Top 10 Automobile Companies In India

The automobile industry is known to be one of the major pillars of the Indian economy. This is the reason that when the manufacturers were facing a recession, the whole economy was effected. The manufacturers who make this industry great have been taking all the challenges such as conversion to BS6 and making sure that the pillar stays upright. Let’s have a look at the top 10 automobile companies in India that are a part of the economy. We will be rating the companies on the basis of price, mileage and safety. The scoring is on a 5 pointer scale where 5 is the highest.

1. Maruti Suzuki

   

   Affordability	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Safety	⭐⭐
   Performance	⭐⭐

   The company’s largest carmaker in terms of sales came into existence back in 1981. It was a joint venture between Maruti Udyog Limited and Suzuki Motor Corporation from Japan. Suzuki has a 56.21% of share in the company. Maruti Suzuki 800 was the first car to be introduced by the company. The car became a hit due to the affordability it came in with. Since then Maruti Suzuki has been producing hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers for India.

   • But those who follow the company closely might know that Maruti has also tasted failure. For eg, the failure of Kizashi and Grand Vitara.
   • Talking about the safety, Maruti Suzuki has got a very few cars in its arena that have scored more than 3-star rating at the Global NCAP. Cars like Alto and Swift have scored a zero-star rating. It is important to note that these two models are the best selling models in India from over 16 years now. The company clarifies that their cars are in compliance with the norms set by the Indian government and they have decided not to send their cars for the Global NCAP anymore. Whatever be the reason, safety is a necessary parameter no company should overlook.
   • In terms of sales, Maruti Suzuki has always had an upper hand in the market. With more than 50% share in the sales, Maruti Suzuki remains at the top of the chart.
   • In 2020, as the BS6 emission norms coming in place, the company has also decided to keep their diesel engines aside and only use petrol mills instead.
   • Maruti Suzuki was the first carmaker to introduce BS6-compliant lineup in the country. This also gave them a headstart over the others. The company has already sold more than 7.5lakh BS6 vehicles, maximum among the carmakers.

     There is a cult following of this company that seems to have no end soon.

2. Hyundai Motors 

   

   Affordability	⭐⭐⭐
   Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐⭐
   Safety	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐

   The Korean carmaker came to India back in 1998, when there was no competition to Maruti Suzuki in the automobile industry. The first car from the company was the hatchback, Santro. It was the first time that any other manufacturer other than Maruti Suzuki was able to attract customers with its offering.

   • Within no time, the Hyundai Santro was able to attract a load of customers giving a realtime competition to Maruti Suzuki for the first time. First-in-class features and a different than usual design was enough to appeal to the customers.
   • Since then, the company has remained in the top positions when it comes to sales.
   • Hyundai has been known to give plenty of features and safety for a long time now.
   • Premium segment sedans and SUVs are a speciality of Hyundai. Verna and Elantra are a part of premium sedans from Hyundai. SUVs like Tucson and Santa Fe are the ones in the segment known for the premium features and safe rides.
   • This year, Hyundai has launched Aura, a compact sedan and the all-new generation of its popular Creta brand. Hyundai Creta 2020 launched just before the lockdown has been able to attract a good amount of bookings.
   • Hyundai also launched the all-new Verna this month. Company has been actively innovating in terms of powertrain.

3. Tata Motors

   

   Affordability	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐⭐
   Safety	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

   Known for its robust and bold SUVs and cars, the indigenous carmaker came into existence back in 1991 with the launch of Tata Sierra. Then in 1994, the company introduced Tata Sumo, India’s first SUV.

   • The actual journey towards triumph began in 1998, with the launch of Indica. Players like Maruti Suzuki were already in total possession of the market. But the aggressive marketing strategy, excellent fuel economy and powerful engine made it the best selling car in the Indian history.
   • Tata Motors also launched the world’s cheapest car back in 2008 under the name ‘Nano’. But the car was not able to meet the expectations company had from it. In fact, in 2019, Tata sold only 1 unit of the car.
   • In 2008, Tata Motors also bought Jaguar and Land-Rover from Ford. This also marked the beginning of hefty innovation in terms of research and design.
   • India’s first 5-star rated car at the Global NCAP, the Nexon was introduced by Tata in 2017.
   • Since then, the company has kept a forward approach in making the Indian roads safer. Cars like Tiago and Tigor also received a 4-star rating at same crash testing. Tata Altroz became the second car from the company to receive a 5-star rating.
   • In terms of sales, Tata Motors has a good hold in the market, especially for the SUV segment.

4. Toyota Kirloskar

   

   Affordability	⭐⭐⭐
   Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Safety	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Performance	⭐⭐⭐

   The Japenese brand came back in 1999, 18 years later than the first Suzuki entrant in India. The first car to be introduced by Toyota was Qualis, an MPV. It gained a lot of popularity in India due to multi-purpose usage, lower prices and more than a good engine.

