India car sales analysed – September 2021

The auto sector continues to reel under the shortage of semiconductors. The auto industry has registered a 36.6 per cent drop in sales with 1,85,636 units sold in September 2021 as compared to 2,92,858 units sold in the same period last year. In terms of M-o-M sales, the auto industry registered a 28.5 per cent drop in sales last month as compared to 2,59,555 units sold in August 2021.  

Despite a significant drop in sales last month, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Tata Motors have retained the top-three position in the country. Read below to learn more about the sales performance of brands and their respective models in September 2021.

Maruti Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki has witnessed the highest drop of 57.3 per cent with 63,111-unit sales in September 2021 as compared to 1,47,912-unit sales in the same period last year. The shortage of semiconductors has affected the company’s car sales to a large extent. Refer to the table below to learn about the top three bestsellers for the company last month.

Hyundai

Hyundai retains the second rank in terms of cumulative sales in the country. The company witnessed a 34 per cent drop in sales with 33,087-unit sales in September 2021 as compared to 50,313-unit sales in the same period last year. The top three bestsellers for the company last month are graphically represented below.

Tata Motors

Tata Motors is the only one among the top-five carmakers to witness positive growth in sales in September. The company registered a 21.4 per cent growth in sales with 25,729-unit sales last month as compared to 21,200-unit sales in September 2020. In terms of M-o-M sales, Tata Motors witnessed an 8.2 per cent drop in sales last month. The following is the graphical representation of the top three Tata models sold in India last month.

Kia India

Kia India continues to outsell Mahindra for the second month in a row. The company sold 14,441 units in the country last month as compared to 18,676-unit sales in the country in September 2020, thereby registering a 23 per cent drop in sales. The Seltos was the strongest contributor to the company sales last month. The following is the graphical representation of the top two Kia models sold in the country.

Mahindra

Indian utility vehicle manufacturer, Mahindra holds the fifth rank in terms of cumulative sales. The company sold 12,863 units in September 2021 as compared to 14,663-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby registering a 12 per cent drop in sales. The top three sellers for the company last month are as follows.

Toyota

Toyota has registered a modest 21.4 per cent growth in sales last month. The Japanese automaker sold 9,284 units in September 2021 as compared to 8,116-unit sales in the same period last year. The top three Toyota cars sold in the country last month are as follows. 

Renault

French automaker, Renault has outsold Honda in India last month despite a 16.8 per cent drop in sales. Renault registered 7,326-unit sales last month as compared to 8,805-unit sales in the same period last year. The top-three bestseller for the company in India last week is as follows. 

Honda

Honda slipped a level lower in India last month. The company registered a 33.7 per cent drop in sales last week with 6,765-unit sales in September 2021 as compared to 10,199 unit sales in the same period last year, thereby registering a 33.7 per cent drop in sales last month. The top-two popular sellers for the company last month are as follows. 

MG Motor

Back in September, MG Motor had registered 27.7 per cent growth in sales with 3,241 units sold as compared to 2,537-unit sales in September 2020. Of the total sales, 2,722 units are from Hector alone. Interestingly, the Hector sales have grown by 13 per cent as compared to 2,410-unit sales in September last year.

Skoda

Skoda India has registered a massive sales growth of 130.7 per cent in September 2021. The company registered 3,027-unit sales last month as compared to 1,312-unit sales in the same period last year. Of the total sales, 2,158 units are contributed by the Kushaq alone. 

Nissan 

Nissan holds the 11th rank in terms of cumulative car sales in the country. The company sold 2,816 units last month as compared to 780 units sold in the same period last year, thereby registering over two-fold growth in the country. The Nissan Magnite is the bestseller for the company with 2,330 units sold in September 2021.

Volkswagen

Back in September, Volkswagen registered a 26.5 per cent growth in sales with 2,563-unit sales in September 2021 as compared to 2,026-unit sales in the same period last year. Of the total sales, 1,461 units are contributed by the recently introduced Taigun SUV.

FCA

FCA registered 1,311-unit sales from the Jeep Compass as compared to 554-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby reporting a growth of 136.6 per cent. The company has recently introduced the Wrangler which is expected to contribute to the company’s sales in the days to come. 

Citroën

Citroën has marked its debut in the Indian market with the C5 Aircross. Back in September, the company sold 72 units of the C5 Aircross in India. 

Conclusion

The shortage of semiconductors is likely to continue in the months to come. However, due to the ongoing festive season, we expect to see a significant improvement in car sales in October. It would be interesting to see if the hatchback segment can reclaim its top rank in terms of cumulative sales this month.