It’s no secret that petrol cars are currently more popular than diesel ones, thanks to the decreasing price gap between petrol and diesel fuel. Also, we have seen a rise in the overall cost of diesel models post BS6 implementation. Despite that, diesel models are in great demand especially in mid & big-sized SUV space. Therefore, carmakers are betting big on diesel models to drive sales in premium SUV segments. In February 2021, Kia strengthened its game in diesel-engined vehicle sales, and surpassed Tata Motors.
The South Korean carmaker has two diesel vehicles in its product portfolio – Seltos and Sonet. Both SUVs come with a 115bhp, 1.5L, 4-cylinder turbocharged oil burner paired to a 6-speed torque convertor automatic gearbox. Last month, Kia sold 6,947 units of the diesel powered Seltos and Sonet SUVs. That means, each model has over 3,000 units sales contributions. Tata Motors, on the other hand, managed to sell 5,922 diesel vehicles. The home-grown carmaker has four diesel models, namely, Harrier, newly-launched Safari, Altroz and Nexon.
The Tata Harrier and Safari SUVs are powered by a 2.0L Kryotec turbocharged diesel motor that’s good for 170bhp and 350Nm of torque. Both manual (6-speed) and torque convertor automatic (6-speed) gearboxes are on offer. While the Tata Altroz premium hatchback is available with a 1.5L, 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine making 90bhp with 200Nm, the Nexon subcompact SUV comes equipped with a 1.5L oil burner delivering 110bhp against 260Nm of torque. Read – New Kia Logo Will Soon Debut On Seltos, Sonet SUVs
Tata Motors, however, performed better than Kia in the petrol segment. While the home-grown carmaker retailed total of 20,810 petrol vehicles, the South Korean carmaker sold 9,755 units of the petrol-powered cars in February 2021. Tata registered total sales of 20,948 units against 12,978 units of the same month last year, accounting a growth of 61.4%. Kia sold 14,828 units opposed to 10,307 units registering 43.9% growth.
