NEW DELHI: Call it love for SUVs, but the trend has seen Tata’s Punch beat Maruti’s Swift hatchback to emerge as the largest selling car in India in 2024. This is the first time in over four decades that a Maruti model is not a top seller.
The move is not fully surprising, considering growing preference of buyers for SUVs (right from entry ones like Punch to Mercedes G63 AMG). It has seen hatchbacks being relegated to lower positions in car sales rankings, with only one model finding place in Top 5 ranking in 2024 (Maruti WagonR). Interestingly, Swift – which was the largest-selling car last year – did not figure in the Top 5 in 2024.
The Punch is an entry SUV-stanced small car sold by Tata Motors whose price starts at an aggressive Rs 6 lakh plus (ex-showroom). The model is available in petrol and petrol-CNG variants, apart from an electric version, where prices start from around Rs 10 lakh and go up to Rs 15 lakh. The Punch sold 2 lakh units in 2024, against 1.9 lakh units sold by the second-ranked WagonR. The Maruti Ertiga MPV sold a shade lower than the WagonR, while Maruti’s Brezza SUV sold 1.9 lakh units, and Hyundai’s Creta off-roader 1.8 lakh units.
Mirroring the rising share of SUVs, Punch’s ranking has been inching up. It was ranked ninth in 2022 and eighth in 2023, before leading the market in 2024.
Shailesh Chandra, MD of Tata Motors’ passenger cars and electric businesses, said the company is witnessing a strong preference for its SUVs, which has helped it score its highest sales volumes in the past few years. “For Tata Motors, 2024 was the fourth consecutive year of highest-ever annual sales with 5.6 lakh units. We registered strong growth in SUV portfolio, with product introductions built on our multi-powertrain strategy. SUV volumes grew by 19%.”
Tata Motors and many other car companies had cut prices last year as the market witnessed a slowdown and buyers were on the fringes. Maruti, on the other hand, has been sprucing up its portfolio of SUV models, which today contribute around one-fourth to its total sales.