The sub-compact SUV space continues to be the most crowded and one of the most fiercely contested automotive segments in the Indian market right now. With as many as nine different offerings across a wide range of price points, customers are literally spoilt for options and that makes the competition that much more fierce. More often than not, It is either the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, the Hyundai Venue or the Kia Sonet occupying the top-spot in the subcompact SUV sales chart each month.
While auto sales in May 2021 were largely dismal, thanks to the second wave of Covid-19 and resulting lockdowns, it was the Kia Sonet that emerged as the best-selling sub-compact SUV for May 2021. Kia sold 6,627 units of the Sonet in May 2021, with the Tata Nexon coming in second position with 6,439 units sold. Meanwhile, the Hyundai Venue and the Maruti Vitara Brezza occupied third and fourth positions with 4,840 and 2,648 units sold respectively in May 2021.
| Model | Units Sold (May 2021) |
| Kia Sonet | 6,627 |
| Tata Nexon | 6,439 |
| Hyundai Venue | 4,840 |
| Maruti Vitara Brezza | 2,648 |
| Renault Kiger | 1,326 |
| Nissan Magnite | 1,200 |
| Ford Ecosport | 503 |
| Toyota Urban Cruiser | 373 |
| Mahindra XUV300 | 251 |
| Honda WR-V | 192 |
Also Read : 2021 Kia Sonet Walkaround Video - New Features Detailed
Now this a drastic change from April 2021, where the Hyundai Venue and the Maruti Vitara Brezza were two best selling sub-compact SUVs,. The former sold 11,245 units, while the latter sold 11,220 units. Of course, the sales numbers for April 2021 are much higher as it was a relatively normal month as compared to lockdown-restricted May 2021. That said, this is the first time that the Kia Sonet has come out as the best selling sub-compact SUV this year, breaking the monopoly of the Brezza and the Venue.
One of the reasons for the Sonet's popularity is that it is available with as many as three engines and four gearbox options, spread across a wide price range. There's a 83hp/114Nm 1.2L, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine; a 120hp/172Nm 1.0L three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and a 100hp/240Nm 1.5L, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. Gearbox options include a 5-speed and 6-speed manual along with a 6-speed iMT and a 7-speed DCT gearbox. Apart from being offered with a wide range of powertrain options, in typical Kia fashion, the Sonet is also very generously equipped in terms of features.
Last month, the Sonet only had the Nexon as its real competitor, as the Venue and the Brezza sold far lesser units. In fact, the Kia Sonet sold more than double the units of the Vitara Brezza, a car that was the best-seller in the segment in February and March 2021. That's how intense the competition is in this segment and that's how quickly the tables can turn. Apart from these top four best-selling sub-compact SUVs, the duo of the Renault Kiger and the Nissan Magnite also posted decent sales of 1,326 and 1,200 units respectively.
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