   • Another MPV launched by Toyota was Innova. The rear-wheel driven Innova was loaded with features at that time and was still affordable. This is what has made the MPV one of the best-selling MPVs of all time. Innova has been ruling the segment since its inception.
   • In the meanwhile. the company also introduced the Toyota Fortuner in 2009. The SUV has been a heartthrob since then among the SUV buyers and has been one of the best selling in the segment.
   • The company also tapped in the sedan segment with Corolla in 2003. It brought with it, reliability, comfort and luxury, which raised the standards of luxury in the sedan segment.
   • By 2004, Toyota Corolla became the largest selling executive sedan in India. The company also introduced the likes of Toyota Etios Liva, Camry and Yaris. Toyota has introduced cars in every segment and for every type of buyer.
   •  the company took a decision to collaborate with India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki. Under this collaboration, Maruti Suzuki will share 25-30% of the product volume with Toyota to rebadge. The first product to get rebadged was the Baleno which launched under the name of Glanza in the company’s arena.
   • If you see a 2005 Toyota Innova running smoothly on the road, no need to get stunned as these machines were made to last by the company that was established with the same principle. This is the reason the company has made a good customer base in India.

5. Kia Motor

   

   Affordability	⭐⭐⭐
   Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐⭐
   Safety	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

   Kia is the latest entrant in the automotive industry of India. Kia Seltos which was the first car to be introduced by the carmaker took the market by storm.

   • Within no time, Seltos became the best selling car in the segment. It comes loaded with features and powerful engine options.
   • Kia made a powerful presence in the market which was already hit with low sales. It showed the potential Indian market has.
   • This year, Kia also launched a luxury MPV, Carnival which also has attracted a lot of customers.
   • Kia has said that it will be launching a new car every 6 months. Next car expected to launch is the Kia Sonet.

6. Škoda Auto

   

   Affordability	⭐⭐
   Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐⭐
   Safety	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Performance	⭐⭐⭐

   The German carmaker known for the cutting edge technologies and inventions came to our shores back in 2001. The first car to launch was Octavia.

   • The premium segment features, handling, high fuel efficiency and the low initial price of Octavia made it a hit in the Indian market.
   • Since then the cars like Skoda Rapid, Fabia, Laura and Superb have been launched by the company in India. Laura and Fabia have been discontinued.
   • Skoda also launched the Kodiaq in India in 2017.
   • Recently launched Skoda Octavia RS at the Auto Expo 2020 and now has reached the dealerships.

7. Mercedes-Benz 

   

   Affordability	⭐
   Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐
   Safety	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐

   One of the most premium car offerings in the country come from the German brand, Mercedes-Benz. P.S. Force Motors has been manufacturing the powertrain components for Mercedes for a long time. 

   1. Mercedes has a lot of offerings in the premium segment such as E-Class, G-class, S-Class and V-Class Marco Polo.
   2. The most affordable Mercedes till date is the A-Class which came with a starting price of ₹28lacs.
   3. The company has been known for safe and performance-based cars for a long time now.

8. Volkswagen AG

   

   Affordability	⭐⭐
   Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐
   Safety	⭐⭐⭐
   Performance	⭐⭐⭐

   Volkswagen AG owns half a number of automobile brands in the whole world. But talking about its own offerings, there not much to offer. Especially the CBU route company is taking nowadays to bring cars like Troc in India is adding to the prices of cars. This is the major reason for the company not having a very strong presence as compared to its subsidiaries.

9. Honda 

   

   Affordability	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Safety	⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐

   The Japenese brand known for its innovative engineering and futuristic came to India back in 1995. One of the most popular cars from the company is India’s favourite sedan, the Honda City. Honda has been known to offer everything, from fuel efficiency to power to comfort and design with its offerings since its inception. Cars like Honda Accord, Civic, Amaze and Jazz have been good selling cars. Honda Brio was also a good seller in the segment. The company is all set to launch the all-new generation of Honda City within a few months in India. 5th generation of City has already been launched in Thailand.

10. Renault

    

    Affordability	⭐⭐⭐⭐
    Fuel Mileage	⭐⭐⭐
    Safety	⭐⭐⭐⭐
    Performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Renault India has been known for cars like Duster, Kwid, Scala and many others. The company has made some remarkable cars that have been running in India for a long time now. Renault Duster is all set to make a comeback with the most powerful engine in the segment which will surely take the market by storm. It will be equipped with a 1.3-litre turbo engine, the most powerful in the segment.

So this was our first list of top 10 automobile companies in India. Stay tuned for the next list which will be coming soon.