Tata Motors is not the highest-selling SUV manufacturer in the country anymore. In fact, it falls behind Maruti and Mahindra in this list of highest-selling SUVs in the country but the carmaker boasts of selling the top two best-selling SUVs in India during FY 2023-24 in the form of Nexon and Punch.
Tata Nexon grabbed the pole position selling 1,71,697 units in FY 2023-24 while dominating the subcompact SUV segment for three years in a row, despite some serious competition in this space. Punch came a close second with 170,076 units sold during the same period.
Recently, Nexon also crossed the cumulative 7 lakh sales figure mark within seven years since it was first launched. On the other hand, Punch was the best-selling passenger vehicle in March and April 2024, the first SUV in Indian’s automotive history to achieve this feat. Let us check out the three main reasons why both these subcompact SUVs are a rage in the market and are expected to continue their dominance in the near future.
Tata Nexon, Punch: Diversified options
The biggest USP for both these crossovers is the wide range of options offered by Tata Motors. For instance, the Nexon is offered in four broad trims namely Smart, Pure, Creative, and Fearless, in addition to the Dark Edition available in Creative and Fearless trims. In total, Tata offers the Nexon range in as many as 100 variants including petrol and diesel along with the manual and automatic transmission options.
And this is just for the petrol and diesel-powered Nexon. If one considers the all-electric version of Nexon.ev, the number of options multiply two fold. Similarly, the petrol-powered Punch is available in four broad variants for the Punch: Pure, Adventure, Accomplished, and Creative which are further divided into 25 variants.
Tata Nexon, Punch: Priority on safety
Tata Motors is one of the few carmakers that has taken safety to another level in the Indian automotive industry. Nexon was one of the first cars in India to be awarded a 5-star safety rating by Global NCAP in 2018. It achieved the same with better points in 2022 in the updated testing protocol. Recently, the all-electric Nexon.ev also scored a perfect 5-star safety rating at Bharat NCAP.
Even Punch has scored a 5-star rating by Global NCAP in 2022, whereas Punch.ev secured a perfect 5-star rating by Bharat NCAP last month making it the safest EV in the country. The assurance of safety is one of the biggest pulls for prospective buyers looking for a small family car.
Tata Nexon, Punch: Multiple powertrain options
As mentioned earlier, Tata Motors offers a variety of engine and transmission options for the Nexon and Punch. The former gets petrol and diesel engine options to go with four transmission options including 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual, 6-speed AMT and a new 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT).
The Punch gets only one petrol engine option which is paired with a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT. In addition, the Punch also gets CNG variants which boosts its case. CNG variants of Nexon are expected to launch in the next few months. Besides, both crossovers come with fully-electric options which makes it a very tempting choice for buyers looking to switch to green mobility.
