A closer look at the sales numbers for D-segment sedans in India In December 2014. The Toyota Corolla Altis leads from the front.
D-segment sedans are luxurious vehicles offering space, comfort, snob value, power and a lot more. The segment gets divided into two parts – the lower D-segment consists of the Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Octavia and the likes while the upper D-segment consists of the Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, etc. Choices are very limited in this segment unlike the lower segment where buyers are spoilt for choice.
Talking about the lower D-segment first, we see that the Toyota Corolla has topped the sales charts owing to the amazing service network and famed Japanese reliability. 895 units is a very good number for a vehicle in this price range, more-so since it lacks equipment compared to rivals. The Hyundai Elantra follows next with 1/4th numbers of what the Corolla achieved. The Volkswagen Jetta and Chevrolet Cruze are fighting it out neck to neck while Octavia’s sales have dropped to an all-time low. The Renault Fluence continues to perform poorly.
Moving to the upper end of the spectrum, it is the Skoda Superb that continues to rule the segment. Rivals like the Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry are nowhere close to the Superb despite both of them being possibly easier to live with. The lack of a diesel engine is what hurts the demand of the Japanese and Korean vehicles. The Nissan Teana sold zero units and the Japanese automaker has finally discontinued the second generation Teana worldwide to make way for the next generation model but that’s not headed to our shores.
