Launched on September 21, 2017, Tata Motors’ first compact SUV, which is sold with petrol, diesel, electric and CNG powertrains, has sold 887,607 units to date and will be the first Tata SUV to clock 900,000 sales. It was India’s No. 1 SUV in FY2022, FY2023 and FY2024 but lost out to sibling Punch in FY2025. Demand is up again this fiscal and should grow faster after the GST-driven price cut.
21 Sep 2025 | 13044 Views | By Ajit Dalvi
Today, September 21, 2025, marks eight years since the Tata Nexon was launched. The stylish compact SUV which helped set off Tata Motors’ resurgence has registered total wholesales of 887,607 units till end-August 2025 in the domestic market, which leaves it 12,393 units shy of the 900,000 milestone.
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Today, September 21, 2025, marks eight years since the Tata Nexon was launched. The stylish compact SUV which helped set off Tata Motors’ resurgence has registered total wholesales of 887,607 units till end-August 2025 in the domestic market, which leaves it 12,393 units shy of the 900,000 milestone.
Considering the Tata Nexon has sold an estimated 66,984 units in the first five months of FY2026, up 10% YoY, to average monthly sales of 13,396 units, expect September 2025 to be the month when this popular model, which is sold with petrol, diesel, electric and CNG powertrains, drives past cumulative 900,000 sales. It will be the first Tata SUV to achieve this milestone.
While the Nexon crossed 200,000 sales in June2021, 45 months after launch, the next 200,000 units were sold in barely 16 months – October 2022 – when the 400,000 milestone was surpassed. The run from 400,000 units to 500,000 units took a scant six months, and from half-a-million to 600,000 units came in seven months. It took another seven months to hit the 700,000sales mark in July 2024. The 800,000 mark was crossed eight months later in February 2025. And the 900,000 milestone is set to be crossed this month (September 2025) – eight years and a month after launch.
The Tata Nexon was crowned India’s best-selling SUV for three fiscals in a row – FY2022, FY2023 and FY2024. The No. 1 Tata model delivered its best-ever performance in FY2023 with dispatches of 172,138 units, up 39% YoY (FY2022: 124,130 units) and accounted for 33% of the company’s 373,138 passenger vehicle sales.
Since then, demand has slowed down for the Nexon, as can be seen from the wholesales data table above. FY2024’s 171,697 units made for flat sales but contributed 29% to Tata Motors’ highest-ever passenger vehicle wholesales of 582,915 units. In FY2025, demand fell 5% YoY to 163,087 units and
Nexons have been sold and make for a 7% YoY sales decline. As a result, the Nexon’s ranking in the Top 10 SUVs fell sharply by six ranks to No. 7, losing the India No. 1 SUV title to sibling Punch. The Nexon is fighting back in FY2026 and at an estimated 66,984 units sold between April-August 2025, it is ahead of the Tata Punch (57,564 units, down 35% YoY).
Over the years, the competition in the compact SUV segment, which accounts for the bulk of the sales in the utility segment that includes midsize SUVs and MPVs, has intensified. In FY2018, the main rival to the Nexon was the Maruti Brezza launched in March 2016 (and has accumulated sales of 1.31 million units to date). Now, in FY2026, the Nexon’s rivals include its sibling Punch, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Mahindra 3XO, Skoda Kylaq and the Kia Syros.
VARIANTS APLENTY WITH MULTI-POWERTRAIN STRATEGY: A NEXON FOR EVERY BUDGET
One of the reasons for the Tata Nexon’s strong performance in India has been the company’s multi-powertrain strategy. As of August 2025, there were 76 variants available – 31 petrol, 28 diesel, 9 electric and 8 CNG. Following the GST 2.0-enabled price reduction, the Nexon is now cheaper by up to Rs 125,000, giving buyers even more value in the compact SUV segment.
The current-generation Nexon has received two comprehensive facelifts since its launch eight years ago. The first one was in January 2020 while the second one came about in September 2023.
In its buyer's guide commentary on the SUV's latest update, Autocar India states, "The Nexon always delivered on that tough SUV feel, and 2023's comprehensive styling, interior and tech updates make it more likeable. Top-spec models are big on features and the vast variant list means there's a Nexon for every budget. A roomy cabin only furthers its case. However, it still doesn't have the finesse of some rivals, and the petrol engine remains unexciting."
As regards the Nexon EV, the commentary adds, "The redone interior, new tech and updated powertrain make the electric SUV feel like it's taken a half-generation leap. It is the benchmark amongst affordable EVs."
NEXON CONTRIBUTES 29% TO TATA MOTORS’ 3 MILLION PV SALES SINCE FY2018
With the introduction of the Nexon in September 2017, Tata Motors’ PV fortunes began to look up. From 172,504 units in FY2017 (before the Nexon was introduced) to 210,200 units in FY2018, and 231,512 units in FY2019, Tata Motors saw demand come its way in spades. The Covid-impacted FY2020 saw sales decline for all OEMs but Tata bounced back in FY2022 with 373,138 units and 66% YoY growth, hit 544,391 units (up 46%) in FY2023 and went on to register best-ever fiscal sales of 582,915 units (up 7%) in FY2024.
The Nexon’s market performance is reflected in its growing contribution to Tata Motors’ overall passenger vehicle sales. From a 13% share in FY2018, the Nexon’s share rose to 24% in FY2019, crossed the 30% mark in FY2020, hit 33% in FY2022. However, since then, with the rollout of sibling Punch and continuing demand for the Altroz and Tiago hatchbacks, its share has reduced marginally. In FY2023, the Nexon (172,138 units) had a share of 31%, which dropped to 29% in FY2024 (171,929 units). In FY2025, with 163,087 units (down 5% YoY), the Nexon’s share of Tata Motors’ total PV sales remained 29 percent. In FY2026’s first five months, the Nexon’s improved sales performance sees its share of Tata PV wholesales rise to 32 percent.
NEXT-GEN NEXON IN THE WORKS, MARKET LAUNCH LIKELY IN SECOND-HALF 2026
Tata Motors has begun work on the next-generation Nexon, internally codenamed ‘Garud’. Expected to be in showrooms in the second half of CY2026, the new Nexon will be based on a heavy modified version of the existing X1 platform. On the styling front, the next-gen model will likely sport a majorly overhauled exterior and interior design in line with newer Tata Motors models.
The next-generation Nexon is expected to continue with its current petrol and CNG powertrains, but it remains to be seen if the 1.5-litre diesel engine continues given its declining share in the compact SUV class. An update, in line with the combustion engine variants of the Nexon, can be expected for the Nexon EV albeit it remains to be seen if Tata Motors introduces them simultaneously or separately.
(Inputs on next-gen Tata Nexon by Saptarshi Mondal, Autocar India)