The steadily growing SUV segment is a strong contributor to the overall sales in the country. Back in October, SUVs have been the second highest-selling segment in the country. On the other hand, the shortage of semiconductors has affected car sales across the segment. Despite a significant drop in sales last month, the top-three bestselling mid-SUVs in the country are as follows.

Kia Seltos

Kia Seltos has emerged as the bestselling SUV in the country for two months in a row. The company sold 10,488 units of the Seltos in the country last month as compared to 8,900-unit sales in the same period in 2020, thereby registering a growth of 18 per cent.

The Seltos is available in two petrol and one diesel engine options. The 1.4-litre T-GDI petrol engine produces 138bhp at 6,000rpm and 242Nm of torque at 1,500rpm. This engine is available in both six-speed manual and DCT options. Whereas, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine generates 113bhp at 6,300rpm and 144Nm of torque at 4,500rpm. This engine is available in six-speed manual, iMT, and CVT options. The diesel version is powered by a 1.5-litre engine that produces 113bhp and 4,000rpm and 250Nm of torque at 1,500rpm. This engine can be had either in a six-speed manual or automatic torque converter.

Hyundai Creta

Hyundai Creta, which led sales in the mid-SUV segment until August 2021 has been witnessing a huge drop in sales for the last two months. The sudden dip in sales figures is attributed to the shortage of semiconductors in the country. The Hyundai Creta registered 6,455-unit sales in October 2021 as compared to 14,023-unit sales in the same period last year, thereby registering a 54 per cent drop in sales figures.

Mechanically, the Hyundai Creta is available in three engine options, which include a 1.5-litre MPi petrol (six-speed MT/IVT), a 1.5-litre U2 CRDi diesel (six-speed MT/six-speed AT), and a 1.4-litre Kappa Turbo GDi petrol (seven DCT). The Creta offers three drive modes – Eco, Sport, and Comfort, and Traction Control Modes (Snow, Sand, and Mud).

Mahindra XUV700

The recently launched Mahindra XUV700 registered 3,407-unit sales in October 2021, thereby emerging as the third bestseller in this category. Moreover, the XUV700 has also made it to the list of top-25 car models sold in India last month. The SUV is available in MX Series and AdrenoX Series.

Mechanically, the MX Series is available in both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol version gets a 2.0-litre Turbo GDi mStallion engine that produces 195bhp at 5,000rpm and 380Nm of torque between 1,750rpm and 3,000rpm. The diesel version gets a 2.2-litre Commonrail Turbo diesel mHawk engine that generates 153bhp at 3,750rpm and 360Nm of torque between 1,500 – 2,800rpm. Both engines are mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

The AX Series is also available in both petrol and diesel engine (available in different tune) options. The petrol engine is shared with the MX Series, however, the MX Series also offers an automatic option. The diesel version is powered by a 2.2-litre Commonrail Turbo diesel mHawk engine which generates 182bhp at 3,500rpm. The manual transmission unit of this engine produces 420Nm of torque between 1,600 – 2,800rpm, while the automatic option generates 450Nm between 1,750 – 2,800rpm.