The month of July was a complete roller coaster for the Indian automotive industry in terms of sales, where brands like Maruti acquired fewer sales while brands like Kia witnessed mixed sales for their cars.
Sonet sales doubled year on year in July to counter the sales decline in Seltos/Carens for Kia
In July 2024, Kia Motors witnessed mixed sales performance. While the Kia Sonet saw a significant surge in demand, the Seltos and Carens faced a decline in sales compared to the same period last year. Kia Sonet clocked a remarkable year-on-year growth of 123% in July 2024, with sales jumping to 9,459 units compared to 4,245 units in July 2023.
Year-on-Year Comparison
July’24 July’23 Growth
Sonet 9,459 4,245 123%
Seltos 5,347 9,740 -45%
Carens 5,679 6,002 -5%
On the contrary, Kia Seltos saw a significant 45% drop, with only 5,347 units sold in July 2024 compared to 9,740 units last July. The Kia Carens also faced a slight decline, down 5% from 6,002 units in July 2023 to 5,679 units in July 2024. Despite the decline in Seltos and Carens, the strong performance of the Sonet helped balance Kia's overall sales figures.
XUV 700 sees a sustained demand in July, increasing 26% year on year
Mahindra & Mahindra, India’s leading automotive manufacturer, acquired a sales number of 41,623 units for its locally manufactured passenger vehicles in July 2024, indicating a 15% growth in sales from July last year.
Year-on-Year Comparison
July’24 July’23 Growth
XUV 700 7,769 6,176 26%
The Mahindra XUV 700 recorded outstanding growth with 7,769 units sold in July 2024, marking a 26% year-on-year increase compared to 6,176 units in July 2023. The SUV also witnessed substantial MoM growth with 1,841 units sold in July 2024, clocking a 31.06% increase from 5,928 units in June 2024.
Drop in smaller players like VW, Skoda, Renault, and Nissan year on year in July
Volkswagen, Skoda, Renault, and Nissan, India’s leading automobile manufacturers, witnessed a decline in sales in July 2024 compared to the same period last year. Skoda experienced the most significant sales drop of 50%, with 2,103 units sold in July 2024 compared to 4,207 units in July 2023. Volkswagen and Renault also saw double-digit decreases, with sales dropping by 10.7% and 21.5%, respectively. On the other hand, Nissan's sales dipped slightly by 6.6%.
Year-on-Year Comparison
July’24 July’23 Growth
Volkswagen 3,407 3,814 -10.7%
Skoda 2,103 4,207 -50.0%
Renault 2,832 3,607 -21.5%
Nissan 2,011 2,152 -6.6%
This trend suggests that smaller automotive players are facing challenges, and the popularity of larger brands like Toyota could be one of the few reasons for their massive sales downfall.
