The mid-size sedan segment has some top contenders, like the Hyundai Verna, Honda City and Skoda Slavia. However, a German model has beaten all of them to take the numero uno position this year and it is none other than the popular Volkswagen Virtus.
The Virtus is the largest-selling mid-size sedan in 2024 (January-July) at 11,572 units. It is marginally ahead of the Verna, which garnered sales of 11,364 units during the same period. While the Slavia has clocked 8,443 units, the City’s dismal run has continued with sales of only 7,117 units.
Interestingly, all the models, except the Virtus, have de-grown during the period from January 2024 to July 2024.
Sales performance
| Model | Jan-Jul 2024 | Jan-Jul 2023 | Growth |
| Volkswagen Virtus | 11,572 units | 11,395 units | 1.55% |
| Hyundai Verna | 11,364 units | 19,344 units | – 41.25% |
| Skoda Slavia | 8,443 units | 10,835 units | – 22.08% |
| Honda City | 7,117 units | 13,122 units | – 45.76% |
| Maruti Suzuki Ciaz | 4,206 units | 7,193 units | – 41.53% |
Source – Industry
Talking about the reasons behind the handsome performance of the Virtus so far this year, Volkswagen India Brand Director Ashish Gupta told India Today that the car has a striking design philosophy that is sophisticated, sharp and big in dimensions.
“The Virtus is spacious and matches the ideals of a sedan. It is a true Volkswagen, in every form and, therefore, it competes on performance, ride handling, stability and safety. It has even been adjudged with the 5-star Global NCAP rating in adult and child occupant protection. At an overall level, the value proposition the product offers, especially its timeless design language, is the perfect combination for the quintessential sedan customers, making the carline consistently perform and be on the top,” he added.
Volkswagen is aiming to maintain the strong momentum for the Virtus going forward. The carmaker is strategically present across all markets, including metros, tier 1 and tier 2 cities.
At present, the Indian arm of the German auto major has over 200 sales touchpoints and more than 140 service facilities across the country, with the company eyeing further expansion.
For reference, Volkswagen added around 45 new sales touchpoints, covering 27 additional cities in 2023. “This year (2024), we are planning to grow our network reach by an additional 10-15%, making our safest portfolio of cars, which includes the 5-star Global NCAP-rated Virtus and Taigun and the globally-acclaimed Tiguan, accessible to more customers across India,” Gupta noted.
While Volkswagen’s strategic focus on network expansion has played a pivotal role in boosting the sales of the Virtus, the company has additionally curated localised initiatives like the Onam edition for both the Virtus and the Taigun for the Kerala market, to enhance their appeal further.
The Volkswagen Virtus has a couple of turbo petrol engine options — 1.0-litre TSI (115PS and 178Nm) and 1.5-litre TSI EVO (150PS and 250Nm). While the 1.0-litre unit can be paired with a 6-speed MT or a 6-speed AT torque converter, the 1.5-litre unit gets 6-speed MT and 7-speed DSG choices.
Following are the variant-wise Volkswagen Virtus prices (ex-showroom).
- Virtus 1.0 TSI MT Comfortline – Rs 10.90 lakh (offer price)
- Virtus 1.0 TSI MT Highline – Rs 13.58 lakh
- Virtus 1.0 TSI AT Highline – Rs 14.88 lakh
- Virtus 1.0 TSI MT Topline – Rs 15.60 lakh
- Virtus 1.0 TSI AT Topline – Rs 16.85 lakh
- Virtus GT 1.5 TSI EVO DSG – Rs 16.62 lakh
- Virtus GT Plus 1.5 TSI EVO MT – Rs 17.60 lakh
- Virtus GT Plus 1.5 TSI EVO DSG – Rs 19.15 lakh