Top 10 carmakers in India in April: Tata, Hyundai in tight race for second spot

The Indian auto industry has been reeling under the global chip shortage crisis for some time. While it tries to emerge from the Covid-19 lockdown and the ongoing slowdown in economy, the chip crisis has hit production, resulting in lesser number of cars being produced and sold across India. In April, the 14 existing carmakers in the Indian market, besides the luxury carmaker like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and others, contributed to nearly three lakh units with a marginal increase of about two percent compared to April last year.

Here is a look at the top 10 carmakers in India in April

Maruti Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki remains the largest carmaker in India by far. Despite slowdown in sales, and long waiting periods due to shortage of supplies, Maruti has been able to hold its market share to more than 40 percent in April as well. Maruti has sold 1,21,995 units last month, down by around 10 percent compared to same month last year. The market share has also shrunk from 47 percent to just under 42 percent.

This year, Maruti has been on an overdrive with several launches lined up. It has already launched the new generation Baleno, Ertiga and XL6 within the first four months of the year. It is also expected to drive in the new generation Alto and Vitara Brezza later this year. However, the most anticipated launch from Maruti Suzuki is likely to happen closer to the festive season when it is expected to launch its new compact SUV to take on rivals like Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.

Hyundai Motor

Despite challenges, Korean carmaker Hyundai continues to be the second largest carmaker in India. Though, by a thin margin over nearest rival Tata Motors. Hyundai's market share has gone down to 15 percent from 17 percent last year after the carmaker sold 44,001 units last month.

Hyundai is slated to drive in facelift versions of the Venue and Creta SUVs to India later this year. Both SUVs are two of the best-selling models in their respective categories. However, some of the other flagships from Hyundai, like the Alcazar SUV, has not been able to garner as much sales as some of its rivals.

Tata Motors

The biggest growth story among Indian carmakers in recent times has been that of the Tata Motors. With a slew of new products, and more waiting in the pipeline, Tata has been in a neck-and-neck battle with Hyundai for the second spot. In April, with 41,590 units sold in India, Tata Motors emerged as the third largest carmaker. However, its market share has swollen from about 9 percent in April last year to more than 14 percent last month.

While its SUVs like Nexon and Punch have performed well, it has been the electric vehicle segment which has given a boost to the carmaker's sales in India. It currently leads the EV segment with a staggering 85 percent market share.

Mahindra and Mahindra

Riding high on new generation models like XUV700 and Thar, Mahindra and Mahindra has registered significant growth in April. Though XUV700 and Thar have long waiting periods, the carmaker has been able to deliver 22,169 units last month, compared to just 18,186 units in April last year. Mahindra currently enjoys a market share of more than seven percent, which has grown marginally compared to 2021.

Kia India

Hyundai's Korean sibling Kia India has recently seen spike in sales thanks to its flagship SUV Seltos and the recently launched Carens three-row vehicle. The carmaker has seen a growth of around 18 percent year-on-year with 19,019 units sold last month. However, its latest model too is currently witnessing waiting periods of beyond six months on certain variants. While Kia has a market share of more than six percent, it still has a long way to go before it can challenge its Korean sibling.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor

The Japanese carmaker has seen a number of shutdowns since last year which resulted in curtailing of production. However, Toyota has made up the gap recently and is currently placed at number six among top 10 carmakers in India with around five percent market share. In April, 15,085 units compared to just 16,111 units in April last year. It has registered a growth of nearly 57 percent thanks to some of its best-sellers like Fortuner SUV and Innova Crysta MPV.

Honda Cars India

Honda in India is mostly dependent on sales of two of its flagship sedans - the City and the Amaze. Yet, with 7,874 units, Honda has managed to capture around three percent market share last month. However, in April last year, Honda had sold 9,072 cars in India, more than 13 percent of what it could last month.

Renault

Kwid hatchback and Triber MPV are some of the models that have helped the French carmaker to stay afloat in the Indian car market. The Kiger SUV, which is considered as one of the most affordable cars in its segment, has not been as successful yet. Renault sold 7,594 units is April, down by around 12 percent compared to same month last year, and enjoys a market share of 2.6 percent.

Skoda Auto India

Skoda and its brand leader Volkswagen has seen a revival of sorts with a host of new models for the Indian market. The India 2.0 project has delivered new cars like Kushaq SUV and Slavia sedan besides the new Octavia for Skoda. All these models have helped Skoda to increase its sales to 5,152 units in April from a mere 961 units during the same month last year. While the four-fold growth may seem staggering, Skoda's market share is yet to cross two percent.

Volkswagen

German carmaker Volkswagen has also launched new models like the Taigun and Tiguan SUVs. It is also slated to drive in the Virtus sedan, which is a technical cousin of the Slavia. Volkswagen sold 3,547 units in April, which is a 160 percent rise over 1,367 units the carmaker sold in the same month last year. Volkswagen's market share is just above one percent.