In January 2021, Mahindra & Mahindra recorded total sales of 20,498 units against 19,555 units of the same month last year. With 4.8% sales growth, the home-grown carmaker managed to stay at 4th position in the list of India’s top 5 carmakers of the month. Kia India registered sales of 19,056 units as opposed to 15.450 units during the same month previous year, accounting 23.3% growth. What’s interesting here is to note that the sales gap between Mahindra and Kia is getting narrower month-by-month.
If we take a look at sales numbers of December 2020, Mahindra sold 16,050 units and Kia managed to retail 11,818 units. There was a sales gap of 4,232 units, which got narrower to 1,442 units in January 2021. While the newly-launched Mahindra Thar has helped the company maintain the sales momentum, the Kia Sonet and Seltos SUVs are generating volume for the South Korean carmaker.
In coming months, the home-grown carmaker will roll out the new-generation XUV500 and Scorpio SUVs. Kia, on the other hand, has planned a new compact MPV for the Indian market. Talking about the 2021 Mahindra XUV500, the model will witness significant changes in terms of design, features and performance. The SUV will come with several segment-first features including Level 1 autonomous technology (ADAS – Advanced Driver Assistance System).
The new-generation Mahindra Scorpio is likely to come with a new nameplate “ScorpioN” or it could be used for its more powerful variant. The SUV will receive comprehensive changes inside and out along with a new engine setup. Both 2021 Mahindra XUV500 and Scorpio will be offered with 2.0L turbo mStallion petrol and 2.2L turbo diesel engines. However, the power and torque figures for both models will be different.
Kia KY (codename) compact MPV will be the next big offering from the South Korean carmaker in India. The model will be positioned against the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Innova Crysta. It will be designed on the Seltos’ platform and is likely to be offered with 7-seats configuration. The new Kia MPV might share its design bits, features and engines with the Seltos SUV.
