Expected to go on sale ahead of the festive season, the Tata Curvv coupe-SUV will not be positioned as a niche product. As a cross between a coupe, sedan (because it is a four door whereas coupes are usually two door) and an SUV, the vehicle is expected to be positioned as the one that would present superior addressability in terms of aspiration, style and performance. 

About attracting more customers by seeking their attention over other products – sedans, hatchbacks and SUVs – with its stylish demeanour, the Curvv is expected to create a position for itself in a highly competitive market place like the Punch ultra-compact SUV did after its introduction. 

Ironically, the Punch is not the first ultra-compact SUV to enter the Indian market. A few years ago, Mahindra explored this space with the XUV100. The market wasn’t open to such a vehicle then perhaps. Also the XUV100 could have been more appealing with a superior styling language. 

Mahindra & Mahindra could look at relaunching the next generation XUV100 once again with a superior styling and platform attributes. 

Back to the Curvv and it not be the only one of its kind to enter the market. Not even if it will be presented with an electric drivetrain, a petrol powertrain and at a later date, a diesel powertrain as well. The Citroen Basalt – a four-door compact sedan with coupe-SUV styling – is also expected to be launched at roughly the same time. 

The advantage Tata Motors may have over Citroen is the presence it has earned in the Indian passenger vehicle market with the likes of Nexon, Harrier and Safari. Despite the ‘right’ fundamentals, Citroen does not have the sales numbers or brand recall on its side yet.  

In terms of practicality, the coupe-SUV styling of the Curvv and Basalt is expected to signal some loss. But then, whether the buyers warm up to the styling and live with some loss of practically will be clear only after the two find their way to the showrooms and into the garages of the end users. 

Competitively pricing the Curvv in a market where automobiles are terribly expensive will be the key. It will be the same with the Basalt. 

Tata Motors' focus on democratising features is expected to provide an additional advantage to the Curvv. Numerous variants will be presented to cover various price points. 

In case of Basalt, Citroen is also expected to put its learnings in India to good practice.  

With cross over styled sedans like the Maruti SX4 doing well in the Indian market, there is reason to believe that the Curvv and Basalt will be well received. Practicality and price positioning will however matter most. 

Mumbai-based automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra has announced its wholesales for April 2025 at 84,170 vehicles, a growth of 19 percent, including exports.

The auto major sold a total of 52,330 SUVs in the domestic market, which was 28 percent higher than 41,008 SUVs sold for the same period last year. Commercial vehicle sales in the domestic market came at 22,989 units, which was 4 percent YoY. 

Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Building on the strong momentum of last year's performance, we began the year on a strong note in April by achieving SUV sales of 52,330 units, a growth of 28 percent and total vehicle sales of 84,170 units, a 19 percent growth over the same month last year. These numbers indicate the strength of our portfolio and customer offerings.”

JSW MG Motor India, a leading passenger vehicles manufacturer, has announced its wholesales for April 2025.

The company reported sales of 5,829 units, which was 23 percent higher over April 2024, when it sold 4,725 vehicles.

Interestingly, the automaker's popular offering, the Windsor EV, has continued to be the top-selling electric passenger vehicle for the seventh month in a row.

JSW MG Motor India's Windsor EV has now gone home to over 20,000 customers.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest carmaker, has reported its wholesales of 179,791 units in April 2025, marking a 7 percent increase compared to 168,089 units sold in April 2024. The growth was primarily propelled by strong performance in utility vehicles and a sharp rise in export volumes.

Domestic sales, including passenger and light commercial vehicles, remained flat with 142,053 units, as compared to 140,448 units in April 2024. Within this, light commercial vehicles (LCVs) like the Super Carry saw a significant jump of 34.2 percent, with sales rising to 3,349 units from 2,496 units last year.

In the passenger vehicle segment, SUVs such as the Brezza, Ertiga, Grand Vitara and others recorded a 4.4 percent increase, selling 59,022 units compared to 56,553 in the previous year. However, sales for Eeco declined by 5.2 percent, while the mini segment (Alto, S-Presso) saw a sharp 45 percent drop, falling to 6,332 units from 11,519 units. The compact segment, which includes high-volume models like the Baleno and Swift, grew by 8.1 percent, reaching 61,591 units.

Sales to Toyota Kirloskar Motor rose sharply by 79.2 percent, from 5,481 units to 9,827 units, indicating a growing demand for cross-badged products.

The standout performer was the export segment, which surged 26 percent to 27,911 units from 22,160 units in April 2024. This strong export growth helped bolster the company’s overall numbers despite weaknesses in domestic sub-segments.

While some product lines such as the mid-size sedan Ciaz (-63 percent) continue to struggle.

Tata Motors reported total wholesales of 72,753 units for April 2025, reflecting a 6 percent year-on-year decline from 77,521 units in April 2024.

The passenger vehicle (PV) segment, including electric vehicles, accounted for 45,532 units, down 5 percent from 47,983 units in the same month last year. Within this, domestic PV sales dropped 6 percent to 45,199 units, while international business (IB) sales rose significantly to 333 units, up from 100 units. Electric vehicle sales (domestic + IB) declined 16 percent year-on-year to 5,318 units.

Commercial vehicle (CV) sales stood at 27,221 units, marking an 8 percent YoY drop from 29,538 units in April 2024. Domestic CV sales contracted 10 percent to 25,764 units, while CV exports (IB) grew 43 percent to 1,457 units. Key sub-segments like Small Commercial Vehicles (SCV) and pickups saw a steep 23 percent decline.

Despite growth in certain categories like ILMCV trucks and passenger carriers, overall sales momentum was tempered across both PV and CV segments.