While the C-segment space may not be entry-level sedan space in the Indian car market anymore, it still continues to be a consistent performer with the Honda City leading the competition.
The C-segment sedan space is certainly one of the more consistent performers in the Indian auto market and has been a popular choice for those making the transition to a big car in their lives. That said, the market has evolved over the years and so have customer preferences. No longer it is the entry-level sedan provider while the onslaught of compact SUVs has stolen some shine from these executive four-door offerings. But that has not deterred the demand completely and the sedans continue to be the more preferred choice for anyone wanting to make that big car upgrade. So how did the segment fair in July this year? Let’s find out.
For the month of July 2015, it was the Honda City that continued to lead the pack with 5180 units sold doing almost twice the volumes than its closest rival. The new generation City made a comeback with a diesel heart early last year and it has been no looking back ever since for this Jap. Up next grabbing the second spot has been the Toyota Etios with 2827 units sold and while not the most compelling buy, the spacious interiors and the Toyota badge managed to work things in its favour. Coming in third and a big disappoint to Maruti Suzuki, the Ciaz managed only 2099 units taking a major hit. On a month-on-month basis, sales for the Ciaz are down by 43 percent, in comparison to the 3700 units sold in June 2015.
Having been a segment leader prior to the launch of the new Honda City, the Hyundai Verna is now positioned at the fourth spot with 1328 units sold. The Verna received an upgrade recently but that hasn’t helped the product at all in terms of volumes as the stark decline in sales has put the once popular model in line with the likes of Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid that sold 1271 and 1024 units respectively during the previous month. Filling in the bottom space on the list were the least popular models in the segment including the Chevrolet Sail with 294 units, Fiat Linea with 171 units, Nissan Sunny with 167 units and Renault Scala with 59 units sold during July 2015.
In fact, Renault-Nissan have been doing disappointingly on the sales front with most of their vehicles and have even planned to cut off production at its Chennai facility due to the decline in domestic demand. The biggest loser though turned out to be the Ford Fiesta that managed a meagre 14 units during the previous month (which we can vouch will only be enthusiasts). Lastly, Tata’s Indigo and Manza models accounted for 0 unit sales in July this year. While it hasn’t been confirmed as yet, the possibility is that of the production for these models finally being stopped, especially since the new Zest is here to take its place.
