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While it is well known that the utility vehicle (UV) segment, which comprises hatchbacks, sedans, vans and UVs, continues to be the mover and shaker of the overall passenger vehicle segment in India, what’s not known is the real number of UV models and their variants available for sale. And the numbers are truly staggering, considering every OEM worth its wheel is eyeing a big slice and more of this segment which is witnessing unabating demand.
At last count, as per Autocar India’s December 2024 Buyer’s Guide, of the 36 OEMs in the marketplace, 34 vehicle manufacturers currently offer 128 UV models with 1,001 variants on sale! Considering there are a total of 204 passenger vehicles with 1,370 variants, the UV segment accounts for the majority 62% share of models and 73% of all variants. Two foreign brands – McLaren and Mini – are the only ones to not have UVs in their India portfolio.
The 15 luxury SUV manufacturers account for 52 models and 116 variants. That’s a 41% share model-wise and an 11% share of the 1,001 variants in India.
MERCEDES-BENZ, MAHINDRA TOP MODEL COUNT, TATA NEXON KING OF VARIANTS
While Mercedes-Benz India with 11 SUVs and Mahindra & Mahindra with 10 models respectively are the ones with the largest UV portfolios, Tata Motors, which has eight models, is the one with the largest number of variants – all of 213, with the Nexon ICE model accounting for 70 of them! Its electric cousin, the Nexon EV, has only 15 variants in comparison. The No. 2 variant-wise is Mahindra with 152 . . . of which the XUV700’s share is 46 variants and Scorpio N’s 29.
Hyundai Motor India is ranked third on the variant front with 97 for its six models – Creta (31), Venue (26), Exter (20), Alcazar (14), Tucson (5) and Ioniq 5 (1). Kia India, which reveals the Syros compact SUV today and expands its compact SUV portfolio, has 83 variants for its five UV models. The Carens MPV (33) has the highest, followed by the Seltos (24) and the Sonet (22).
Compared to all these OEMs, utility vehicle market leader Maruti Suzuki is somewhat more circumspect and has 59 variants for its seven models – Fronx (14), Grand Vitara (12), Brezza (10), Ertiga (9), XL6 (7), Jimny (4) and Invicto (3).
The 15 luxury SUV manufacturers all together account for 52 UV models and 116 variants, which translates into a 41% share model-wise and an 11% share of the total 1,001 variants currently available on sale.
In December 2004, there were 17 vehicle manufacturers in India, 11 of which had UVs on offer. December 2024 has 34 UV OEMs with 128 UV models and 1,001 variants.
TWENTY YEARS AGO . . . 17 OEMs, 16 UV MODELS, 55 VARIANTS
Twenty years ago, India’s automobile market was far removed from what it is today, particularly when it comes to passenger vehicles. In December 2004, there were 17 vehicle manufacturers (Chevrolet, Fiat, Ford, Hindustan Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maini, Maruti Suzuki, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, San Engineering, Skoda, Tata Motors and Toyota) with 53 models and 193 variants. Of this lot, 11 OEMs offered 16 UV models with 55 variants – the UV-to-PV ratio two decades ago was 30:70 as against 62:38 in December 2024. And eight of the 17 OEMs of 2004 are no longer present in India.
The Chevrolet Tavera, Toyota Qualis and the Mahindra Scorpio were among the movers and shakers of the utility vehicle segment in 2004.
Fast forward to December 2024 when the passenger vehicle industry consists of 34 Indian and global manufacturers offering 204 models and a mind-boggling 1,370 variants straddling the hatchback, sedan and utility vehicle categories. The UV segment – 128 models and 1,001 variants – is the biggest and, with robust double-digit growth, has been the mover and shaker of the overall PV segment, often buffering it against a sales decline.
In the current fiscal’s first eight months, of the total 2.82 million passenger vehicles (up 0.98% YoY) estimated to have been dispatched to dealers, UVs accounted for 1.84 million units (18,40,666 UVs, up 12.95% YoY) and constituted a 65% share of overall PV sales.
In April-December 2004, 764,048 passenger vehicles were sold, of which 125,800 units or 16% were UVs. Twenty years later, UVs have a 65% share.
Compare India UV Inc’s current numbers to the market scenario 20 years ago. As per apex industry body SIAM’s wholesales data for April-December 2004, total PV dispatches were 764,048 units, up 22% YoY (April-December 2023: 627,342 (PVs). Of this total, the UV share was 125,813 units, up 25% YoY (April-December 2023: 100,636 UVs), which translates into a car-sedan:UV percentage ratio of 77:16!
Mahindra & Mahindra, which had only the Bolero and Scorpio, was the UV boss with sale of 47,638 units and a 38% UV market share. Toyota Kirloskar Motor, which had sold 27,936 units of its indefatigable Qualis, had a 22% share, and Tata Motors, with 22,472 units of the Safari and Sumo Victa, had a 17% share. Current UV market leader, Maruti Suzuki India (which was Maruti Udyog then) at the time had a minuscule 2% UV share with sale of 2,967 Gypsys. But it was king of the overall PV market as it is today.
In April-December 2004, Maruti accounted for 300,991 units or 51% of the total 590,610 passenger car wholesales. If UV sales are clubbed with car sales, Maruti’s share drops to 46% – 351,583 units (300,991 cars, 2,967 UVs and 47,625 vans). Interestingly, as the 20-year-old stats reveal, Tata Motors with sale of 102,524 cars (Indica and Indigo) was the No. 2 car OEM with a 27% market share, followed by Hyundai Motor India (101,507 units of the Santro Xing, Getz, Accent, Elantra and Sonata / 17% market share).
What’s more, 20 years ago, what with the air being far cleaner than it is today and far less stringent emissions norms, tanking up meant only petrol and diesel.
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