Maruti Suzuki's supremacy among Indian carmakers persists, despite the sector as a whole grappling with supply chain challenges that have hampered the manufacturing and delivery of automobiles across the nation. Maruti emerged as the top automaker followed by Tata Motors, which dethroned Hyundai Motor from second place after several years. Because of Maruti's dominance, the majority of the best-selling vehicles came from its stable.

The sale of automobiles has dipped rapidly due to the pandemic. The decline in this industry commenced from the end of 2019 and is still continuing. The automobile industry has faced this decline even more because of the BS6 emission norms. Yet Maruti secures the the top spot in terms of car sales in December 2021. Here is the list of the top 5 Maruti cars that caught the attention of automobile lovers

Wagon-R

When it comes to sales, the boxy hatchback still reigns supreme. Despite the chip catastrophe, Maruti's WagonR appears to have rediscovered momentum in its latest generation. Maruti sold 19,729 WagonRs last month, up from 17,684 in December of 2020. Sales have climbed significantly compared to the previous month when Maruti sold 16,853 vehicles.

Swift

Maruti's premium hatchback Swift has been and still is in second place in the league. However, sales have decreased when compared to December 2020. Maruti sold 15,661 Swifts last month, down from 18,131 in almost the same period the previous year. The December sales total is a modest increase over November, when the car maker sold 14,568 Swifts.

Baleno

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Maruti Suzuki will soon be driving the remastered version of the premium hatchback Baleno. However, the current model continues to provide the company with substantial sales returns. Maruti sold 14,458 Balenos last month, compared to just 9,931 the prior month. Baleno's year-on-year sales, on the other hand, have fallen. Maruti has sold 18,030 units of the premium hatchback through December 2020.

Ertiga

Maruti's three-row MPV Ertiga remains a good performer in front of a planned redesign later this year. Last month, Maruti sold 11,840 Ertigas, up from 9,177 units sold in the same month the previous year. It is also a significant rise over November of last year when Maruti sold 8,752 Ertigas.

Alto

In December, Maruti's oldest surviving model, the Alto, fell a few spots. With 11,170 units sold last month, the Alto was ranked sixth among India's best-selling automobiles. When compared to Maruti's December 2020 sales of 18,140 units, the Alto has seen a considerable drop in sales. It's also fewer than the 13,812 units sold by Maruti in November of last year.

Other than these models, Tata Nexon was the best-selling subcompact SUV in India. It was followed by Hyundai Venue which made it to the list of the top selling cars.

According to Vinkesh Gulati, President FADA, “We see year 2022 as a neutral year as the rise of Omicron has once again created fear globally. This may further impact the supply in passenger vehicles if chip making countries go under lockdown or prioritise chip making for electronics used for ‘work from home’. The two-wheeler market, which continues to face demand headwinds may further go in slump if 3rd wave becomes a reality.”

“We anticipate that H2 of CY 2022 may see supply as well as demand slowly coming back to normalcy. As mentioned earlier, Auto Industry may fully recover only by 2023 and come back to its pre-Covid levels if Covid becomes a history,” he added.