Sedans are dying, except for Dzire. The January-October 2025 sales data shows that the compact sedan by Maruti Suzuki has outsold all sedans put together. During the period, Dzire sold 174,334 units, while nine other sedans put together could manage 142,456 units.
This wasn’t the case in calendar year 2024, when Dzire— though still the leader, by far— sold 167,988 units, almost 10,000 units less than 177,857 units sold by the other nine sedans.
This year, Dzire is followed by Hyundai Aura (51,295 units), Honda Amaze (26,730 units), Volkswagen Virtus (18,241 units), Skoda Slavia (11,643 units), Tata Motors’ Tigor and Tigor EV (11,596 units), Hyundai Verna (9,942 units), Honda City (6,561 units), the now-discontinued Maruti Suzuki Ciaz (4,521 units), and Toyota Camry (1,927 units).
“The sedan market isn’t dead, but has turned into a monopoly,” a former Maruti Suzuki executive told FE. “Dzire hasn’t just sold more than all sedans put together, it’s the largest-selling single model in India this year, in a market ruled by SUVs. As far as overall sales are concerned, the Dzire’s 174,334 units are followed by Hyundai Creta (170,624 units), Maruti Suzuki Wagon R (165,044 units), Maruti Suzuki Ertiga (159,242 units), and Tata Nexon (158,752), but I’m sure they won’t be able to catch-up, and a sedan will end up becoming India’s largest selling car in 2025.”
Why Dzire defies the SUV trend
The fourth-generation Dzire, launched in November 2024, has been a success both with personal buyers and fleet customers. Late last year, it received 5-star crash safety rating from Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), followed by 5 stars from Bharat NCAP in June, making the sedan popular with personal buyers for whom safety has started taking centre stage. And its CNG variants are popular with fleet customers—while Maruti Suzuki doesn’t share sales split, a source told FE that 30-35% Dzire sales come from the fleet segment.
Safety and CNG
In fact, the fourth-generation Dzire is so popular that it beat its own yearly sales record of 167,988 units in 2024, in just 10 months of 2025 (174,334 units).
In addition, within sedans, the gap between number one and number two is unprecedented. The closest competitor is Aura—whose 51,295 units is a respectable number in isolation, but less than a third of Dzire’s volumes. Amaze, once a solid rival, sits at a distant third with 26,730 units. Automotive experts said that Amaze doesn’t come with a factory-fitted CNG kit (you can get a dealer-fitted CNG kit, though) and that has led to its falling demand, in a market where CNG cars are getting increasingly popular.
“In addition to fleet sales, Maruti Suzuki has been able to successfully pivot the Dzire to appeal to private buyers who find SUVs overpriced,” an expert said. “With the discontinuation of the Ciaz during July-August, the Dzire has absorbed loyalists looking for a sedan from Maruti Suzuki.”
Year 2025 data also reflect the slow uptake of electric sedans. Sales of the Tigor include the EV variant – Tata Motors doesn’t provide Tigor’s EV versus ICE sales break-up – and yet the numbers are minuscule, at just 11,596 units.
Overall, the numbers prove that in a country obsessed with SUVs, there is still demand for a three-box car that ticks all the right boxes.
