The newfound love for SUVs in India is evident in car sales figures for December 2021. Last month, the compact SUVs outsold the compact hatchbacks to emerge as the bestselling segment in the country. Interestingly, the mid-SUVs have emerged as the third bestselling segment in India in December 2021. In terms of figures, the mid-SUV segment registered 32,818-unit sales in December 2021 as compared to 28,330-unit sales in the same period in the previous year, thereby registering a 16 per cent growth in sales.

The top-five bestselling mid-SUVs in India are as follows –

Hyundai Creta

Hyundai Creta continues to be the popular choice in this segment. Despite a 28 per cent drop in sales, the South Korean automaker sold 7,609 units of the Creta in December 2021 as compared to 10,592 units in the same period in 2020. The drop in sales numbers can be attributed to the shortage in the supply of semiconductors. To learn more about the revised prices for the Hyundai Creta, click here.

Mechanically, the Hyundai Creta is available in three engine options, which include a 1.5-litre MPi petrol (six-speed MT/IVT), a 1.5-litre U2 CRDi diesel (six-speed MT/six-speed AT), and a 1.4-litre Kappa Turbo GDi petrol (seven DCT). The Creta offers three drive modes – Eco, Sport, and Comfort, and traction control modes (Snow, Sand, and Mud).

Kia Seltos

Like Creta, the Kia Seltos sales have also dropped by 28 per cent due to the shortage in the supply of semiconductors. The Seltos registered 4,012-unit sales in December 2021 as compared to 5,608-unit sales in December 2020. To learn more about the revised prices for the Kia Seltos, click here. The Seltos facelift has been spied testing in South Korea. And to learn more about it, click here.

The Seltos is available in two petrol and one diesel engine options. The 1.4-litre T-GDI petrol engine produces 138bhp at 6,000rpm and 242Nm of torque at 1,500rpm. This engine is available in both six-speed manual and DCT options. Whereas, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine generates 113bhp at 6,300rpm and 144Nm of torque at 4,500rpm. This engine is available in six-speed manual, iMT, and CVT options. The diesel version is powered by a 1.5-litre engine that produces 113bhp and 4,000rpm and 250Nm of torque at 1,500rpm. This engine can be had either in a six-speed manual or an automatic torque converter.

Mahindra XUV700

Mahindra XUV700, the latest SUV from the Indian utility manufacturer has emerged as the third bestseller on this list. The company sold 3,980 units of the XUV700 to secure this position. Recently, an image of the six-seat variant of XUV700 was taken from the AdrenoX app, wherein the XUV700 featured captain seats in the second row. To learn more about it, click here.

The MX Series is available in both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol version gets a 2.0-litre Turbo GDi mStallion engine that produces 195bhp at 5,000rpm and 380Nm of torque between 1,750rpm and 3,000rpm. The diesel version gets a 2.2-litre Commonrail Turbo diesel mHawk engine that generates 153bhp at 3,750rpm and 360Nm of torque between 1,500-2,800rpm. Both engines are mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

On the other hand, the AX Series is also available in both petrol and diesel engine (available in different tune) options. The petrol engine is shared with the MX Series, however, the MX Series also offers an automatic option. The diesel version is powered by a 2.2-litre Commonrail Turbo diesel mHawk engine which generates 182bhp at 3,500rpm. The manual transmission unit of this engine produces 420Nm of torque between 1,600-2,800rpm, while the automatic option generates 450Nm between 1,750-2,800rpm.

Skoda Kushaq

Back in June 2021, Skoda launched the Kushaq SUV in India. Interestingly, in December 2021 the Kushaq outsold the Volkswagen Taigun by just 12 units to claim the fourth rank in the country. The company sold 2,840 units of Kushaq last month.

The Kushaq is available in two petrol engine options. The 1.0-litre, three-cylinder TSI engine generates 114bhp between 5,000-5,500rpm and 178Nm between 1,750-4,500rpm. This engine comes mated to six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmission options. On the other hand, the 1.5-litre, four-cylinder TSI engine generates 148bhp between 5,000-6,000rpm and 250Nm between 1,500-3,500rpm. This engine can be had either with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG option.

Volkswagen Taigun

Volkswagen Taigun secures the fifth position by registering total sales of 2,828-unit sales in December 2021, thus missing a tie for the fourth position by just 12 units. The Taigun was launched in India in September 2021. Interestingly, the Taigun has managed to outsell Tata Harrier, which registered 2,234-unit sales last month. To learn more about the revised prices for the Volkswagen Taigun, click here.

The Volkswagen Taigun is available in two engine options – a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, TSI petrol engine and a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, TSI petrol engine. The former is tuned to produce 115bhp and 175Nm of torque, while the latter is capable of producing 148bhp and 250Nm of torque. A six-speed manual unit is standard, while a six-speed torque-converter automatic unit and a seven-speed DSG unit are available as options.