Maruti Ciaz taking over Honda City sales in India

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and Honda City are two very popular sedans in India. The former was especially launched to dethrone the latter, and it seems that after two years of launch, Ciaz is finally taking over the reign of Honda City in India.

Both Honda City and Maruti Ciaz are commanding a position of pride for their respective automakers. While demand for both models is high, the Ciaz, launched in October 2014 entered a segment largely commanded by the Honda City and Hyundai Verna.

Maruti Ciaz immediately managed to carve a niche for itself in the market, thanks to aggressive pricing, luxurious interiors. After about 2 years of launch, Ciaz has reported higher sales than that of City’s over a period of three months. During the period April to August 2016, 25,066 units of Ciaz were sold as against 21,251 units of the Honda City.

Maruti always wanted to capture the segment which had the Honda City as No 1. This was a lucrative segment as it not only offered customers a sense of premiumness, but also that of pride in the society. Their earlier attempt, SX4 sedan, failed miserably. But they have leart from their mistakes, and are at the no 1 position in the segment now.

Honda City is in its fourth generation, launched in January 2014. To date, sales have exceeded the 2 lakh unit mark and the City is regaled as a practical choice for buyers seeking a mid size sedan. Till August 2016, 1,11,648 units of the Maruti Ciaz were sold, working out to an average of 5,100 units per month as against 6,400 units per month of Honda City.

However, April to August period has seen Maruti Ciaz overtake the Honda City in terms of sales primarily due to a price difference of nearly INR 2 lakhs, more variant options and significantly lower maintenance costs. While Honda is planning on a midcycle refresh for the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki is also in the process of introducing a facelift for the Ciaz sedan.

This article first appeared on Rushlane.com