Year 2022 has been fairly good for the four-wheeler segment. The previous year may have ridden on the back of lacklustre sales, owing to COVID-19, but this year, it is a different story. The sales figures for December 2022 are yet to be announced, but a look at the numbers so far suggest that manufacturers are already seeing growth from last year’s numbers. As always, Maruti Suzuki continues to dominate the top-10 space, but have lost a few notches. Tata Nexon, which just made it into the top 10 last year, is placed fourth this time around and the new Tata Punch has also made it to the list. Here are 10 of the best-selling cars from January 2022-November 2022.
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Rank 10 | Maruti Suzuki Brezza | Cars sold: 1,14,959 | At number 10 is the Maruti Suzuki Brezza. The car was refreshed this year with a new design, more efficient engine and a tweaked name tag. Maruti Suzuki decided on rebadging the Vitara Brezza into just Brezza, saving the first part for the Grand Vitara, which was launched later in the year. Back in 2021, Maruti Suzuki sold 1,15,962 units of the SUV. With the sales figures for December 2022 still left to be counted, it looks like the Brezza will grow. Right now, the Brezza is placed three positions lower than last year’s seventh. The new Brezza came with the same basic dimensions as its previous-gen counterpart, save for the height. All new panels, however, distinguish the SUV from the old, with new interiors to boot. Powering the Brezza is the new K15C engine that produces 103 hp maximum power and 137 Nm of peak torque mated to a 5-speed manual as standard. A six-speed torque converter automatic is also available on the top trims of the car. Prices start at Rs 7.99 lakh. (Image: Maruti Suzuki)
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Rank 9 | Tata Punch | SUVs sold: 1,19,309 | Next up on the list is Tata Punch. Figuring consistently in at least the top-15 best-sellers, the Tata Punch has garnered the ninth position in this list. This will be the first Tata car to make it to the top-10 list, with the Nexon placed even higher, stealing positions mainly from Maruti Suzuki. The Tata Punch was only launched late in 2021. As such, it did not make it to the best-selling list, with only 22,651 units sold. This year, however, Tata has managed to sell 1.19 lakh units of the Punch, propelling it into the ninth place for 2022. The Tata Punch rocks a solid micro-SUV design going head-to-head with other SUVs in the segment, such as the Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Mahindra KUV100 and even the Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite, thanks to the competitive pricing. The Punch is powered by a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated three-cylinder engine that produces 86 hp of maximum power and 113 Nm of peak torque. Prices start at Rs 5.99 lakh. (Image: Tata Motors)
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Rank 8 | Maruti Suzuki Ertiga | Cars sold: 1,21,541 | With 1.21 lakh units sold so far, the Ertiga has managed to beat its 2021 sales figure by a fairly decent 6 percent already. In 2021, Maruti Suzuki managed to sell 1,14,408 units of the Ertiga, hitting the ninth spot in the year’s top-10 list. The Ertiga was given a facelift in April, but the changes were minor on the outside with a new grille, and dual-tone alloys and some chrome on the tailgate. Minor changes, such as Metallic Teak Wooden finish on the inside, also allowed the Ertiga to look a bit more premium. The biggest change, however, came in the form of the new engine. The 1.5-litre Dualjet produces 103 hp of maximum power and 136 Nm of peak torque, complete with start-stop tech for better fuel efficiency. This was also the first time the Indian manufacturer offered the tech on its larger engine. Additionally, the old 4-speed torque-converter was replaced by a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. The 5-speed manual continues to do duty as standard. Prices start at Rs 8.41 lakh. (Image: Maruti Suzuki)
Rank 7 | Hyundai Creta | SUVs sold: 1,30,690 | Hyundai’s best-selling car, the Creta, never fails to make it to the top-10 list, regardless of whether it’s the monthly sales chart or the yearly. In 2021, Hyundai sold 1,25,437 units of the Creta, placing it firmly in fifth position. With this year’s 1.30 lakh sales figure so far, while the Creta has already beat its 2021 figure, the SUV has placed itself in the seventh position. Remember, the sales numbers for December 2022 are yet to come, and, so, there could be a few changes in this list. The Creta has been given a facelift for the international markets and it is expected to come to India in January next year. Major styling changes form the backbone of the update along with the addition of the ADAS safety tech. The powertrain, on the other hand, continues to remain the same 1.5-litre diesel and 1.4-litre turbo petrol options. Transmission options include a 6-speed torque convertor, 7-speed DCT, CVT and an iMT gearbox. Prices for the current-gen Hyundai Creta start at Rs 10.43 lakh, but we can expect a slight increase once the 2023 version is launched in India. (Image: Hyundai)
