The year that went by was, in more ways than one, a steep incline with lots of obstacles in between, as far as the automotive industry was concerned. The pandemic caused a huge dent in production and sales operations for nearly two months, after which there was a significant improvement. What was even worse, was to see sales of SUVs dwindle too. A total of 7,07,152 SUVs were rolled off showroom floors in 2020, compared to the previous year’s 7,54,892 units that were sold. However, there’s more to these numbers, than meets the eye.
Korean brands – Kia and Hyundai made hay while the sun shines in the mid-size and compact SUV segment. Hyundai belted out 96,989 units of the Creta, making it the most popular in the segment. Even the smaller Venue has played a part in the contribution of sales. Sales of the compact Hyundai cars crossed 82,000 units in 2020. Both these SUVs, leading from the forefront, resulted in a total figure of 1,80,237 units sold, and that in turn, meant a 3% increase in market share, in the category – thanks largely to the second-generation, radical-looking Creta.
Towards the end of 2019, Kia sold over 45,000 units of the Seltos, while the following months in 2020 (barring the first two phases of the lockdown), showed a figure of 96,932 units. However, it was their smaller and newer offering, the Sonet, which had customers very impressed, resulting in over 38,000 units being sold towards the end of 2020. That garnered Kia a total sales figure of 1,35,295 units.
Both SUVs from their respective manufacturers have simply blown rivals out of the water, and after having driven these products, we can see why. Also, grab the latest info on the Kia Seltos, only at autoX.