New Verna boosts Hyundai India's C-segment sales, sells 15,534 units in 2 months

Launched on August 22, 2017, the third-generation model of Hyundai Motor India's popular Verna sedan has brought back some pep to the company's sales in the executive C-segment, primarily dominated by the Honda City and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

Hyundai Motor India's total domestic sales in October 2017 stood at 49,588 units, with the Verna going home to 4,701 buyers. With over 150,000 enquiries received for the car, it has edged ahead of the Honda City (4,366) and the Ciaz (4,107) in the festive month of Diwali. 

The new Hyundai Verna, which now comes based on a bigger platform (the same as its elder sibling, the Elantra), gets completely restyled design, interiors as well as an exhaustive feature set including a sunroof, touchscreen infotainment system and segment-first features like ventilated front seats and a hands-free boot release, making it more premium and targeted at the discerning buyer.

According to Hyundai, the new Verna has established a good connect with young customers in the segment and 20 percent of the sales comprise first-time buyers, with 45 percent of the total Verna buyers being interested in the high-tech gizmos.

A big positive for the new Verna is the option of an automatic transmission with a diesel motor alongside a petrol automatic option as well. The Verna is seeing strong demand for its automatic variants, ranging close to 25 percent of the total orders. The car gets a six-speed torque convertor automatic mated to either a 1.6-litre diesel or a 1.6-litre petrol motor. On the other hand, the Honda City offers a CVT option only with its 1.5-litre petrol motor, while the Ciaz gives a four-speed automatic option with its 1.4-litre petrol variant. 

The new Verna has thus far received over 20,000 bookings within a short span of a little over two months since launch. With a total of 15,534 Vernas sold since August till end-October (see sales table below), the car has helped Hyundai to better its H1 FY2018 average, hovering around 14,000 units, to scale and reach 20,000 units after the car's launch. Hyundai had estimated sales of around 12,000 units by mid-October, but surging demand for the sedan has helped the company cross the 15,000 unit mark with ease.  

What’s more, the new Verna has also been received well in foreign markets, with Hyundai Motor India recently bagging a large export order to supply 10,501 sedans to South Africa, Gulf and other Asian markets from early 2018, to be sold there as the next-generation Hyundai Accent. This being the largest export order yet for a single model, expect the export order book for the Chennai-based manufacturer to keep filling.  

An elated Y K Koo, managing director and CEO, Hyundai Motor India, said, "The next-generation Verna has outperformed in India once again with more than 20,000 bookings and 150,000 enquiries in a short span of two months of its launch in India. We are extremely thankful to our Indian customers for their trust in brand Hyundai.” 

The C-segment battle hots up
With the new Verna driving in, the battle for the executive sedan customer in India just got hotter. Up until now, the Honda City and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz have been engaged in a stiff battle (see sales table below). While an estimated 75 percent of the City's sales are for the petrol variants, the Ciaz's sales are more equitably positioned between petrol and diesel. Now with the new Verna having just driven in, the marketplace has turned a lot more exciting.