We are in the last month of 2018 and it has been rather tumultuous year for the Indian auto industry. With fluctuations in exchange rates, insurance premiums and other policies, car sales have seen their share of ups and downs through the year. In fact, 2018 also saw the resurgence for demand of petrol cars in the market as opposed to diesel vehicles. That being said, certain cars continued to be strong sellers through the year, breaking milestones month-on-month. Unsurprisingly, Maruti Suzuki dominates this list this year as well with as many as seven cars, but it is the company's most-selling car that will surely surprise you. An indication of changing times, the much expensive Maruti Suzuki Dzire managed to dethrone the top selling Alto as the most sold car of the year between January and November 2018 The latter though still took the second spot. With this year coming to a close, let's take a look at the 10 best-selling cars of 2018.
Also Read: Top 10 Cars Launched In 2018
The New Maruti Suzuki Dzire emerges as a complete package with a competitive price tag
The Maruti Suzuki Dzire was the most selling car of 2018 between January and November 2018. The automaker sold 247,815 units of the subcompact sedan consistently retailing over 22,000 units every month. The Dzire was launched in India last year, and has turned out to be a hot selling product for the car maker. With a dramatic update in design, features, and performance, the car feels a lot more upmarket than its predecessor and that clearly has been appreciated by the masses as well. The Dzire is offered in both petrol and diesel engines and also gets the option of manual and automatic transmissions.
The Maruti Suzuki Alto continues to be one of the most popular entry-level cars in India
The Maruti Suzuki Dzire managed to dethrone the iconic Alto as India's most selling car in 2018, but the latter isn't too far behind. The Maruti Suzuki Alto has been the best-selling car in India for the longest time, but is finally facing stiff competition from its own stablemate. Nevertheless, the entry-level hatchback continues to be most selling offering in its segment beating the likes of the Renault Kwid, Datsun GO and the likes. The Alto retails over 20,000 units every month and with the option of manual and AMT paired with a 1.0-litre motor, the hatchback continues to be one of the most sought after cars in this space.
The new generation Maruti Suzuki Swift was launched in February this year
The hatchback version of the Dzire, the Maruti Suzuki Swift is one of the more popular B-segment hatchbacks and has only seen its volumes grow over the years. This year though, the new generation Swift arrived in India in February and has been one of the most selling offerings in the country. Maruti sold 211,840 units of the Swift (new and old) through the year, and the car has seen a dramatic upgrade in its all-new avatar featuring a sportier design language, wider proportions, and improved performance. The new Heartect platform has also made the model lighter, rigid and safer than its predecessor, all qualities appreciated by its customers.
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is due for a facelift in 2019
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno arrived in 2015 and has been a brisk seller ever since. The Hyundai i20 has been one of the hottest selling products for Maruti and sales saw a huge jump last year once production was shifted to the Sanand facility, thereby improving overall volumes. With its spacious cabin, rich tech wizardry as well as tried and tested 1.2-litre and 1.3-litre petrol and diesel engines, the hatchback was a strong model for Maruti in 2018. With the facelifted version scheduled to arrive sometime next year, the volumes are only expected to improve further.
Also Read: Top 5 Performance Car Launches Of 2018
The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza received an AMT this year
The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is the company's first subcompact SUV and completely designed and developed in India for the domestic market. The sub 4-metre SUV was an instant hit when it arrived in 2016 and easily one of the most popular selling SUVs on sale. In fact, the Vitara Brezza single-handedly catapulted Maruti Suzuki's position in the UV segment, against products from Mahindra and Tata Motors. Available only with the 1.3-litre diesel heart, the Vitara Brezza averaged over 10,000 units every month, while the addition of a AMT unit earlier this year has only made it a more convenient option in the subcompact SUV segment.
The Hyundai i20 facelift was introduced earlier this year with more features
Hyundai's premium hatchback has always been a strong seller for the automaker and this year, the i20 received a shot in the arm with the facelifted version arriving at the 2018 Auto Expo. The Hyundai i20 facelift has only appealed to the customers further with the model averaging about 10,000 units every month. Offered in both petrol and diesel options, the i20 manages to sustain numbers despite the advent of subcompact SUVs in a similar price bracket and is the country's second best-selling premium hatchback after the Baleno.
Competing against the Swift, Hyundai Grand i10 is a strong seller for the automaker
The Hyundai Grand i10 is the second most-selling Korean offering on this list and has always been a strong seller for the company. Between January and November 2018, Hyundai sold 122,799 units of the hatchback that goes against the Maruti Suzuki Swift in the segment. The car received a major update last year which not only brought a refreshed exterior appearance but also more features to the model. The new 1.2-litre diesel was also updated under the hood with more power and efficiency.
The Hyundai Creta is the most expensive offering on this list
Only a few could predict that an SUV priced at around Rs. 15 lakh would make it to the best-selling cars list, which is otherwise dominated by sub Rs. 10 lakh offerings. The Hyundai Creta changed that and how, and is one of the top selling SUVs in the country. The compact SUV underwent a major facelift earlier this year with the new cascade-style grille, more features and improved engines on offer. Certainly, the updates have only added to the popularity of the Hyundai Creta retails at around 10,000 units every month. It's also interesting to note that the Creta is the most expensive offering on this list.
With consistent sales, the Maruti Suzuki Celerio is the dark horse in the company's stable
The Maruti Suzuki Celerio is the automaker's dark horse and despite not being a popular offering, it still manages to retail over 8000 units every month. With its frugal 1.0-litre engine, decently specced feature list and a neutral design language, the Celerio manages to please many as a first family car. Moreover, the hatchback with its compact dimensions also makes for a smart option for city commutes. The Maruti Suzuki Celerio competes against some popular choices like the Tata Tiago, new Hyundai Santro and even the Renault Kwid, and yet manages to beat them in volumes.
The Tata Tiago JTP and the XZ+ variant were added to the hatchback this year
We've spoken about the game-changing Tiago at carandbike time and again, and the model is at present Tata Motors' best-selling offering on sale. The Tata Tiago impressed many as a complete package with the choice of frugal yet peppy petrol and diesel engines. The elaborate feature list and timely updates have also helped keep the hatchback popular amidst growing competition. Adding a new chapter to the Tiago brand, Tata Motors introduced the JTP version earlier this year converting the little hatchback into a performance offering. Clearly, there's more the Tiago can offer as a well-packaged offering from the Indian automaker's stable.
The next generation Maruti Suzuki Wagon R will be launched on January 23, 2019
The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R featured regularly on this list over the past years, but had to settle for 11th place this year losing out by a whisker. The Wagon R lost out to the Tiago by nearly 400 units, which shows the growing popularity of the latter. That said, the tallboy hatchback is at the end of its lifecycle but continues to retail over 7500 units every month consistently. With the next generation Maruti Suzuki Wagon R slated to arrive on January 23, 2019, it will be interesting to see how the model does in terms of sales next year.
