The first day of the new year has come with a slew of unexpected numbers for the automotive industry in India. In December 2024, automakers reported a wide variation in their wholesales ranging from strong robust double-digit growth to flat growth to even negative sales in the domestic market.

The country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India reported sales of 130,117 units in December 2024, up 24 percent YoY, as against 104,778 units for the same period last year.

Hyundai Motor India clocked 42,208 units for the same period, down 1.3 percent YoY, which it said was on the back of strong headwinds faced by the industry.

Tarun Garg, Whole-time Director and Chief Operating Officer, Hyundai Motor India, said, “HMIL has managed to sustain sales momentum in 2024, despite strong headwinds faced by the industry at large. Achieving highest ever domestic sales three years in a row, reflects customers’ preference for brand Hyundai as their trusted smart mobility solutions provider. Introduction of the innovative Hy-CNG Duo technology in 2024 resonated well with buyers, translating to the highest-ever CNG contribution of 13.1 percent to HMIL’s domestic sales in CY 2024, against 10.4 percent in CY 2023. By achieving highest ever yearly domestic sales of 1,86,919 units, Hyundai Creta continued to strengthen HMIL’s position as an SUV leader, helping HMIL accomplish highest ever domestic SUV contribution of 67.6 percent in CY 2024. We are confident that the upcoming Creta Electric, will further expand the appeal of this undisputed, ultimate SUV.”

Mumbai-based SUV maker Mahindra & Mahindra has constantly witnessed strong growth momentum on the back of its product offensive. The company clocked wholesales of 41,424 units, which was 17 percent higher YoY, as compared to 35,174 units for the same period last year.

Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, stated, “We sold 41,424 SUVs, a growth of 18 percent and 69,768 total vehicles, a growth of 16 percent in December. The year ended on a high, as we became the only Indian auto company to attain the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) world leader status within the Auto Sector. The DJSI ranking is one of the most respected global benchmarks for ESG performance, covering over 13,000 companies across various industries and we are ranked 1st among all global auto OEMs.”

Toyota Kirloskar Motor on its part sold 29,529 vehicles, which was 29 percent higher than 22,867 units sold for the same period last year.

Sabari Manohar, Vice-President, Sales-Service-Used Car Business, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, "We are immensely proud to close 2024 with a record-breaking performance, achieving an impressive 40 percent year-on-year growth. The SUV and MPV segments being key contributors grew at 20 percent over the same period last year. We are also observing a growing shift of consumer preferences towards vehicles offering sustainability, value proposition of dependability quotient, enhanced safety and better resale value which is boosting our sales.”

JSW MG Motor India’s bet on electric vehicles seems to have started to pay off. The company reported a 55 percent growth (albeit a low-year ago base) in December 2024 with sales of 7,516 units, as against 4,484 units last year.

Interestingly, the company witnessed 70 percent of its sales coming from its electric vehicle portfolio with the Windsor EV alone contributing sales of 3,785 units.

“The Windsor EV emerged as a market leader, despite market challenges. Our innovative Battery-As-A-Service offering and customer-centric mobility solutions continue to shape the future of India’s automotive landscape. Going forward, we will maintain our growth momentum while driving continuous disruption and innovation,” the company said in a statement.

Nissan Motor India reported sales of 2,118 units in the domestic market, which was down 1.5 percent as against 2,150 units sold for the same period last year. On the other hand, the company also announced that its popular Magnite SUV has crossed 10,000 booking milestone at the start of the new year.

Saurabh Vatsa, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India, said, “The year 2024 marked a transformative phase for Nissan in India as we embarked on the turnaround and introduced new models like the 4th Generation Nissan X-Trail and the new Nissan Magnite. This historic best sales performance in December also reflects the continued trust and enthusiasm of customers for our vehicles in both domestic and international markets. Our recent network expansion into cities like Nashik and Gorakhpur, along with the goal of achieving 300 touchpoints by the end of this fiscal year, reflects our focus on enhancing customer reach and experience across the country.”

“We remain committed to our dealers, partners and stakeholders in India and are focused on delivering the India turnaround plan. We are optimistic about building on this momentum to deliver even more value to our customers in the year ahead,” added Vatsa.

Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles reported a flat growth of 7,545 units as against 7,468 units it sold in the same month last year.

Bajaj Auto reported a negative growth of 19 percent with sales of 1,28,335 two-wheelers as against 1,58,370 two-wheelers it sold last year.

For Tata Motors, while the PV wholesales was in the green, the CV sales were in the red.

In December 2024, Tata Motors sold 44,230 passenger vehicles, up 1.7 percent, as against 43,470 units sold last year. On the other hand, the CV sales came at 32,369 units, down 0.9 percent, as against 32,668 units sold for the same period last year.

Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors Ltd. said, “Sales in December 2024 were around 24 percent higher than those recorded in November 2024. Propelled by a resurgence in construction and mining activities post-monsoon, plus the festive season demand. Looking ahead, we expect demand to improve in Q4 FY25 across most segments of the CV industry. The key aspects to watch out in 2025 will be government’s focus on infrastructure spend, and growth in end use segments, which will augur well for the commercial vehicles industry.”

Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, said, “The PV industry posted moderate growth in CY24 and is expected to touch a sales volume of 4.3 million units, with strong growth in the SUV segment and sustained traction for emission-friendly powertrains. In Q3 FY25, the industry saw a strong revival, driven by increased retails in the festive season. For Tata Motors, CY24 was the fourth consecutive year of highest-ever annual sales with 565,000 units sold. We registered strong growth in our SUV portfolio with successful product introductions built on our proven multi-powertrain strategy. CNG volumes grew a substantial 77 percent with over 120,000 CNG vehicles sold in CY24. SUV volumes grew a robust 19 percent, with Punch selling over 200,000 units to emerge as the highest selling car model in India in CY24. Looking ahead, we remain optimistic about the outlook for the PV industry. With multiple product launches, innovations and a strengthened multi-powertrain strategy, Tata Motors is well poised for further growth in CY2025.”

Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global coatings company, has announced Evergreen Sprint as its Global Automotive Color of the Year for 2025.

Axalta has been introducing its automotive colour of the year for 11 years, and this is the second time that a green hue has been highlighted. Evergreen Sprint honours the renowned British racing green, a hue that has adorned the best racing vehicles and represents performance and speed. It is a deep, rich forest green. Axalta's newest hue is ideal for all car types because it combines the excitement of motorsport with a hint of refinement for sedans and SUVs.

Dan Benton, Global Color Marketing Director, Axalta, said, “This striking hue revs up our global automotive colour of the year. Evergreen Sprint stands out on the road and evokes the spirit of competition and adventure. The dynamic colour is sure to attract the hearts of passionate drivers.”

Philadelphia-headquartered Axalta Coating Systems has announced ‘Evergreen Sprint’ as its 2025 Global Automotive Colour of the Year. The American company supplies basecoats and clearcoats for colour and beautification along with primers, electrocoats and powder applications for surface protection.

The latest result also marks the 11th year Axalta has introduced its automotive colour of the year, and interestingly it is also the second time a green shade has been featured in the list.

The company describes evergreen sprint colour as a rich, deep forest green that pays homage to the legendary British racing green. According to Axalta the shade has graced the finest racing machines and symbolises speed and performance. It also captures the thrill of motorsport while bringing a touch of sophistication to sedans and SUVs.

Dan Benton, Global Colour Marketing Director, Axalta, said, “This striking hue revs up our global automotive colour of the year. Evergreen Sprint stands out on the road and evokes the spirit of competition and adventure. The dynamic colour is sure to attract the hearts of passionate drivers.”

Since 2015, experts at Axalta collaborate to come out with the up-and-coming shades for the automotive market. According to Axalta’s Global Automotive 2023 Colour Popularity Report, green was found on approximately 2 percent of vehicles worldwide. 

BASF Coatings has released its report titled ‘Colour Report For Automotive OEM Coatings’ to provide a detailed exploration of the recent colour trends in the automotive industry.

BASF Coatings computed the colour distribution mentioned in the report using the information that was available about the manufacture of automobiles worldwide and the application of paint to passenger cars. According to the report, as buyers stray from conventional favourites like white and silver, the worldwide automobile colour landscape continues to change in 2024. According to the report, this change is opening the door for a more varied palette, warm neutrals and vivid colours to become more popular throughout the business. In particular, customers still prefer white, but warm hues like yellow and beige are becoming more and more desirable, and green is becoming more and more popular everywhere. Additionally, achromatic hues like grey and black are becoming more popular.

The report also highlights the region-wise trend in automotive coating based on consumer preference. As per the report, beige is gaining popularity in the EMEA region as achromatic colours continue steady growth in the region, increasing from 72 percent in 2021 to almost 80 percent in 2024. White remains the most preferred colour, while grey comes second.

In the Americas, grey is shining as one of the most versatile and captivating colours with almost 20 percent of the total market share. Compared to 2023, black colour has decreased by two percentage points, while white has had a five percentage point loss, which is even more notable.

The Asia Pacific market, on the other hand, is dominated by black colour. With achromatic colours remaining the top choice for 83 percent of consumers, black colour secured a gain of two percentage points in popularity, while white saw a decline of over two points. Chromatic colours with soft tones, particularly yellow, are also on the rise in this region, the report says.

Raymond Group, a leading diversified group with business interests in textile, apparel and realty, has announced the Raymond 100 Autofest as part of its centenary year celebration.

The three-day event organised by Super Car Club Garage (SCCG) starting from 10 January 2025 will take place at JK Gram, Thane, Maharashtra. The Raymond 100 Autofest will bring together supercars, superbikes, vintage classic to modern rivals, showcasing a range of automotive design language. Global racing icons, Mika Hakkinen and Narain Karthikeyan, alongside motorsport veteran Gaurav Gill are also expected to be part of the event. Amongst the various classic vehicles present over at the event, the centre piece will be cricket legend Ravi Shastri’s iconic Audi 100, restored by the Super Car Club Garage (SCCG).

The third-gen Audi 100, which went on sale internationally around 1982, was declared as a ‘national asset’ by Shastri himself after Gautam Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, Raymond Group, handed over the restored vehicle to him.

“The Raymond 100 Autofest is more than a showcase of automobiles; it’s a celebration of passion, ingenuity and our deep connection with the community. This event encapsulates our ethos of excellence and evolution, much like the automotive world we’re celebrating – a perfect ode to our remarkable 100-year journey,” said Singhania.