Indian Auto Market Update: Shifting Gears in June Sales, EV Boom, and New Launches

The Indian auto industry witnessed a mixed bag of results in June, with car sales experiencing a slight dip and the electric vehicle (EV) segment continuing its impressive growth. This update covers the latest sales figures for cars and bikes, highlights key EV performance, and touches upon new launches and crucial safety ratings.

Car Sales: A Marginal Dip and Shifting Fortunes

Overall, the Indian car market saw a marginal decline in June, with total car sales dropping by 8% compared to the previous year. The bike segment also didn’t show significant growth.

Maruti Suzuki, the market leader, faced challenges with low demand for entry-level cars, recording a 13% year-on-year decline and selling 1.19 lakh units – their lowest in 18 months.
Hyundai, ranked third, saw a minimal -1% growth, though the Creta remained their top-seller with 15,786 units.
Mahindra stood out with positive growth of around 18%, largely driven by its robust SUV portfolio, securing the second spot.
Tata faced difficulties, dropping to fourth place with a 15% de-growth, indicating a need for strategic re-evaluation, especially in their EV segment.
Skoda celebrated its highest-ever half-yearly sales from January to June, selling approximately 28,899 units.
Toyota and MG also reported positive growth, with Toyota selling around 26,500 units and MG approximately 5,800 units .

Electric Vehicle (EV) Segment: A Surge in Two-Wheelers

The EV segment continues to be a bright spot. Total electric car sales reached around 13,000 units.

Tata led the electric car market with approximately 4,600 units sold, holding a 35% market share, though their year-on-year growth was a modest 2%.
MG showed remarkable growth, selling around 4,000 units with a significant 167% year-on-year increase .
Mahindra recorded an impressive 512% year-on-year growth, selling around 3,000 units .

The electric two-wheeler segment experienced an even bigger boom, with approximately 155,000 units sold.

TVS iQube led this segment with around 25,000 units sold .
Bajaj secured the second spot with its Chetak series.
Ola was third with 20,200 units, but faced a year-on-year de-growth of about 45%.
Ather sold around 14,500 units.

Bike Segment: Hero Leads, Others Face Headwinds

Hero maintained its number one position, selling 5.25 lakh units and showing positive year-on-year and month-on-month growth.
Honda was second with 3.88 lakh units, experiencing a decline in sales.
TVS held the third spot, selling around 2.81 lakh units.
Bajaj saw significant de-growth, selling only 1.49 lakh units.

New Launches and Safety Milestones

Hero Vida VX2 was launched with pricing starting from ₹59,500 (scooter only, battery as a service) or ₹1.10 lakh (with battery).
TVS iQube 3.1 also entered the market, priced from ₹1.10 lakh, offering a claimed range of 123 km and a top speed of 82 km/h.
Ather Rizta S was introduced with a 3.7 kWh battery capacity at ₹1.38 lakh, focusing on range and performance without top-end features like a TFT display.
The Kia Clavis EV is anticipated to launch on July 15th, with a claimed range of 490 km.

In a significant safety development, the Toyota HyCross achieved a 5-star rating in Bharat NCAP crash tests, scoring 30.47 out of 32 points in adult occupant protection and 45 out of 49 points in child occupant protection. This marks Toyota’s first car and the first hybrid car to be tested by Bharat NCAP.

Other news includes spy shots of a facelifted Renault Triber, expected to launch by year-end, and Royal Enfield resuming sales bookings for the CA 440 after resolving engine issues.

The Indian auto market continues to evolve, with EVs driving significant growth and traditional segments navigating fluctuating demand.