These 2 Korean, German cars drove mid-sedan segment in FY24, poor show by Honda City again

There was a time when the mid-size sedan segment in India was dominated by Japanese models, particularly the Honda City. But it is a thing of the past now! The Korean and German models, such as the Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Virtus, rule this space now.

Amid the rising preference for SUVs, the sedans have seen a decline in market share. If we talk specifically about the mid-size sedan segment, it shrunk 11.19% year-on-year (y-o-y) at 97,466 units in FY24 from 109,754 units in FY23, according to data from the industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

But against the tide, the Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Virtus posted handsome growth in FY24. While the Honda City proved to be the biggest disappointment, the Skoda Slavia and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz failed to bring a cheer as well.

The Verna's sales jumped 51.84% y-o-y at 30,017 units in FY24 from 19,769 units in FY23. The Virtus volumes climbed 19.77% y-o-y at 21,094 units in FY24 from 17,612 units in FY23.

The Slavia posted a decline of 19.52% y-o-y at 19,093 units in FY24 from 23,725 units in the previous fiscal. The sales of the City dipped massively, 51.69% y-o-y at 16,925 units in FY24 from 35,038 units in FY23. The City volumes stood at 37,137 units in FY22.

The poor run of the Ciaz continued in FY24. The sales slipped 24.05% y-o-y at 10,337 units in FY24 from 13,610 units in FY23. In FY22, Maruti sold 15,869 units of the Ciaz.

Model FY24 FY23 Growth Hyundai Verna 30,017 units 19,769 units 51.84% Volkswagen Virtus 21,094 units 17,612 units 19.77% Skoda Slavia 19,093 units 23,725 units -19.52% Honda City 16,925 units 35,038 units -51.69% Maruti Suzuki Ciaz 10,337 units 13,610 units -24.05%

Source — SIAM

The mid-size sedan segment leader, the Hyundai Verna, is priced between Rs 11 lakh and Rs 17.42 lakh (ex-showroom). It has four variants — EX, S, SX and SX(O).

So far as powertrains are concerned, there are two engine options — 1.5-litre MPi petrol (115PS/143.8Nm) and 1.5-litre Turbo GDi petrol (160PS/253Nm). You can club the MPi petrol unit either with a 6-speed MT or an IVT automatic. The Turbo GDi petrol unit comes mated to a 7-speed DCT.