Tata Motors Takes Over Maruti As India’s No.1 Car Maker

The top-selling vehicle in India does not have the Maruti Suzuki emblem for the first time in four decades. In 2024, Tata Motors’ sub-compact SUV, the Punch, surpassed Maruti Suzuki’s Wagon R and Swift to take the top spot in the nation’s auto sales rankings.

In 2024, Tata Motors sold more than 2.02 lakh Tata Punch vehicles, surpassing the Wagon R’s 1.91 lakh units sold. SUVs accounted for three of the top five automobiles sold in the nation in 2024.

The PV industry is expected to touch a sales volume of 4.3 million units, with strong growth in the SUV segment and sustained traction for emission-friendly powertrains. A brand-new sub-segment of the sub-4 m SUV market was established in 2021 with Punch’s SUV shape, upright posture, 190 mm ground clearance, and commanding driver position in a 3.8-meter footprint.

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Potential purchasers of hatchbacks like the Maruti Swift are finding this class to be a great substitute based on footprint. The Tata Punch became the tenth best-selling vehicle in 2022 thanks to these qualities, and it began selling over 10,000 units each month. Hyundai and Tata have almost identical sales footprints, and the Exter and Punch are similarly matched in terms of footprint, features, and price point. But in 2024, the Hyundai Exter was unable to produce even half as much as the Tata Punch.

Maruti Suzuki, the biggest manufacturer of reasonably priced automobiles in India, is finding that the country’s trend toward luxury vehicles is a litmus test. The lack of SUV choices, particularly those costing more above Rs 10 lakh, hurt Maruti Suzuki’s market share. Think about it: With 33.49 lakh cars sold in 2018, the year before the pandemic, the Indian automobile sector had its biggest year ever. With a 52 percent market share in India, Maruti sold more automobiles than all of its rivals put together.

All five of the top-selling items were from Maruti’s lineup. In 2024, Maruti’s market share dropped to 41% and it lost its status as the supplier of India’s best-selling car, as the Indian automobile industry saw another peak of over 42.86 lakh cars sold in the post-pandemic era.

After independence, Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador was the top-selling product for over thirty years in a duopoly, with Premier Padmini being the second-best-selling item in India at the time. But in 1985, Suzuki’s Maruti 800, a contemporary, dependable, and reasonably priced vehicle, surpassed it as the best-selling vehicle for many years.

Maruti-Suzuki dominated the following forty years, growing steadily even when markets were opened to international competitors in the liberalization phase following the 1990s.  Alto, Maruti 800’s spiritual successor, was a 13-year best-seller, with its maximum sales of 3,11,367 in 2011. In a calendar year, that is the most sales any automobile in the Indian market has ever made.

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But after 2018, things quickly altered as a result of changing legislation, such as the requirement for airbags and the switch from BS IV to BS VI. A variety of Maruti vehicles have been vying for the top spot, including the tall-boy Wagon R, the Swift luxury hatchback, and the sub-4m Dzire. The top five list for 2024 highlights how the trend toward SUVs has affected car companies, models, and market share.