First Time In 40 Years: How Tata Motors Broke Maruti Suzuki's No.1 Car Record

Also Read: Upcoming EV Cars In India Under 30 Lakhs 2025

Tata Motors sold approximately 2,02,030 units of its micro-SUV, the Tata Punch with its closest competitor being the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R , selling 1,90,855 units. As the Indian consumers shift towards more premium offerings, Maruti Suzuki’s market dominance has been challenged by other automakers as they continue to catch up.

Maruti Suzuki in 2018 had 52% market share as the automaker sold more cars than all its competitors combined with top five best selling cars coming from Maruti Suzuki’s portfolio. More than 33.49 lakh cars were sold in 2018 which was pre-pandemic.

Also Read: Top 5 Electric Bikes Perfect For City Commuting In India

However, Maruti Suzuki’s market share which stood at 52% in 2018 has slipped to 41% six years and a pandemic later in 2024. Additionally, the company has only two products from its portfolio in the top five best-celling cars list with the Tata Punch taking all the accolades of being the best-selling car in 2024.

Maruti Suzuki took the reigns of the best-selling car from the Hindustan Motors Ambassador in 1985 and maintained its monopoly till 2004. Post 2004, the Alto remained the best-seller for the next 13 years. The Maruti Suzuki Alto reached the peak of 3,11,367 units sold which is the highest sales units sold by any automaker in a calendar year. Despite the shift from BS IV to BS VI, Maruti Suzuki continued to be at the helm of automotive industry in India with the company's varied portfolio including the Dzire, the Swift and the Wagon R, among others achieving the accolade of the best-selling car each year till 2023.

Also Read: Kia Records Highest Ever Global Sales In 2024, Sets Ambitious Targets For 2025

SUVs have been popular in the Indian car market for some time now with hatchbacks and sedans taking a back seat. The best-selling car list of 2024 underscores the Indian consumers’ inclination towards SUVs with Maruti Suzuki Brezza and Hyundai Creta coming in at fourth and fifth respectively along with Tata Punch at first.

The Tata Punch with its commanding seating position, SUV stance, high ground clearance of 190mm, along with its pricing made it a great choice for consumers looking to enter the SUV segment at the same price as a premium hatchback. The Tata Punch became the flagbearer of the micro-SUV segment despite facing competition from Hyundai’s Exter. However, the Hyundai Exter was unable to deliver the volume expected from it as the Tata Punch kept pulling away with the micro-SUV from the Indian automaker selling more than 10,000 units a month, entering the top 10 best-selling cars of 2022.