As of May 2016, Toyota has toppled Tata Motors from its 4th position, to become the 4th largest manufacturer of passenger vehicles for the month of May. This is in spite of Tata launching its much anticipated hatchback, the Tiago.

Toyota Innova Crysta Road Test
The Innova Crysta leads the charge for Toyota

The passenger vehicle market heats up as Toyota topples Tata Motors to become the fourth largest manufacturer of passenger vehicles in India. According to the Society of Indian Auto Manufacturers (SIAM), Toyota has recorded a gain of 9.6 percent as compared to its sales in May 2015, with 12,614 units sold in May. Tata on the other hand managed to sell just 9456 units, which is a fall of 26.7 percent as compared to the figures of May 2015.

Toyota’s success rides on the back of its newly launched Innova Crysta, which managed to sell 7259 units, which amounts to a 44 percent growth compared to May last year. A major upgrade to its famous MPV after a long time, the Innova Crysta was launched on the 2nd of May, priced from Rs. 13.83 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The Innova Crysta comes with a new 2.4-litre diesel engine, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, and a 2.8-litre diesel engine with a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Meanwhile Tata’s newly launched Tiago failed to hold its ground against the Innova. The highly anticipated hatchback from Tata was launched in April, and was expected to revive Tata in the passenger vehicles segment. The Tiago is offered with 2 engines options, a 1.2-litre RevoTron petrol, and a 1.05-litre RevoTorq diesel, with prices starting from Rs. 3.20 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). However, the Tiago only managed to sell around 3287 units in May although more than 20,000 bookings have happened and 10,000 units have been produced.

Tata Motors also added that it is trying to reduce the inventory of their other models at the dealerships and push more Tiagos. Further, Tata also has a good line up of products set for launch in the next one year like the Hexa MPV, which will directly compete against the Innova, the sub 4-metre sedan codenamed Kite 5, and its first compact SUV Nexon.

Toyota Overtakes Tata

– Toyota has toppled Tata to become the fourth largest passenger vehicle maker
– Leading the charge for Toyota is the Innova Crysta
– Tata saw a fall in sales in spite of its newly launched Tiago
– Tata however, is optimistic due to its upcoming launches

Tata Zica Test Drive Review
A lot was riding on the Tiago, to revive Tata in the PV segment