The passenger vehicle segment continues to see a steady growth with automakers across segment reporting healthy sales in June. 

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest carmaker reported wholesales of 148,915 units, which was 6.6 percent higher over last year. 

Hyundai Motor India clocked a muted growth with 50,202 units, compared to 50,001 units for the same period last year. 

Tarun Garg, COO, Hyundai Motor India Limited said, “We closed H1 of CY2024 with an overall sales growth of 5.68 percent YoY. SUVs have contributed strongly, accounting for 66 percent of our domestic sales. The new Hyundai Creta has been a key driver for domestic H1 sales with 91,348 units sold, a growth of 11 percent over same period last year.”

Tata Motors, reported a decline of 8 percent in its sales, with 43,524 units (including EVs) sold in June, as compared to 47,235 units for the same period last year. The company attributed the slowdown on the back of general elections and heat waves that impacted consumer sentiment.

Shailesh Chandra, MD, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility said, “In Q1 FY2025, after a boost in demand in the first half of April, due to festivities in some parts of country, the passenger vehicle industry saw a decline in retails (registrations) in the months of May and June, influenced by the general elections and heat waves across the country. Tata Motors wholesales of 138,682 cars and SUVs in Q1 FY2025 remained flat compared to Q1 FY2024, as we readjusted our wholesales in line with retails to keep channel inventory under control.”

“The electric vehicle industry was affected by the broader industry trend and the impact of significant preponement fleet sales in Q4FY2024, due to expiry of FAME II subsidy in March 2024. Consequently, while the personal segment retails have grown slightly, there was a sharp decline witnessed in the fleet segment, which is expected to recover in the coming quarters. Going forward, we foresee recovery of demand, as enquiries have remained strong despite low retails in the past two months. This strong enquiry pipeline, in addition to onset of festive season from August, augurs well for the industry. Tata Motors is fully geared up to leverage this growth opportunity on the back of strong demand for its SUV portfolio, especially Punch and Nexon, as well as new launches in the coming months,” added Chandra.

Mumbai-headquartered Mahindra & Mahindra reported a growth of 22.8 percent selling 40,022 vehicles.

Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra stated, “We sold a total of 40,022 SUVs in June, a growth of 23 percent and 69,397 total vehicles, a 11 percent growth over last year. June has been a momentous month, as we rolled out the 200,000th XUV700 from our facility. We also celebrated 25 years of Bolero Pik-Ups, a category creator and a market leader in the LCV segment.”

Toyota Motor Corp continued to ride on the success of its new models. The company sold 27,474 units in June, marking a 40 percent growth. This also marked its best-ever monthly sales.

Sabari Manohar – Vice President, Sales-Service-Used Car Business, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “Our product strategy and continued focus on offering a delightful ownership experience across all touchpoints allowed us to maintain a consistently strong performance. Notably, we achieved our highest ever monthly sales of 27,474 units in June, and the overall 47% growth for the Calendar Year highlights the success of our invigorated strategy. Our recently launched Urban Cruiser Taisor continues to perform beyond expectations with order intake doubling compared to the previous month. The model's growing popularity underscores Toyota’s growing presence in the SUV segment. Overall, our SUV and MPV segments continue to lead our impressive sales surge thus reflecting a strong consumer preference for these versatile and reliable vehicles. Beyond our strong presence in major cities, TKM has strategically increased its focus on rural areas, broadening our customer base and driving significant momentum.”

Kia India sold 21,300 units, a growth of 9.8 percent, compared to 19,391 units sold for the same period last year. 

Hardeep Singh Brar – Senior Vice President and National Head Sales & Marketing, Kia India said, "We have observed a healthy month-on-month sales growth in H1 2024, averaging over 21,000 units per month. Our superior product offerings have consistently attracted customers to our showrooms throughout the year, maintaining a strong sales position. We are committed to sustaining this positive trend for the remainder of the year through network expansion and by adding value to our customers' aspirations."

Interestingly, Kia India recently surpassed 250,000 export milestone to over 100 markets from its Anantapur plant. 

