From 1 lakh sales in 5 months in 2008 to 27 lakh till now, meet India's fav sedan. Not City or Verna

For the past 16 years, this sedan has been among the 10 best-selling cars in India every year.

The country's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India launched the Dzire in 2008, and the rest, as they say, is history. Within five months of entering the market, the compact sedan garnered sales of 1 lakh units. Till now, the Dzire has sold a mammoth 27 lakh units.

The Indian market has several sedans in compact (entry) and mid-size categories. Other than the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, the compact segment has models like the Hyundai Aura, Honda Amaze and Tata Tigor. The mid-size segment boasts the Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Virtus, Skoda Kushaq, Honda City and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

The unabated dominance of the Dzire over the sedan segment can be seen from the fact that every second sedan sold in India is a Dzire. The authority is tighter over the compact sedan segment, where it has a share of 61%.

"The resounding success and appreciation for this 'Made-in-India' car (Dzire) led to the creation of the entry sedan segment," Maruti Suzuki India MD and CEO Hishashi Takeuchi said at the launch of the fourth generation Dzire.

"With each generation, the Dzire continued to evolve in sync with the customer choices, and has been the top seller in its segment, all through. Since its launch, the Dzire has appealed to customers and clocked sales of over 27 lakh units," he added.

For the past 16 years, the Dzire has been among the 10 best-selling cars in India every year. It amassed sales of 1.65 lakh units in FY24 alone.

"The Dzire alone sells more than all other sedans put together in the market. Not just in India, the Dzire garnered appreciation globally as well. It is one of the top exported models and is in high demand in regions like Latin and Central America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East," Takeuchi said.

The new Dzire is priced between Rs 6.79 lakh and Rs 10.14 lakh (ex-showroom). A lot of changes have been made to the 2024 model. It gets a new, more fuel-efficient engine.

The Z12E 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine of the 2024 Dzire produces 81.58PS of maximum power and 111.7Nm of peak torque. You can have it with 5-speed MT or 5-speed AMT. A CNG option (69.75PS and 101.8Nm) is also available with a 5-speed MT.

"The new Dzire boasts our Z-series engine. Z-series means the ultimate in internal combustion (IC) engine technology. It has achieved a thermal efficiency of 40% with good power and pick-up. This translates to fuel efficiency levels which no other sedan in India can match. I am happy to share that this engine is one of the world's most efficient engines," Takeuchi noted.

The mileage of the new Dzire is absolutely amazing. It is claimed to be 24.79 kmpl for MT, 25.71 kmpl for AMT and 33.73 kmpkg for CNG.