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While we share the Top 10 or Top 25 selling cars usually, we have innovated and shared the Fuel Type wise best-selling cars in the subcontinent for the first 9 months of CY2023. It shall give a glimpse of the impact the model has on its fuel type sales and also the volume contribution it bears.
Maruti Swift (Petrol)
Swift has always been a very popular hatchback in India, ever since its launch in 2005 with a diesel and petrol drivetrain. It is now available with 1.2L petrol and CNG drivetrain only, with petrol contributing 89% of total sales.
Mahindra Bolero (Diesel)
The rugged and abuse-friendly characteristics of Bolero make it quite a popular choice in semi-urban and rural Indian markets. It is available only with a 1.5L diesel engine.
Maruti Wagon R (CNG)
The Wagon R has been the best-selling car in the Indian market for 2021 and 2022. It is available with 1L and 1.2L petrol engines, and the 1L engine also has a CNG option. 43% of sales come from the CNG option, as the product is quite popular among fleet operators in the urban Indian market.
Tata Tiago (Battery EV)
The Tiago EV was launched with two battery (19.2kWh & 24 kWh) options in late 2022 at a very aggressive price point, and since then it has been the best-selling BEV in India. 40% of Tiago sales come from EVs, another 47% come from 1.2L petrol options, and the rest 13% come from CNG.
Toyota Innova Hycross (Strong-hybrid)
Almost all the fuel segments are led by affordable entry-level products; the only exception here is the Toyota Innova Hycross. The Toyota Innova Hycross hybrid price range starts at ₹ 25.3 lakhs and goes all the way up to ₹ 30.3 lakhs. Still, it has not been a deterrent for the adoption of a newly launched strong-hybrid technology to go full mainstream in India. This represents the interesting dichotomy of the Indian market’s value perception and brand acceptance.
Toyota is also selling the older generation of Innova with a 2.4 L diesel engine in India with the ‘Crysta’ suffix as a risk-averse transition path to hybrid adoption, which still accounts for 47% of sales. Rest comes from 2L petrol-strong-hybrid (43%) and 2L petrol (10%) versions.
Segment share distribution
Since BEV and HEV segments are in the nascent stage, with limited products on the market, top-selling products (Tiago EV and Innova Hycross) command the lion’s share as of now. In other fuel segments, volume is more uniformly distributed.