suzuki Swift is powered by only a single 1.2-litre petrol engine that produces 88.5 hp of maximum power at 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm of peak torque at 4,400 rpm. Transmission options include both manual and automatic. The Swift was also refreshed just last year with tweaked exteriors and interiors and the updated powertrain.
- Maruti Suzuki Baleno – Taking the second spot is Maruti Suzuki’s premium hatchback, the Baleno. With sales of 17,960 units last month, growth was as much as 22 percent on a year-on-year basis from 14,729 units in July 2021. On a monthly basis, too, the Baleno has grown by 11 percent from 16,103 units sold in June 2022. In June, the Baleno placed third in the sales charts. The Baleno was recently updated with all-new exteriors that give the car a nice new sporty look. The inside of the car has been tweaked as well with the new 9-inch SmartPlay Pro+ infotainment system and a number of other features, the highlight of which is the segment-first heads-up display. The Baleno is powered by a single 1.2-litre petrol engine that produces 90 hp of power and 113 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options continue to include a 5-speed manual as standard. The older CVT transmission option, however, has been ditched in favour of a 5-speed AMT gearbox. This has been done to increase fuel efficiency by up to 15 percent, according to Maruti Suzuki.
- Maruti Suzuki WagonR – And again, retaining its top position is the Maruti Suzuki WagonR with 22,588 units sold in July 2022. In June, the company sold just 19,190 units of the WagonR, registering a growth of 17 percent. In a year-on-year analysis, however, sales of the WagonR fell by a marginal 1 percent, with sales of 22,836 units in July 2021. Like most of Maruti Suzuki’s cars, the WagonR, too, was recently updated, but with minor styling tweaks, the most noticeable of which is the front grille and blacked-out alloys. Powering the WagonR are two petrol options. The 1-litre petrol produces 67 hp of maximum power while the 1.2-litre produces 90 hp of maximum power, the same as the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Baleno and Dzire, seeing as how the engines are the same.