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Rank 6 | Maruti Suzuki Dzire | Cars sold: 1,47,922 | Coming in at the sixth place, the sales of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire has increased by 27 percent from 1.16 lakh in 2021. According to the charts, the Dzire has also risen one position from last year’s seventh position. In March this year, Maruti Suzuki made the CNG variant of the Dzire available to private buyers. Earlier, this was only available to fleet operators in the previous-gen Tour S guise. The current-gen Maruti Suzuki Dzire was launched back in 2020 with a minor facelift. Speculations are rife, however, that the company is looking to update certain cars in the line-up, with the new hybrid engine and the Dzire in that list. Currently, the Dzire is powered by a 1.2-litre engine that produces 89 hp of maximum power and 113 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options include both a 5-speed automatic and a 4-speed torque convertor. The Dzire is Maruti Suzuki’s entry-level sedan sold through their Arena dealerships. However, the car still gets features such as cruise control, among others, in its top-spec variant. Prices start at Rs 6.24 lakh. (Image: Maruti Suzuki)
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Rank 5 | Maruti Suzuki Alto | Cars sold: 1,53,900 | Maruti Suzuki’s most affordable car, the Alto, has come in fifth this time around, selling almost 1.54 lakh units so far. As far as 2021’s figure goes, the company sold 1,66,233 units. As long as Maruti Suzuki sells at least 13,000 units more, the hatchback should grow. The Alto K10, with new looks and a bigger engine, was launched just this year. The car is now powered by the same 1-litre engine that does duty for Maruti’s other small hatchback, the Celerio. The 998cc naturally aspirated Dualjet engine produces 67 hp of maximum power and 89 Nm of peak torque. A CNG variant is also available. Prices start at Rs 3.99 lakh. (Image: Maruti Suzuki)
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Rank 4 | Tata Nexon | SUVs sold: 1,56,225 | The Tata Nexon has seen the highest jump so far in the yearly sales chart, going from 10th place in 2021, straight up to number four this year. In terms of numbers, too, Tata has managed to gain almost 44 percent from the total sales of 1,08,577 in 2021. And you have to remember, the 1.56 lakh units of the Nexon, which have been sold this year, are already excluding December’s sales numbers. The Tata Nexon has also been doing extremely well thanks, in part, to the EV and the EV Max. Besides the electric powertrains, the Nexon gets both the petrol and diesel engine options. The 1.2-litre turbo-petrol is capable of producing 120 hp of maximum power and 170 Nm of peak torque while the 1.5-litre turbo-diesel churns out 110 hp of power and 260 Nm of torque. The Tata Nexon was also the first made-in-India vehicle to receive a five-star safety rating from the Global NCAP ratings agency. Prices start at Rs 7.69 lakh. (Image: Tata Motors)
Rank 3 | Maruti Suzuki Swift | Cars sold: 1,64,363 | Coming into the top three, we find that the list, as always, is taken over by Maruti Suzuki. At number three, we have the Maruti Suzuki Swift, selling 1.64 lakh units between January and November. In 2021, sales for the whole year stood at 1,75,052 units, placing it second, but we could still see this number getting beaten after December. The Maruti Suzuki is all set for a generation upgrade late next year. Like the Dzire, the Swift is also expected to feature the new hybrid tech. A new Swift Sport was spotted testing in India recently, accompanied by an ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) vehicle. This vehicle is believed to be imported from a right-hand-drive market. If it does make it to India, it will be the most powerful Swift variant, complete with the ADAS tech. Currently, the Maruti Suzuki Swift is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine that produces 89 hp of maximum power and 113 Nm of peak torque. Prices currently start at Rs 5.91 lakh. (Image: Maruti Suzuki)
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Rank 2 | Maruti Suzuki Baleno | Cars sold: 1,68,733 | At number two is the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, with sales of 1.68 lakh units. These numbers are just marginally lower than 2021’s all-year figure of 1,72,237 units when it was placed at number three on the sales chart. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno received an update back in February, complete with refreshed exterior styling, new interiors and more tech and safety gear. Powering the all-new Baleno is a 1.2-litre engine that produces 89 hp of maximum power and 113 Nm of peak torque. The new Baleno’s updates also cover an extensive list of new tech such as the new 9-inch freestanding Smartplay Pro+ infotainment system, a new steering wheel, Amazon Alexa support, voice command support and the Suzuki Connect connected car tech. Prices start at Rs 8.28 lakh. (Image: Maruti Suzuki)
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Rank 1 | Maruti Suzuki WagonR | Cars sold: 2,07,136 | And finally, taking the top spot is the Maruti Suzuki WagonR, which has sold 2.07 lakh units so far. This beats 2021’s all-year figure of 1,83,851 units by 12 percent. The WagonR, too, was updated back in February, with only minor changes to the exteriors such as new blacked-out alloy wheels and changes to the interior colour scheme. On the other hand, the engine has been updated and the WagonR gets the 1-litre engine from the Celerio as well as the 1.2-litre engine from the new Baleno, Swift and Dzire. Prices for the Maruti Suzuki WagonR start at Rs 5.44 lakh. (Image: Maruti Suzuki)
Stanford Masters Journalist who writes on automobiles
