Hyundai Creta and Bajaj Pulsar are India's most popular car and bike: Study

Hyundai Creta SUV and Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle have emerged as the most popular among buyers in the four-wheeler and two-wheeler segments in India. According to a study by Droom, an auto e-commerce platform, SUVs rule the list of most preferred cars in the country. Among two-wheelers, motorcycles are more popular among buyers than scooters. Bajaj Pulsar leads the pack which also includes some of its key rivals. The study included all the ICE models that are currently sold in India, including the luxury car segment. However, it has not released similar data on the electric vehicle segment.

Droom's annual 'India Automobile Ecommerce Report' for 2022 shows the dominance of Korean SUVs last year. While Hyundai Creta topped the list, it was followed by its Korean sibling Kia Seltos in the second place. Among the other SUVs that became favourite among buyers last year were the new Maruti Suzuki Brezza. Among the bigger cars like MPV or large SUVs, Toyota's Innova Crysta and Fortuner shared the honours.

Mercedes Benz, which is the leader in the luxury vehicle segment in India, saw its E-Class become the most popular model. Among other luxury cars that became popular among buyers were Jeep Compass, Mercedes Benz C Class and BMW5 Series.

In the two-wheeler segment, Bajaj Auto has more models than the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp. Bajaj Pulsar was rated as the most favourite by the study. It was followed by other motorcycles like Hero Splendor Plus, Bajaj Pulsar NS, TVS Apache RTR, and Honda CB Shine. In the luxury segment, Royal Enfield Interceptor was the most popular model, followed by the likes of Harley Davidson Street 750 and Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.

The study also says that vehicles with automatic gearbox are increasingly becoming more popular among buyers. Since 2015, the share of automatic vehicles has grown from 23 per cent to 33 per cent last year. The study claims the rise of automatic gearbox has been due to ‘convenience and higher fuel efficiency’.

The study also says that EV penetration in India is stagnant at one per cent of total vehicle sales. Even diesel cars are also losing popularity, especially after the new 10-year cap on all diesel cars to reduce pollution. The study says diesel vehicle share has dropped to 53 per cent last year from 60 per cent in 2021.