The key to success is to accept that the customer is always right. Hence, no matter how doom and gloomy the sedan market share looks, 11 per cent to be precise, there’s still a demand for the Honda City. To make it clear, the 11 per cent share includes compact sedans like the Maruti Suzuki Dzire and the City’s sibling, the Amaze, which constitute a major chunk of this class. Honda has recently launched the 2023 City facelift, which will take on competitors like the Volkswagen Virtus, the Skoda Slavia, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the upcoming next-generation Hyundai Verna to be launched in India on March 21st. Let’s take a look at how the iconic City fares in terms of sales numbers.
2023 Honda City: Still ruling the roost
As expected, Honda City has lost some ground when we compare Month-on-Month (MoM) figures as the 2023 facelift edition was launched on March 2nd. Therefore, in February 1,963 City units were sold while in January it clocked 2,058. That is a dip of -5 per cent, but when compared to Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y), the City is down by -30.8 per cent.
The City is expected to increase its numbers in the coming months because the 2023 version offers many significant upgrades, especially the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). The City is the most affordable sedan to come equipped with this state-of-the-art safety feature. It comes standard in the petrol version of the City except for the entry-level SV trim. Both the CVT automatic and the manual versions get ADAS.
Volkswagen Virtus: The disruptor
Even though the Virtus’ cousin, the Skoda Slavia, may grab a lot of attention on the road due to its radical design, it is the understated sedan that’s actually outselling the Czech saloon. The Virtus sold 1,563 units, which is a jump of 13.3 per cent as compared to January 2023. As the Volkswagen sedan was launched in June last year.
The Virtus is available in two engines — 1-litre, 3-cylinder, 114bhp and 178Nm of torque and 147bhp 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder with 250Nm. The 1-litre is mated to a six-speed manual or a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The more powerful 1.5-litre is available with a 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearboxes.
Skoda Slavia: Slow dip
The Skoda Slavia has been losing ground as it only managed to sell 1,274 units in February. This is a -9.8 per cent dip from January. In November and December, the Slavia sold over 2,000 units.
Like the Virtus, the Slavia is also powered by the same two turbo petrol engines and multiple transmission options.
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz: Still around
The Ciaz certainly has seen better days but at the moment, the Maruti Suzuki sedan is languishing behind its competition and is barely crossing the 1,000 units mark. February clocked the lowest in the last six months with only 792 units. Regarding M-o-M, the Ciaz saw a -20.8 per cent decline and a massive -58.6 per cent Y-o-Y.
Maruti Suzuki launched the 2023 Ciaz update last month and has now made many safety features standard like Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Hill Hold Assist, along with dual airbags, ISOFIX, and rear parking sensors.
