Maruti Suzuki's Only Full-Size Sedan Is All Set To Say Goodbye: Details
The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz has been a decently popular sedan in the Indian market. It has recently been slow selling. As per a report by Autocar India, the Ciaz will be phased out by April 2025. This decision also has to do with the general market shift towards SUVs. The car’s production would stop by March this year, and the leftover inventory is expected to be sold out by the end of April.
Autocar India further reports that the carmaker has denied the news in an official statement, calling it ‘incorrect’, but also goes on to say that multiple industry sources have confirmed the development.
Why Is The Ciaz Saying Good Bye?
Once a strong segment in India, sedans have seen a sharp decline in demand over time, with market shares dropping from 20% in 2015 to less than 10% in 2024. Meanwhile, SUVs have surged to dominate over 50% of total passenger vehicle sales. The midsize sedans, for example, shrunk from nine to five available models.
With Ciaz’s retirement, Maruti Suzuki will lose its only standing mid-size sedan in the Indian market. In the sedan space, the carmaker’s market share slumped from 35-40% in 2017-18 to just 11% in 2024.
Now, the rivals to the Maruti Ciaz are the Skoda Slavia, VW Virtus, Honda City and Hyundai Verna. The Maruti sedan, however, fails to catch up with the competition. The City and Verna continue to dominate the segment.
Talking numbers, the Ciaz sold just 659 units in October, 597 in November, and just 464 in December 2024. During the financial year 24-25, it managed to sell 5,861 units only. This marks a 34% year-on-year decline, more than the segment’s overall fall.
Why Did The Ciaz Lose Its Appeal?
1. Diesel Exit Hurt Sales
One of the biggest missteps was Maruti Suzuki’s decision to discontinue the diesel engines in 2020, just a year after launching its in-house 1.5-litre DDiS diesel engine, which also made its way to the Ciaz. This move left the sedan with only a 1.5-litre petrol engine, at a time when diesel variants accounted for 30% of its sales.
2. Lack of Significant Updates
Another major factor was the lack of substantial upgrades. The Ciaz last received a major facelift in 2018. While competitors added ADAS, sunroofs, digital instrument clusters, and turbo-petrol engines, the Ciaz stuck with its naturally aspirated petrol engine, which began to feel outdated compared to the competition. It got no mid-life updates or further refreshes after 2018.
3. Maruti’s SUV-Centric Strategy
Maruti Suzuki, like many other carmakers, has shifted its focus to SUVs. Models like the Grand Vitara, Fronx, and Jimny have taken the centre stage, with significant marketing efforts backing them up. Even at Nexa dealerships, SUVs dominate the floorspace, while the Ciaz has received minimal promotion in recent years.
Maruti Ciaz: Quick Look At It
The sedan was launched as a replacement for the Maruti SX4. Previously, it used to offer both petrol and diesel engine options. Now, it is powered by the 1.5-litre petrol option (K15 Smart Hybrid) only. It produces 103 bhp and 138 Nm. This powertrain, however, lacks the refinement and power offered by some of its competitors.
It has always been loved for the cabin room offered, especially at the rear. The sedan now comes in 9 variants. The price starts at 9.41 lakh, ex-showroom. The range-topping variant (Ciaz Alpha 1.5 AT Dual Tone) costs 12.47 lakh, ex-showroom.