Honda Civic continued to dominate the executive sedan segment’s sales as it scored nearly twice as much tally as the Octavia
Honda Cars India introduced the tenth generation Civic in early March 2019 and made an impressive comeback that reflected on its first-month sales volume. With more than 2,200 units, the Civic did send shockwaves to the competitors before maintaining a steady monthly average.
In October 2019, the Civic did lead the sales charts by garnering a total of 436 units while Skoda’s Octavia finished second with 231 units. The Czech Republican sedan registered a total that was good enough for 24% YoY growth when compared to October 2018 when only 186 units were retailed.
The Toyota Corolla stood third with cumulative domestic sales of 90 units as against 242 units during the corresponding month last year with YoY decline of 63%. Despite receiving a facelift a few weeks ago, Hyundai’s Elantra ended last by garnering just 59 units as against 115 units during the same month last year with 49% de-growth.
| Executive Sedans | October 2019 Sales | October 2018 Sales |
| 1. Honda Civic | 436 | – |
| 2. Skoda Octavia | 231 | 186 |
| 3. Toyota Corolla | 90 | 242 |
| 4. Hyundai Elantra | 59 | 115 |
DataSource : AutoPunditz
The segment as a whole posted 816 units as against 543 units in October 2018 with an appreciable sales increase of 50%. The Elantra facelift entered the market as the country’s first connected sedan with Blue Link technology and a host of visual updates and interior changes as well as feature additions.
The Octavia is expected to get a brand new generation sometime next year in India and globally it is waiting make its debut on November 11 at Prague. The Corolla, on the other hand, received a thorough makeover in the international markets recently and reports suggest that it could be launched in India by the middle of next year.
In recent years, the D-segment for sedans has seen decreased popularity due to the arrival of premium SUVs, just as the C-segment comprising of Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Skoda Rapid, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Vento. We do expect the new-gen Octavia and Corolla to revive the segment’s fortunes, in a similar fashion to the Honda Civic.