SUV sales have overtaken those of sedans in India
- Traditionally, the Indian market was mainly represented by sedans. The most typical case was the famous Hindustan Ambassador sedan which was produced in India in almost a million units between 1957 and 2014. The arrival of Suzuki on the Indian market under the Maruti brand then that of Hyundai developed considerably sales of small A and B segment sedans: 1.3 million units sold in 2013 and 2 million in 2018. At the same time, C and D segment sedans went from 500 000 sales in 2013 to 230 000 in 2018.
- From 2020, SUVs began to interest more and more customers in India. From 700 000 sales in 2020, they increased to 1.2 million in 2021, 1.8 million in 2022 and almost 2 million in 2023.
- For the first time, SUV sales exceeded those of sedans in the Indian market in 2022 and the gap widened further in 2023. It is one of the last major markets to follow the SUV trend, since the China, Europe and especially the United States have long followed this trend, SUVs now representing more than half of sales there. India is getting closer, with 48% of SUV sales in 2023 compared to 45% in 2022, 38% in 2021, 29% in 2020, 25% in 2017 and 22% in 2013.
- The evolution of demand has led to (or is the cause of) a development of the SUV offer in India (B and C segments), since today around forty different models are available on the market, compared to around thirty in 2013. Sedans will only represent 40% of the Indian market in 2023, compared to 50% in 2021 and 71% in 2013. Minivans (MPV) will represent 12% of the Indian market in 2023, compared to 12% in 2021 and 7% in 2013.