After looking at sub 4 meter SUV sales in January 2026, let’s now look at the 4.2 meter-4.5 meter SUV segment, which recorded strong growth in January 2026, with total sales rising to 74,673 units. This represents a healthy growth of 35.51% year-on-year compared to 55,107 units sold in January 2025. On a month-on-month basis, the segment registered an impressive growth of 54.93% compared to 48,197 units in December 2025, highlighting new momentum at the beginning of the calendar year.
SUV Sales (4.2-4.5 Million) January 2026
Hyundai Creta (including EV) retained its leading position with sales of 17,921 units in January 2026. While this represents a marginal 3.24% decline from 18,522 units last year, Creta witnessed a strong growth of 36.24% MoM in December 2025. Despite increasing competition, Creta has continued to strengthen the segment with consistent volumes.
Maruti Victoris emerged as the second best selling SUV in the segment with 15,240 units. Since it was not on sale in January 2025, it posted new volumes this year. On MoM basis, Victories registered a huge jump of 145.41% compared to 6,210 units in December 2025, indicating growing attraction among buyers. However, Maruti Grand Vitara sales declined 55.46% year-on-year to 7,030 units. MoM sales also fell 18.23%, suggesting some cannibalization by Maruti within its portfolio.
Kia Seltos, Toyota Highrider post strong gains
The new generation Kia Seltos has made a great start. It registered 10,639 units registering 64.44% YoY and 143.51% MoM growth. The Toyota Highrider performed even stronger on a year-on-year basis, growing 85.31% to 9,156 units. Both the SUVs will continue to benefit from updated features and hybrid options.
Tata Sierra, another new SUV that was launched recently, posted 7,003 units in January 2026. Compared to just 291 units in December 2025, this translates to a staggering 2,306% MoM growth, reflecting an acceleration in deliveries. Tata Curve (including EVs) recorded 1,666 units, down 46.03% YoY but up 50.91% MoM.
EV presence grows stronger
MG ZS EV saw a strong growth of 1,093 units, up 312.45% year-on-year and 117.73% month-on-month. Mahindra BE6 registered a growth of 46.86% YoY at 1,028 units despite a decline in MoM volumes. Mahindra XUV400 improved MoM by 147.46% despite lower base volumes.
European brands under pressure
Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq continued to decline. Taigun fell 48.97% to 790 units, while Kushaq fell 68.34% to 434 units. Both models also reported a sharp decline in MoM, indicating pressure from new rivals.
Segment Momentum Building
Overall, the mid-size SUV segment continues to be one of the fastest growing segments in India. New launches like Seltos and Sierra are reshaping buyer preferences. With several upcoming launches (Duster, Tecton) and facelifts (Kushaq, Taigun), competition in the 4.2m-4.5m SUV category is going to intensify in the coming months.
