Top 10 Cars in India for 2023

The ongoing festive season is rendering its natural magic in the market and made October 2023 yet another fantastic month for the Indian automobile Industry. As always, the market leader, Maruti Suzuki dominated the competition and placed five of its cars among the top 10 last month. The remaining positions were grabbed by two Tata cars, one Hyundai car, and one Mahindra car. Here are the top 10 selling cars in India in October 2023.

 

Moving a position up, the Maruti Wagon R grabbed the top spot with sales of 22,080 units in October 2023. This helped it gain 23 percent growth over the 17,945 units it sold during the same period in 2022. The Maruti Wagon R has long been one of the best-selling cars in India, and its role in making Maruti the market leader, has been worth its weight in gold. What made the Wagon R a runaway success is its family-friendly character, classic looks, and reliable mechanicals which are still its most attractive qualities. Today, the Maruti WagonR is equipped with two petrol units: a 1-litre petrol engine and a 1.2-litre petrol engine. The 1-litre engine is also available with a CNG Kit, and the popular hatchback delivers a mileage of 25.19 km/l from petrol and 34.05 km/kg from CNG.

Maruti Suzuki Swift

For many Indians, the word ‘car’ still means the Maruti Swift. Such has been the reign of this Indo-Japanese hatchback since its launch in 2005. An automotive icon in every way, the Maruti Swift has never missed grabbing a spot on the list of top-selling cars, and this time around it bagged the second position on the list with sales of 20,598 units in October 2023. Such sales figures jumped its performance by 20 percent as compared to its sales in the same month the year before.

Over the years, the Maruti Swift has aged well and always maintained the qualities that made it a ground-breaking success. As always, the Maruti Swift is still acclaimed for its peppy performance, driving dynamics, segment-leading space, and the segment-leading mileage of 22.38 km from petrol and 30.90 km/kg from CNG. Moreover, Suzuki has recently unveiled the next generation that will be launched in India in 2024 and is the most-awaited car launch of the next year.

Tata Nexon

The grand success of Tata Nexon has been the biggest force in making Tata the third-largest carmaker in India. Today, the Tata Nexon stands as the undisputed king of the compact SUV segment. In October 2023, the Indian SUV held on to its throne with sales of 16,887 units, gaining a 23 percent year-on-year growth. While the Nexon always remains one of the top 10 selling cars, its recent facelift is proving to be a major contributor to its consistent performance.

The new Tata Nexon carries the same engine options that include a 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine and a 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine. However, in addition to the earlier transmissions: 6-speed manual gearbox and 6-speed AMT, the Nexon now comes with a 7-speed DCT automatic as well for the petrol variants. While the new Nexon has not been tested by the Global NCAP, it is structurally like the earlier model that had scored a 5-star G-NCAP safety rating. Additionally, the electric variants of Nexon are the best-selling EVs in India and add greatly to Nexon’s overall sales.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

For nearly 8 years, the Maruti Baleno has been doing healthy sales for Maruti. So far, the Indo-Japanese premium hatchback has sold over 12 lakh units and has scripted an incredible success story. With a spacious cabin and frugal powertrain, the Baleno constantly remains the best-selling premium hatchback and often becomes the best-selling car in India. As per the latest record, the Maruti Baleno sold 16,594 units in October 2023 and despite a 3 percent year-on-year decline, the car is among the top five yet again.

Like the Maruti Swift, the Maruti Baleno features the same 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol engine mated to either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed AMT and is also available in CNG-powered variants. As far as mileage is concerned, the Baleno delivers 22.94 km/l from petrol and 30.61 km/kg from CNG.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

After the Tata Nexon, the Maruti Brezza is the most dominant player in the compact SUV segment. The latest-generation Brezza that was launched last year has emerged as quite a strong rival for its opponents, but coming with Maruti’s trust factor gives Brezza a big edge over its rivals. Month after month, the Brezza comfortably makes it to the top 10 selling cars and this time it has done so by selling 16,050 units in October 2023. With such sales, the Brezza has seen an impressive 61 percent growth over the 9,941 units it sold during the same period last year. What makes this performance even more special, is that the Brezza is still holding its place on this list, despite a lot of buyers being swayed away by its younger sibling, Maruti Fronx.

