FY2016-17 was the year of SUVs or sports utility vehicles. Despite the hiccup of demonetisation and diesel debate, the SUV segment recorded handsome 29.91 percent YoY growth with total sales of 761,997 units and also ate into the passenger car market.

The surging growth has come on the back of plenty of new product launches, continuing demand for compact SUVs and a marked shift of customer preference for such models over conventional hatchbacks.

The Maruti Vitara Brezza has been the game-changing vehicle of the year and is right now at the top of the UV charts. Clearly, there’s no stopping this sales machine which has seen surging sales right from its launch last year. Right since July 2016, Maruti’s first-ever compact SUV has been the No. 1 in the Top 5 best-selling UVs in the country and crossed the 100,000 unit domestic sales mark in less than a year after launch. The best-selling UV topped with total sales of 108,640 units.

At No. 2 is Hyundai Motor India’s Creta which, as an overall package, is hard to beat and crossed the 150,000 sales milestone in 21 months since launch. It is above average in most areas and in some, it’s the class best. The styling, refinement, practicality and overall ease of use appeal to the average SUV buyer who isn’t interested in off-road ability – the Creta’s biggest weakness. But that didn’t stop 96,899 buyers going into for this popular Hyundai.

At No. 3 is Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s Innova Crysta. The Innova has always been a big-selling UV and with the new Crysta, Toyota has not only enhanced the Innova's core strengths of space, comfort, practicality and quality but has addressed its key weaknesses too. It's no longer underpowered or under-equipped, and it looks very modern too. For those who want a luxury MPV to carry friends and family around in comfort, there is no better choice – which is why buyers have been flocking to this vehicle. This popular Toyota sold 79,092 units in FY2017.

At No. 4 is Mahindra & Mahindra’s warhorse, the Bolero with sales of 69,328 units. However, compared to FY2016, the sturdy vehicle has lost 4 positions – it was No. 1 in that fiscal with 81,559 units.  

Wrapping up the Top 5 is Maruti’s Ertiga which is a popular fleet and family vehicle in India. This urban MPV, based on the Swift platform, has been a consistent high-seller for the country’s largest carmaker since its launch in 2012. Offered with a host of engine options ranging from petrol, CNG and diesel variants, and more recently an SHVS mild hybrid variant, the Ertiga remains popular with buyers. The Ertiga sold 63,527 units in FY2017.

A close look at the past seven fiscal indicates that from a 12.59 percent share of the PV market in 2010-11, SUVs now account for 25 percent. This confirms what the industry had known all along – that out of every four new vehicles sold in India, one is an SUV. And the trend looks set to get stronger what with most PV manufacturers hard at work on developing new SUVs for the Indian market. In fact, UV sales in India are predicted to cross the 1 million units mark annually by 2020.