Maruti Suzuki Ciaz beats Honda City to become the highest selling sedan in India; duo to get facelift soon

Maruti Suzuki's premium sedan the Ciaz has outnumbered the sales of its arch rival Honda City in India in January 2017, clocking 6,530 units as against 6,355 units of the City sold in the same month.

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The Ciaz registered a 20.2 percent growth in the first month of 2017 when compared to 5,431 units in January 2016. Honda City's sales dropped to 6,355 units in January 2017 from 8,037 units in January 2016, according to a report by Financial Express.

In January 2017, Czech camaker Skoda also reported a decline in the sale of its Rapid sedan to 959 units as against 1,044 units in January 2016. Maruti Suzuki Ciaz reported cumulative sales of 53,644 units between April 2016 and January 2017, while the Honda Cars India sold 45,395 units of the City between April 2016 and January 2017.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has been climbing the growth ladder since its launch in India, poising serious challenge to the popularity of the City sedan. The duo is now preparing to take the game to a level higher with the introduction of its facelifted avatars. While the City facelift launch is slated for February 14, the Ciaz may take a little longer to come to the market in its facelifted avatar. Currently, the City is sold with 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol and 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel mills. The current petrol engine of the City is tuned to churn out 117bhp and 145Nm of torque mated to five-speed manual and CVT gearboxes, while the diesel engine can generate 99bhp and 200Nm of torque mated to six-speed manual transmission.

On the other hand, the Ciaz is offered with a 1,373cc petrol unit that develops 91bhp at 6,000rpm and 130Nm of torque at 4,000rpm mated to five-speed manual transmission. The petrol variant is also available with four-speed automatic transmission. The diesel unit comes equipped with a small hybrid system with 1,248cc displacement and develops 89bhp at 4,000rpm and 200Nm of torque at 1,750rpm. The engine is paired with a five-speed manual transmission.

Source: FinancialExpress