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Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has further expanded its product portfolio with the launch of the Victoris SUV.

The Victoris is being made available in multiple powertrain options, including petrol with strong hybrid, Allgrip Select (4x4) and factory-fitted S-CNG with an underbody tank design. Bookings are now open at INR 11,000.

The SUV can be had with a 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain with EV mode and e-CVT transmission, a multi-terrain 4x4 system with four drive modes and a CNG variant with dual ECUs.

The Victoris will join the Brezza, Ertiga, Fronx, Grand Vitara and Jimny to further expand its play in the SUV segment.

The new SUV features a 26.03 cm fully digital instrument cluster, 25.65 cm SmartPlay Pro X infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, over-the-air updates and Alexa Auto integration. It also introduces a segment-first Infinity by Harman 8-speaker system with Dolby Atmos, 64-colour ambient lighting, ventilated seats, powered driver’s seat, wireless charging with cooling and a panoramic sunroof.

On safety, the Victoris comes with six airbags as standard, Level 2 ADAS with more than ten driver-assist features, all-wheel disc brakes, electronic parking brake, and a 360-degree camera. In fact, the Victoris has scored a 5-star Bharat NCAP safety rating for both adult and child occupants.

It comes with Maruti Suzuki India’s Arena Safety Shield, including ESP, ABS with EBD, hill hold control and a standard three-year/100,000 km warranty.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The new-age Indian customer is well-travelled, hyper-connected, socially aware, technologically progressive and environmentally responsible. To meet the aspirations of such customers, our new SUV the Victoris has ‘Got It All’. Victoris is a Latin word that means ‘victory’. We are confident the Victoris with its high technology, sleek design, intelligent and connected features, 5-star level safety and multiple environment friendly powertrains will win hearts in India. With Victoris we are strengthening our SUV portfolio and our overall market share.”

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “At Maruti Suzuki, we are always listening to our customers. Today’s young, and dynamic audience consider an automobile as a reflection of who they are – energetic, composed, confident and always moving forward. We gave this brief to our design and engineering teams for the all-new ‘Victoris’. SUVs may be the most loved segment today, but the SUV buyer has evolved. This new generation of young customers are ambitious, hyperconnected and value experiential living. The all-new Victoris is our answer to that shift - a progressive blend of tech, design and versatility. It is engineered with true SUV DNA and sets a new benchmark for what today’s automobiles can feel like. With the Victoris, we’re not just launching another SUV, we’re celebrating a new dimension to driving - one that’s ‘Got It All’.” 

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In celebration of India's dreamers and their aspirations, Mercedes-Benz India has announced the launch of its comprehensive festive campaign, ‘Dream Days’. Scheduled to run from 2nd September to 31st October 2025, the initiative is designed to make the ambition of owning a Mercedes-Benz more accessible than ever through a suite of tailored ownership benefits and experiential engagements.

The 360-degree campaign focuses on creating signature luxury experiences at every customer interaction. A core component is a range of innovative financial solutions aimed at empowering new and existing customers. For its entry and core model portfolios, Mercedes-Benz is introducing financial plans featuring exceptionally low monthly instalments, attractive interest rates and minimal down payments. First-time buyers will receive additional ‘Welcome Benefits’ when trading in their current vehicle.

Further enhancing flexibility, a unique ‘Seasonal Payment Plan’ allows customers to structure their payment schedules around periods of higher cash flow, such as bonus months, alleviating the burden of uniform monthly payments. A standout ‘Key to Key’ programme for select models like the S-Class enables customers to upgrade to a new vehicle after 24 to 36 months with zero down payment, effectively allowing them to own two new Mercedes-Benz cars within a four-year period.

Complementing these ownership advantages, Mercedes-Benz is elevating its customer service with nationwide ‘Service Clinics’. During these events, trained brand engineers will travel to various locations to provide personalised vehicle diagnostics and address owner concerns directly.