Maruti offers Brezza with a 1.5-litre petrol engine that comes paired with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed torque converter automatic. Moreover, with the mild-hybrid in all automatic variants, the Brezza returns a mileage of 17.38 – 19.8 km/l. Like most Maruti cars, the Brezza is available in CNG variants that return a mileage of 25.51 km/kg.

Tata Punch

The Tata Punch remains the second-best-selling Tata car every month and is one of the few non-Maruti cars that have cemented on this list. Selling 15,317 units in October 2023, the Tata Punch saw a 39 percent growth over the 10,982 units it sold in the same month last year.

From day one in the market, the Indian compact SUV has remained a spectacular success and is quite a unique offering. For starters, while it is the smallest compact SUV, the interiors of the Tata Punch mirror those of a full-size SUV. Next, with a 5-star G-NCAP rating, it is one of the safest cars in India. Finally, and most importantly, all of this comes at an appealing price: Rs 6 to 10.10 lakh. Recently, Tata added CNG variants to Punch’s lineup, to cater to a more diverse range of buyers.

Maruti Suzuki Dzire

In the dynamic competition that goes on in the Indian automobile market, the spotlight rarely falls on the Maruti Dzire. Yet the car has long remained a permanent inclusion on this list. Last month, the Dzire sold 14,699 units, seeing a 19 percent growth over the 12,321 units in October 2022.

What makes it stand out from the rest is a great deal of comfort, easy handling, and a lucrative fuel efficiency making itself an ideal compact sedan for city roads. Essentially, the Dzire is the sedan-derivative of the Swift and brings the same interiors, cabin space, and even the same 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol engine mated to either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed AMT. Moreover, like most Maruti cars, the Maruti Dzire is also available in CNG variant

 

s that deliver a mileage of 31.12 km/kg, while the petrol mileage stands at 22.41 – 22.61 km/l.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

Sales-wise, the Maruti Ertiga is the best MUV in India and over the years it has built a tried-and-trusted reputation. With ample space for 7 occupants, reliable underpinnings, and a frugal powertrain, the Ertiga comfortably meets most needs of an average MUV seeker in India and pulls substantially more buyers than each of its rivals every month. Moreover, the Ertiga also benefits from offering the CNG variants that do great business for the cab companies. In October 2023, the Maruti Ertiga sold 14,209 units and with this, it registered a 35 percent year-on-year growth.

Powering the Ertiga is a 1.5-litre petrol engine with mild hybrid technology. The transmission options available consist of a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed automatic transmission. In terms of mileage, the Ertiga runs 20.51 km/l on petrol and 26.11 km/kg on CNG.

Mahindra Scorpio

While the Mahindra Scorpio has always been one of the top performers in the SUV segment, it truly is a commendable feat that the cult SUV has now reached the list of top 10 selling cars. The reason behind this performance can be attributed to the growing demand for strong SUVs and the favours of the festive season. Currently, the Scorpio badge consists of two SUVs. One is the Scorpio Classic which is an ever-green favourite of SUV buyers, and the other one, Scorpio N, which was launched last year, has been a jaw-dropping success from day one. Selling 13,578 units in October 2023, the Scorpio saw a staggering 83 percent growth over the 7,438 units it sold during the same month in 2022.

Hyundai Creta

Grabbing the tenth spot is the Hyundai Creta. Once again it is the best-selling mid-size SUV and the only Hyundai car to break into the top 10. Registering the sales of 13,077 units in October 2023, the Hyundai Creta saw a 10 percent growth over the 11,880 units it sold in October 2022. It is obvious that the Hyundai Creta is gradually coming down on the list given the rising popularity of its arch-rivals Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder. However, the Korean SUV does deserve appreciation for still holding onto its title of the best-selling mid-size SUV.