Hyundai-Kia Beat Maruti-Toyota In Mid-Size SUV Battle
The mid-size SUV segment is one of the fastest-growing and most competitive segments in India. In this segment, people often go for SUVs that offer a decent number of features, value, and comfort while remaining suitable for busy city roads. Both Indian and foreign brands have a presence in this segment, and Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos are some of the popular names here. Sales numbers for the month of February are now available, and based on the numbers, it looks like Hyundai–Kia beat Maruti–Toyota in the mid-size SUV segment.
For several months, we have been seeing a trend where Maruti and Toyota combined were selling more mid-size SUVs than the South Korean brands. However, February was the month when things changed. On paper, Hyundai and Kia sold more SUVs than Toyota and Maruti combined in the Creta segment.
As per the data available online, Hyundai sold 17,938 units of the Creta in India in February 2026. Similarly, Kia also sold 10,308 units of the Seltos in the market last month. The combined total of these SUVs comes to 28,246 units.
On the other hand, Maruti has the Grand Vitara and Victoris, while Toyota offers the Hyryder in this segment. Maruti sold 5,859 units of the Grand Vitara, 13,021 units of the Victoris, and Toyota sold 9,359 units of the Hyryder in the market last month. The grand total of all these models comes to 28,239 units.
When compared to the South Korean brands, Maruti and Toyota sold 52 units less. This means Hyundai and Kia took the lead back in February by a small margin.
Maruti and Toyota have three models in total in this segment. They are all based on the same platform and share several features as well. If you look at the sales numbers, the recently launched Maruti Victoris is leading the chart.
The reason why many people are getting attracted to the Victoris is simply because Maruti decided to offer more features in the Victoris than in the Grand Vitara. It is not only offering more features but is also cheaper than the Grand Vitara.
However, what we are noticing with the Victoris is that it is actually affecting the sales of the Grand Vitara. Victoris is cannibalising Grand Vitara sales, and for the same reason, the total numbers have not been enough to beat Creta and Seltos. In the future, if Maruti decides to update the feature list on the Grand Vitara and Toyota Hyryder, the sales numbers may go up.
Kia, on the other hand, recently gave the Seltos a generation update, and as part of this, the SUV has grown in size and offers more features than before. Seltos was already a popular SUV in this segment, and with the new design and features, along with a comfortable ride quality, many customers chose the Seltos.
The current-generation Seltos is still a new product, and the high sales numbers at the moment could be from customers who had already booked the SUV at the time of its launch. It remains to be seen if the numbers observed now remain stable in the coming months.
Creta, on the other hand, has been the SUV that has ruled this segment. It is actually the SUV that defines this segment. While the Creta currently on sale is a generation behind the Seltos, it is still the no-nonsense choice for many customers who want an SUV in this segment. It comes with a variety of engine and transmission options and is also available in a wide range of variants.
When the next-generation Creta comes to the market later this year or early next year, we expect the numbers to go up even more.