The year 2025 will go down in history as the first that didn’t see any new mass-market hatchback or sedan launch in India. While showrooms were buzzing with activity and the social media with new-car reels, all of these covered SUVs and crossovers – the traditional three-box sedan and the humble small car that put India on wheels were missing at the lavish launch parties of carmakers.
Timing made a difference
It’s not that sedans aren’t selling – the new Maruti Suzuki Dzire is set to become the largest-selling car of 2025, and the new Honda Amaze is also doing well – but these sedans were launched late last year. There are two more sedans in the compact segment – Tata Tigor and Hyundai Aura – but in 2025, they didn’t meet the midlife update or generation change timing.
In the midsize segment, barring Volkswagen Virtus, every sedan – Hyundai Verna, Skoda Slavia, and Honda City – is losing customers to SUVs. The biggest casualty was the Ciaz, axed by Maruti Suzuki in mid-2025.
In the premium segment, the Toyota Camry is doing well, but even it was launched late last year.
Coming to hatchbacks, again timing is the key – the new Maruti Suzuki Swift was launched last year, and other best-sellers such as the Baleno and Wagon R will likely see generation changes in 2026-27.
Two imports, one update
It’s not that hatchbacks and sedans were entirely absent from the headlines, they just weren’t for the masses. Skoda and Volkswagen launched the Octavia RS sedan and the Golf GTI hatchback, respectively, as limited-run imports (photo). But priced Rs 50 lakh and Rs 51 lakh, respectively, these were trophy cars – with just 200 units of the Octavia RS and 250 units of the Golf GTI available for sale.
There was one update – Tata Motors refreshed the Altroz premium hatchback by giving it mechanical tweaks and slight design changes.
What carmakers launched?
Heavyweight market launches of this year were Skoda Kylaq, Mahindra’s XEV 9e and BE 6, Tata Motors’ Harrier EV and Sierra, Maruti Suzuki Victoris, new Hyundai Venue, and Kia Carens Clavis, among others – all SUVs or crossovers.
A niche future
New hatchbacks and sedans will come in 2026 and beyond, but there are unlikely to be new nameplates – for instance, new generations of Baleno and Wagon R are due, but Maruti Suzuki is unlikely to launch an all-new, ground-up hatchback or sedan.
A new design language
Automotive designers such as Pratap Bose of Mahindra and Martin Uhlarik of Tata Motors told FE that, with electrification, we are moving beyond strict SUV or crossover definition. The Mahindra BE 6, for example, isn’t an SUV, nor a crossover – it looks like a spaceship. Similarly, the Tata Curvv isn’t an SUV or a sedan. In the distant future, cars are likely to be box-shaped or bubble-shaped items that maximise on cabin space.