The campaign will culminate in the ‘Dream Days Festival’, a first-of-its-kind event touring six key cities: Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kochi. This two-day festival will offer participants hands-on driving experiences across specially designed tracks that demonstrate the capabilities of the brand’s sedans, SUVs, electric vehicles and high-performance AMG models. Attendees can also enjoy immersive brand experiences, such as the Burmester Sound Experience, fostering a deeper connection with the Mercedes-Benz brand.

Santosh Iyer, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said, "India is a nation built on dreams – from startup founders, entrepreneurs to seasoned executives, every dreamer deserves the luxury that they aspire for. This festive campaign, hence, underlines our commitment to fulfil the aspirations of our customers, offering flexible and curated financial solutions, supporting them with their purchase decision. We are confident these financial solutions will find immense value among customers, creating excitement and positive momentum in the market this festive season.”

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Hyundai Motor India (HMIL), one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has introduced the Creta King and Creta King Limited Edition to mark a decade of its popular Creta SUV in the domestic market. The company has also added new features to other Creta variants.

The Creta King includes features such as R18 diamond cut alloys, a driver power seat with memory function and a passenger seat with electric adjustments. It also comes with a dashcam, wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and dual-zone automatic temperature control. The vehicle is available with a 1.5L petrol, 1.5L diesel and 1.5L turbo petrol engine. A new Black Matte colour is also being introduced.

The Creta King Limited Edition adds exclusive ‘King’ branding on elements like the seat belt cover, headrest cushion and key cover. This limited edition is available in Abyss Black, Atlas White and the new Black Matte colours.

The Creta King Knight, with its black design, also receives upgraded features including R18 matte black alloys, electric seat adjustments for the driver and passenger, a dashcam and dual-zone automatic temperature control.

Tarun Garg, Whole-Time Director and Chief Operating Officer, Hyundai Motor India, said, “At HMIL, we have always believed in delighting our customers with fresh choices and enhanced experiences. Ahead of this festive season, we are excited to introduce the Creta King and Creta King Limited Edition in our SUV, the Hyundai Creta. These additions, coupled with enriched feature offerings in the Creta line up will reinforce our commitment to offering products that blend style, performance, technology and safety. We are confident that these new introductions will add to the festive excitement and further strengthen the appeal of Hyundai’s most loved SUV among Indian customers.”

Additionally, new features have been added across other Creta variants, including a dashcam, dual-zone automatic temperature control and wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. The Creta N Line also gets these new features.

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Honda Cars India has introduced a series of updates to its popular SUV, the Honda Elevate in time for the festive season. The enhancements include new interior colour options and exterior styling upgrades, aiming to give the vehicle a more premium and stylish feel.

The top-of-the-range Honda Elevate ZX grade now features a new Ivory interior theme, complete with ivory leatherette seats and soft-touch inserts on the doors and instrument panel. As an optional extra, customers can choose a new ‘Alpha-Bold plus Grille’ for a more commanding front profile, along with a 360-degree surround vision camera and 7-colour ambient lighting. With these additions, the Elevate ZX offers a choice of three distinct interior themes: Tan, Ivory and Black.

For the V and VX grades, Honda is introducing new black fabric upholstery, which replaces the previous shadow beige option. These variants also feature dual-tone interiors with ivory soft-touch inserts. The new Alpha-Bold plus Grille is available as an accessory for these models and the Crystal Black Pearl colour option is now offered across the V, VX and ZX grades.

Kunal Behl, Vice-President Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India, said, “The Honda Elevate is a very successful model and has been greatly appreciated by customers for its versatility in both the domestic and export markets. With the introduction of the new ZX grade with ivory interiors and new enhancements across all grades, it is our endeavour to offer more choices to customers during the festive period and warmly welcome them into the Honda family.”

The Honda Elevate is powered by a 1.5L i-VTEC petrol engine and is available with a choice of a 6-speed manual or 7-speed CVT automatic transmission. The SUV continues to offer a range of safety features, including the Honda Sensing advanced driver-assist system in the ZX grade, which includes Collision Mitigation Braking and Adaptive Cruise Control.

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