Maruti Suzuki has announced that its Ciaz midsize sedan has managed to cross the 2.7 lakh sales milestone since its launch in India market five years ago. This comes days after the automaker reported cumulative sales figures of one million cars and SUVs through its Nexa sub-brand, which was established back in 2015.
For the past three fiscal years, the Ciaz has proven to be the market leader in the midsize sedan segment, beating the venerable Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid. It managed to amass retail figures of over 46,000 units in financial year 2019, and as such, the Ciaz currently commands a market share of over 30 percent in its class. Adding credence to its premium positioning, Maruti has further revealed that the top-end Alpha trims contribute to 54 percent of its sales, with over half of the total units sold in metros and Tier-I markets. Moreover, the Ciaz’s signature Nexa Blue body colour has turned out to be a popular paint finish among buyers, with a share of over 30 percent of total sales.
Commenting on the achievement, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “Since its launch, Ciaz has witnessed a resounding success in the highly competitive premium sedan market. With 17 percent contribution of automatic variants and Smart Hybrid technology, Ciaz is testimony of customer preference for a comfortable, spacious, technology-driven and feature packed sedan. This reinforces our commitment to bring contemporary and greener technologies for our customers.”
Originally launched under the standard Maruti network in 2014, the Ciaz began to be retailed out of the premium Nexa channel from April 1, 2017. The sedan received a mid-life facelift last year that brought with it cosmetic upgrades and a new 105hp, 1.5-litre, K15 petrol engine. The automaker even added an in-house developed 95hp, 1.5-litre diesel motor to the line-up earlier this year to supplement the Fiat-sourced, 1.3-litre diesel engine that puts out 90hp. Notably, only the petrol and smaller capacity diesel offerings come with Maruti’s mild-hybrid technology, with the former even getting the option of an automatic transmission on the higher variants.
With the country’s largest automaker having already announced its plans to axe diesels from its line-up prior to the April 2020 BS6 deadline, only the petrol-powered Ciaz will be upgraded to the more stringent emission norms in the coming months. This BS6-compliant motor has already been introduced on the Ertiga. It will be interesting to see if the Maruti sedan is able to maintain its lead moving forward, especially with Honda working on bringing the next-gen Honda City to our market next year.
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