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Sales numbers from June 2026 show an interesting reshuffle in the mid-size sedan segment. The facelifted Honda City, which went on sale in May this year, and deliveries began shortly after. Numbers from June indicate that new City has slipped to the third spot in sales. The Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia sold significantly more units than the Honda sedan.

The mid-size sedan space consists of just four models- Volkswagen Virtus, Skoda Slavia, Honda City and the Hyundai Verna. In June, Honda sold just 745 units of the City. In May, the first month of sales, 1227 facelifted City sedans were retailed. This translates to a month-on-month decline of 39%. On an year-on-year basis, City sales grew by 5.08%, as just 709 units were sold in June 2025.

Let’s now take a look at the numbers posted by its rivals. Volkswagen sold 1195 units of the Virtus in June. Skoda posted sales of 1083 Slavias, during the period. The new Verna, interestingly, sold just 554 units. This places the new City in the third spot, in overall rankings. Looking at the larger picture, we see that the facelifted City saw one month of steady sales and then the numbers fell drastically.

In May 2026, the City was the second best-selling car in its segment. It sold 1224 units back then, 14 units behind the Virtus’ May numbers- 1238. Back then, it maintained a strong margin with the Slavia, which only managed to sell 861 units. Verna sold 723 units in May.

Posting a 39% de-growth in sales, in the second month itself, puts the City facelift in a tricky situation. It could be an early indicator of the facelift’s future here. Sales performance in the coming months will give us a better picture of this.

The outgoing generation (5th) of the City got its second facelift, earlier this year. It gave the car a new front fascia, more features and a better cabin experience. The colour palette was also revised. Interestingly, the facelifted City had the same entry price as the vehicle it replaced. The ex-showroom prices of the higher trims, however, moved up.

The powertrains remain unchanged. The new City is available with the time-proven 1.5-litre naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 121hp and 145Nm. It is offered with both manual and automatic transmission options. There is also a strong hybrid variant on sale, which makes 126hp and 253Nm, and comes with an e-CVT transmission.

The Volkswagen Virtus remains the most popular choice in its segment. In the first six months of calender year 2026, it sold 9289 units. In June, the numbers stood at 1195. This is, in fact, 3.47% less than May numbers. In most months, the Virtus has remained the best-seller in its segment.

The highest monthly numbers this year, came in March- 2009 units. On an year-on-year basis, Virtus sales have declined by 32.79% in June. In June 2025, it had sold 1778 units- 583 units more.

Later this year, Volkswagen will give this sedan a facelift. It is expected to bring notable styling changes and feature additions to the Virtus and make it even more attractive. Like its rivals, the Virtus continues to be a petrol-only model. Two engine options are available- 1.0L turbo-petrol and 1.5L turbo-petrol. It is underpinned by the MQB A0 IN platform.

Slavia, Skoda’s version of the Virtus, has been lagging behind the Volkswagen in sales. It sold 1083 units in June and 861 units in May, marking a healthy month-on-month growth of 25.78%. Even on an year-on-year basis, the car posted a growth of 20.87%. It had sold just 896 units in June 2025.

The Slavia is also awaiting a facelift sometime soon. The update will improve its styling and will give it more features and a better cabin. It will continue to use the MQB A0 IN platform and the two familiar engines- 1.0L turbo-petrol and 1.5L turbo-petrol. Recently, the carmaker had also added a new colour to the outgoing car’s Monte Carlo edition.

The Verna sold just 554 units in June- unusually low. The facelift that went on sale early this year, had made its numbers climb. The decline in June may have been due to the recent fire incident at Hyundai Mobis factory. This unfortunate incident has affected the production of multiple Hyundai models.