The financial year 2020-21 has not been too kind on the automotive industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian government introduced the vaccine for Coronavirus earlier this year and has commenced its distribution in a phased manner. As businesses started gaining momentum and consumer sentiments improved, the last quarter of FY’ 2020-21 ended on a positive note. In terms of cumulative sales, the automotive industry registered a growth of 128 per cent with 3,20,487 units sold as against 1,40,566 units sold in the same period last year. The increase in sales can be attributed to stock clearance and adjustments planned by various manufacturers while upgrading to the BS6 norms. Interestingly, the automotive industry has also witnessed a cumulative month-on-month growth of 3.9 per cent with 3,20,487 unit sales in March 2021 as compared to 3,08,593-unit sales in February 2021.

Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Tata Motors continue to be the top-three brands in terms of volumes in India. Maruti Suzuki has surpassed its own sales from January and February this year, with 1,46,203-unit sales in March 2021. Moreover, the company has registered 91.8 per cent growth in sales in March as compared to 76,240 units in the same period last year. The top-three key contributors for Maruti Suzuki in March were the Swift (21,714 units), Baleno (21,217 units), and the WagonR (18,757 units).

Hyundai India continues to hold the second rank in terms of car sales in March 2021. The company registered 52,600-unit sales in March 2021 as compared to 26,300 units in March 2020, thereby witnessing an impressive cent per cent growth in sales. The top-three popular sellers for Hyundai last month were – the Creta (12,640 units), Grand i10 (11,020 units), and the Venue (10,722 units).

Tata Motors, the third-highest seller in the country has also reported a massive 422.5 per cent growth in sales last month with 29,655-unit sales as compared to 5,676-unit sales in March 2020. Back in February, the Indian utility vehicle manufacturer had witnessed an impressive 119 per cent growth as compared to the same period in 2020. The top-three popular sellers for the company last month were – the Nexon (8,683 units), the Altroz (7,550 units), and the Tiago (6,893 units).

Kia Motors continues to hold a strong foothold in the Indian market with 19,100 unit sales in March 2021 as against 8,583-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby witnessing a growth of 122.5 per cent. Kia Motors continues to compete strongly in the Indian market with just a three-product line-up – Seltos, Sonet, and the Carnival. The Seltos and the Sonet have been the key contributors with 10,557-unit and 8,498-unit sales, respectively.

Mahindra, the country’s popular utility car manufacturer, sold 16,643 cumulative units in India in March 2021 as compared to 3,171-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby witnessing a massive growth of 424.9 per cent last month. The Bolero (8,905 units), Scorpio (2,331 units), and the XUV300 (2,587 units) were the key contributors to the overall sales.

Toyota registered a 113.5 per cent growth in sales last month. The company sold 14,997 units in the country last month as compared to 7,023-unit sales in the same period last year. The key contributors to this figure were the Innova Crysta (5,743 units), the Urban Cruiser (3,162 units), and the Glanza (2,929 units).

Renault is growing strong in the Indian market. The company has registered an impressive 278 per cent growth with 12,356-unit sales in March 2021 as against 3,269-unit sales in the same period last year. The Triber (4,133 units), Kwid (4,132 units), and the Kiger (3,839 units) were the popular sellers for the company.

Ford India has outsold Honda in terms of sales in March 2021. The company has registered an impressive 7,746-unit sales in the country last month as compared to 3,519-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby registering a 120.1 per cent growth in sales.

Honda moves down to the ninth rank with 7,103-unit sales in India last month as against 3,697-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby registering a strong 92.1 per cent growth in sales. The Amaze has been a strong seller for the company with 4,596-unit sales in March 2021.

MG Motors currently has four models on sale in India – the Hector, Hector Plus, Gloster, and the ZS EV. The company has registered an impressive growth of 264.2 per cent growth in sales with 5,528-unit sales last month as compared to 1,518-unit sales in the same period last year. The Hector is a key contributor to the company’s sales in India with 4,720-unit sales in the country last month.

Nissan has registered a healthy 386.3 per cent growth in March 2021 with 4,012-unit sales as compared to 825-unit sales in the same period last year. The Nissan Magnite alone has contributed to the overall sales with 2,987-unit sales last month.

The German car manufacturer, Volkswagen sold 2,025-units in India last month as against 131-unit sales in the same period last year. Of these, 1,888 units are from the Polo alone.

FCA has also witnessed 734.4 per cent growth in sales with 1,360-units of the Compass SUV in March 2021 as compared to 163-unit sales in the same period last year.

Skoda has witnessed a 157 per cent growth in sales with 1,159-unit sales in March 2021 as compared to 451-unit sales in the same period last year. The Rapid and the Superb have been the key contributors with 903 and 250 units respectively.

Car sales in April 2021 are likely to be affected with the recent price rise announcement from most of the major car manufacturers. Moreover, the sales might further be affected in states with a fresh set of COVID-19 guidelines. That said, the range of new product options and easy finance schemes will continue to lure in potential buyers in the month of April.