C-Segment sedan sales have been dropping for quite some time now. However, the Ciaz is doing well for itself while reclaiming the first position in the list.
The C-Segment sedan market has been a tough nut to crack in our country. Especially after compact SUVs and premium hatchbacks started trending in India, the sales of the C-segment started to dwindle. However, the top three cars in the list have managed a consistent four-digit sales figure. The Maruti Ciaz takes the first spot after quite some time after selling 3672 units, managing a 19 percent MoM growth. Maruti recently updated the Ciaz with a new turbocharged diesel engine, developed in-house by Suzuki. This 1.5-litre, four-cylinder diesel unit mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox that develops 95 PS of peak power along with a peak torque of 225 Nm. While fuel efficiency has decreased marginally, the new engine does cover it up with improved refinement.
Honda City continues to be in the second position. The Japanese carmaker sold 3432 units in March 2019 while it sold 3273 units last month. This translates to a 5 percent MoM growth for the much-loved sedan. The Honda City is also the longest selling car in the segment and enjoys great popularity in the market even after all these years. The Hyundai Verna drops down to the third position with a 3 percent drop in sales. It sold 3201 units this month compared to 3299 units last month. Other than these three cars the story is pretty different for other C-Segment sedans.
The Skoda Rapid stands at a distant fourth position with 729 sales. Moreover, the sedan registered a 19 percent sales drop as well. The sister brand, Volkswagen’s Vento managed to stay in the fifth position. The German sedan sold 448 units in March 2019 compared to 351 in February with a 28 percent MoM growth. The sixth position is occupied by the Toyota Yaris. The car managed to sell 339 units in March 2019. Moreover, this led to a 3 percent MoM drop in sales. The Yaris is a pretty feature-loaded, safe and reliable car. However, Toyota was too late to bring it to India. As a result, the Yaris hasn’t managed to gain the amount of popularity Toyota would have expected it to.
The Nissan Sunny and the Fiat Linea take up the last two spots in the list. Both cars are now struggling hard to find buyers. Consequently, the Nissan Sunny only sold 63 units while the Fiat Linea sold just 5 units. Interestingly, the Sunny managed the largest MoM growth of about 350% only because it sold just 14 units in February 2019. The Fiat Linea, on the other hand, will be discontinued soon as the Italian brand is on the verge of stopping operations in India. Overall, all the C-segment sedans are going through a drop in sales figures especially when compared to the segment’s performance in 2018.
C-Segment Sedan Sales
– Maruti Ciaz beats Honda City and Hyundai Verna to top the list
– Rapid, Vento and Yaris managed a three-digit sales figure
– The Nissan Sunny and Fiat Linea sold only 63 and 5 units, respectively
