Indian car buyers’ love for SUVs can be gauged from the fact that, in 2025, the top-selling midsize SUV (Hyundai Creta, with sales of 201,122 units) sold three times more than all midsize sedans put together (60,002 units).
These five sedans are Volkswagen Virtus, Hyundai Verna, Honda City, Skoda Slavia, and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. But while midsize sedans are being gobbled up by SUVs, the Virtus is going strong — in 2025, it was the only sedan whose sales grew in a shrinking segment.
2025 sales
According to the 2025 sales numbers collated from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers data, sales of the Verna dropped 35.4% — from 17,113 units to 11,057 units.
Sales of the City dropped 29.6% — from 11,526 units to 8,109 units.
Sales of the Slavia dropped 13.7% — from 15,617 units to 13,471 units.
And sales of the Ciaz dropped so much (38% — from 7,295 units to 4,521 units) that Maruti Suzuki had to discontinue the model.
The exception
The Virtus, however, was the exception, whose sales grew 7.7% — from 21,210 units to 22,844 units — and it was the largest selling midsize sedan in 2025.
Automotive experts shared with FE the reasons why this sedan is still popular, even though others are falling out of favour.
“The Virtus is a ‘complete’ car that appeals to sedan enthusiasts, combining classy exterior and interior styling with a solid build quality. The cabin offers good legroom, supportive seats, and practical storage. And its 521-litre boot is the largest in its segment,” said a car expert. “With powerful turbocharged petrol engines — 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre — it is among the most fun-to-drive sedans. Then there is the focus on safety — the Virtus has six airbags, ESC, electronic differential lock, and more. And in a sea of SUVs, this sedan stands out.”
The Virtus was also a rare case of having sold more than its SUV counterpart. Its sales (22,844 units) were more than the Taigun (15,910 units) — Volkswagen’s midsize SUV that has the same engine options, same transmission, and is priced in the same range as the Virtus.
Is it better than SUVs?
We drove it briefly, and here’s what we found.]
Space: The Virtus offers more ‘usable space’ than most midsize SUVs. While SUVs have more cabin volume, most of it is ‘over the top’, i.e. headroom. Also, the Virtus has boot space of 521 litres (Creta has 433 litres, Seltos has 447 litres, and Kushaq and Taigun have 385 litres).
Ground clearance: At 179 mm, it is more than the City (165 mm) and less than the Creta (190 mm), but good enough to ride over tall speed breakers and occasional off-road drive.
Ride quality: Unlike most SUVs in which you will experience body-roll (because SUVs are tall), the Virtus rides ‘hugging the road’, and therefore feels more grounded. It’s priced Rs 10.5-19 lakh, ex-showroom.
