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If the Consumer Reports magazine of the US – known for its unbiased product testing – had an India edition and an ‘Indian Car of the Decade’ award, the likely winner would be Hyundai’s Creta.

Launched exactly 10 years ago – on July 21, 2015 – the Creta helped moved the country from sedans to SUVs, popularised features such as sunroof, and indirectly brought Kia to India.

Launch in 2015

The Creta was launched on July 21, 2015 (Rs 8.6 lakh to Rs 13.6 lakh), and attracted buyers from far and wide – from the Renault Duster to Mahindra Scorpio to Ford EcoSport. By the end of that calendar year, it had sold 40,888 units, i.e. more than 8,000 units every month.

By way of comparison, that year the Duster sold an average 1,500 units per month, the Scorpio did 5,000 units, and the EcoSport about 3,500 units per month.

But that was just the beginning. In 2016, sales increased to 92,926 units; in 2017, it did 105,484 units; and in 2018 it touched 120,905 units (i.e. more than 10,000 units every month). The Creta blitz was finally slowed down by Kia Seltos in 2019 – a year when Creta sales came down to 99,736 units (it was also a year when the car market dropped 13%).

A reason for its success was Hyundai’s PB platform, which also underpinned that time’s Elite i20 hatchback and Verna sedan, and so the Creta, an SUV, was sedanlike to drive, attracting customers who would’ve otherwise opted for similarlypriced sedans such as Honda City or Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

New design

In May 2018, it got a new grille, projector headlamps, LED DRLs, positioning lamps, new alloy wheels, dualtone bumpers, skid plates, splittype taillamps, and a wearable key called the HBand.

Secondgeneration

In 2020, the allnew Creta arrived in the midst of the pandemic. It was a ‘connected car’, and there was ample choice in terms of variants with multiple engines and four gearbox options (manual, IVT automatic, AT, and 7speed DCT automatic).

Sales rose again – from 96,989 units in 2020, to 125,437 units (2021), 140,895 units (2022), and 157,311 units in 2023. The 62.2% jump in Creta sales from 2020 to 2023, however, was lower than the 69.4% growth of the overall car market from 2020 to 2023, but nevertheless commendable as the Creta faced seven new challengers during this period – the Kushaq, Taigun, new Scorpio, Grand Vitara, Hyryder, new Seltos and Honda Elevate, and while these SUVs took away sales, individually the Creta outsold each of these SUVs.

Creta facelift

In January 2024, it got the facelift, and in March, the Creta N Line arrived. Sales shot up again, and it was India’s fifthlargest selling car, having sold 186,919 units.

In January 2025, Hyundai launched the Creta Electric. In the first six months of 2025, the Creta rose to second position, with 100,560 units, trailing the far cheaper Wagon R by just 864 units.

The Kia connection

Hyundai is the parent company of Kia, but both operate as separate frontfacing entities (in the backend, they share engines, platforms and sometimes even strategies). An industry veteran (and a former Hyundai India employee) told FE that Kia India’s success can be traced to Hyundai in general and the Creta in particular.

“Kia had access to Hyundai’s expertise about the Indian market even before it entered – data of millions of Indian customers, what they like, what they don’t, and the trust of dealers, who knew that Kia is part of Hyundai and their investment would be safe,” he said. “Even before the launch of the Seltos, Kia had 265 sales touchpoints in 160 cities in India. That was a massive headstart.”

He added that the success of the Creta gave Kia the confidence to enter the market with a premium SUV, the Seltos. “Were the Creta not so big a success, it’s unlikely Kia would have bet on a premium SUV as the launch vehicle,” he said.

The next decade

From 2015 to 2025, the Creta’s competitors have grown from two (the Duster and Maruti Suzuki SCross) to about a dozen, but despite that, sales are rising, and the Creta is expected to break the 200,000unit mark in 2025 – its highest ever.

Yearly sales

2015: 40,888

2016: 92,926

2017: 105,484

2018: 120,905

2019: 99,736

2020: 96,989

2021: 125,437

2022: 140,895

2023: 157,311

2024: 186,919

2025 (JanuaryJune): 100,560