Maruti Suzuki DZire maintained its lead position on the list of best-selling sedans in February 2024 while Hyundai Verna at No. 5 has posted a 3474 percent YoY growth
The sedan segment in India is looking like a dying breed. Limited options and buyer’s attraction towards SUVs and crossovers have relegated this sedan segment to the bottom of the automobile chain with significantly lower sales than that seen across other segments. Buyers in the country show preference for cars with higher ground clearance, better visibility and more spacious cabins that has resulted in automakers bringing in more SUVs into their portfolios while turning a blind eye to sedans.
Maruti DZire best-selling sedan in February 2024
Sedan sales have seen a marked decline which is evident when compared to top 10 SUV sales which reached 1,32,243 units in February 2024 while hatchback sales are also regularly above the 1 lakh unit mark. There were a total of 31,590 sedans sold in Februarys 2024 relating to a YoY and MoM decline with most models on this list remaining in the red. In February 2024 sedan sales dipped by 10.29 percent to 31,590 units, down from 35,215 units sold in February 2023. It was also a MoM decline by 6.79 percent over 33,891 units sold in January 2024.
Once again it was the Maruti DZire that outsold each of the other sedans on this list by a huge margin to command a 50.13 percent share. It was also the only sedan to make its way onto the list of top 10 cars sold in February 2024 featuring at No. 4. DZire sales were at 15,837 units last month, posting a 5.72 percent YoY and 5.58 percent MoM de-growth. There were 16,798 units and 16,773 units sold in February 2023 and January 2024 respectively.
At No. 2 was Hyundai Aura, with one third the sales of Maruti DZire, with 5,053 units sold last month, a YoY de-growth of 8.53 percent from 5,524 units sold in February 2023. It was also an 8.39 percent MoM decline over 5,516 units sold in January 2024. Hyundai is offering hefty discounts on the Aura which goes upto Rs 33,000 worth of benefits on the Aura CNG variants which could stir up sales in the current month.
Honda Amaze was another highly favoured sedan launched in 2013 which has lost its spark to larger cars today. Sales fell both YoY and MoM to 2,774 units with the Amaze commanding just an 8.78 percent share on this list. There is the next-gen Amaze being planned for launch sometime later this year where it will be seen positioned on a brand new platform while sporting revised features and some safety updates.
Tata Tigor/EV has posted a YoY decline in sales while it improved on a MoM basis to 1,712 units while it was the Hyundai Verna that has reported a 3474.47 percent YoY growth to 1,680 units in the past month from just 47 units sold in February 2023. MoM sales however dipped 22.65 percent from 2,172 units sold in January 2024. While Hyundai has seen increased sales for its N Line versions of both i20 and Venue, there are no plans in the offing to bring in the Verna N Line considering the lower demand for sedans in the country.
VW Virtus, Honda City, Skoda Slavia
Lower down the sales list was the VW Virtus which saw a marginal sales improvement by 4.35 percent YoY in February 2024 to 1,631 units while its MoM sales dipped by 13.20 percent. It was followed by another segment favourite Honda City which moved down to No. 7 last month with 1,184 units sold relating to a 39.68 percent YoY de-growth while MoM sales improved by 5.43 percent. The list also included the Skoda Slavia (1,028 units), Maruti Ciaz (481 units and Toyota Camry (210 units) with the Camry posting a 213.43 percent YoY growth from 67 units sold in February 2023.
