Maruti Suzuki is driving over its rivals, thanks to strong demand for Ciaz, Baleno and Vitara Brezza

As per the latest data, Ciaz, the sedan from India’s biggest auto-maker Maruti Suzuki, has replaced Honda City as the top-selling model in the segment in May, a rank that it has obtained for second time this year.

On the other hand, Baleno, the premium hatchback from Maruti Suzuki, has also beaten Hyundai's Elite i20, and Vitara Brezza has also seen roaring demand ever since its launch in March. Vitara Brezza has already sold more than 20,000 vehicles since March, and as of now, there is a waiting list of 45,000 vehicles.

RS Kalsi, executive director of sales and marketing at Maruti, told ET that the company aims to attain leadership in the premium category. "We have emerged leaders in the premium sedan segment and target to achieve leadership in the premium compact segment soon," he said.

As per industry observers, it’s the introduction of the mild hybrid technology in Ciaz that has helped attract the interest of customers, given that the future of diesel cars in India is uncertain following the ban of diesel cars registration in Delhi-NCR. Ciaz also is the only car in the segment that offers a mild hybrid option, thereby increasing the fuel efficiency.

Maruti has strengthened its premium segment by adding several models to it in the year that went by. Not only this, it also launched Nexa, a separate channel for exclusively selling the S-Cross and the Baleno.

"All these initiatives have to an extent helped change the perception about the brand in the customers' mind, who purely regarded it as a small-car maker," Puneet Gupta, associate director at consultancy firm IHS Automotive, told ET.

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