Hyundai Verna BEATS Maruti Ciaz and Honda City, but only narrowly

The Hyundai Verna has emerged as India’s best selling C-Segment sedan in the month of April 2019. Hyundai sold 2,932 units of the Verna while Maruti managed to dispatch 2,739 units of the Ciaz. The Honda City was far behind, with 2,394 units sold in the same month. The rest of the C-Segment sedans failed to manage four figures. The Skoda Rapid, Volkswagen Vento, Nissan Sunny, Toyota Yaris and the Fiat Linea put together sold well under 3,000 units. Clearly, the real battle is between the Verna, Ciaz and City.

The third generation Hyundai Verna was launched in india last year, and been turning out strong monthly sales numbers each month. The car looks more premium than the version it replaced, and is larger as well. Hyundai offers a range of petrol and diesel engines with the car. The entry-level variant gets a 1.4 liter petrol engine with 99 Bhp-134 Nm on tap. A 5 speed manual gearbox is standard with this engine. The other engines of the Verna include the 1.6 liter and turbo diesel units with 121 Bhp-151 Nm and 126 Bhp-260 Nm outputs respectively. Both engines also get 6 speed manual and automatic gearbox options. Hyundai also offers a 1.4 liter turbo diesel engine with 89 Bhp-220 Nm, and a 6 speed manual gearbox. Prices of the Verna start from Rs. 8.09 lakhs.

The Maruti Ciaz has been one of the Verna’s strongest competitors, beating the Hyundai car on many occassions. Prices slightly lower than the Verna, the Ciaz is larger but less powerful. In terms of features too, the Ciaz is less equipped than the Verna but value pricing and the Maruti badge have ensured that the car is one of India’s best selling sedans. Maruti recently introduced a brand new 1.5 liter, turbocharged diesel engine in the Ciaz, which makes 94 Bhp-225 Nm. The engine is paired to new 6 speed manual gearbox. The Ciaz gets a smaller diesel (1.3 liter, 89 Bhp-200 Nm), and a 1.5 liter petrol hybrid engine (104 Bhp-138 Nm). Both engines get 5 speed manual gearboxes as standard while the petrol offers a 4 speed torque converter option. Prices start from 8.2 lakhs.

The Honda City, once invincible in the C-Segment sedan space, continues to put up a strong show despite bein at nearly the end of its life cycle. There is an all new City sedan in the works for a 2020 launch, with a mild hybrid powertrain option. For now though, the current City features petrol and turbo diesel engines, and offers a CVT automatic gearbox option on the petrol model. Priced at a premium, the City is also one of the best looking cars in its segment. The car’s 1.5 liter petrol engine makes 117 Bhp-145 Nm, and gets 5 speed manual and CVT automatic gearboxes. The turbo diesel motor makes 98.6 Bhp-200 Nm, and is paired to a 6 speed manual gearbox. Prices start from Rs. 9.94 lakhs.