The 2025-26 VRF product cycle is the largest simultaneous OEM refresh in the Indian market in ~5 years. Four flagship product lines launched within 12 months. This insight compares Daikin VRV X, Mitsubishi Electric City Multi NX, LG Multi V i, and Hitachi PrimAirX Lite on what matters for Indian commercial specifiers.
The lines, briefly
| OEM | Product line | Launch (India) | Refrigerant | Key claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daikin India | VRV X | May 2024 | R-32 | “20 % higher ISEER vs prior VRV A series; enhanced low-ambient operation” |
| Mitsubishi Electric | City Multi NX | Sep 2024 | R-32 | “Best-in-class part-load COP at 25 % load; advanced BS box logic” |
| LG | Multi V i | Dec 2024 | R-32 | “Inverter scroll Gen 5; widest operating range -25°C to 52°C OAT” |
| Hitachi | PrimAirX Lite | Mar 2025 | R-32 | “Modular outdoor unit; field-stackable; lowest sound footprint” |
What matters for Indian commercial
Four parameters that decide selection:
1 — ISEER (Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio)
ISEER is BEE’s seasonal-weighted COP metric for Indian climate. Higher ISEER = better seasonal energy consumption.
| Brand | ISEER (8 HP class, R-32) | Improvement over 2022 product |
|---|---|---|
| Daikin VRV X | 6.10 | +18 % |
| Mitsubishi NX | 5.95 | +14 % |
| LG Multi V i | 6.25 | +22 % |
| Hitachi PrimAirX Lite | 5.85 | +12 % |
LG leads ISEER at 8 HP class. Daikin within 2-3 % at most capacities; Mitsubishi slightly behind on rated but better at part-load.
2 — Part-load COP
Indian commercial load profile is long-tail (40-60 % load most operating hours). Part-load COP matters more than rated.
| Brand | COP at 50 % load (35 °C OAT) | COP at 25 % load |
|---|---|---|
| Daikin VRV X | 5.4 | 4.8 |
| Mitsubishi NX | 5.6 | 5.2 |
| LG Multi V i | 5.5 | 4.9 |
| Hitachi PrimAirX Lite | 5.3 | 4.7 |
Mitsubishi NX wins on part-load. The 25 %-load number is especially relevant for office/IT campus operating 24/7 at low overnight load.
3 — Heat-recovery (BS box) options
3-pipe heat-recovery enables simultaneous heating + cooling — valuable in composite climates (Delhi/Pune/Bangalore Oct + Mar shoulder season). Each OEM’s BS box logic differs.
- Daikin REYQ / REMQ: mature, well-supported by India service network; widest BS box capacity range
- Mitsubishi PURY-NX: newer logic with auto-mode switching; less proven in Indian service
- LG Multi V Heat Recovery: strong BS box modulation; tight refnet spacing required
- Hitachi PrimAirX-HR: newest entry; field track record limited
For most Indian commercial: Daikin REYQ remains the safest pick by service depth + installer familiarity.
4 — Refrigerant charge per kW
R-32 systems carry less charge than R-410A baseline (~20-25 %), but among R-32 systems the variance is smaller. All four flagship lines carry comparable charge density (within 5-8 %). Refrigerant safety analysis (ASHRAE 15 RCL check) is similar across all four.
Service network reality
Selection in India is rarely about OEM tech specs alone — installation + service network is co-equal.
| OEM | Service network depth | Installer training |
|---|---|---|
| Daikin India | Tier 1 + Tier 2 cities | Strongest formal training |
| Mitsubishi Electric | Tier 1 cities + select Tier 2 | Strong but smaller installer base |
| LG | Tier 1 + Tier 2 cities | Mixed; varies by region |
| Hitachi | Tier 1 cities | Smaller installer base; expanding |
For projects in Tier 1 cities + national hospitality + IT campus chains: any of the four are viable. For Tier 2/3 + remote sites: Daikin’s network depth gives confidence.
How this lands in an Indian project — first-hand take
On a 12-floor Delhi corporate HQ retrofit (Article 096), we specified Daikin VRV X based on three factors: (a) service network proven in NCR, (b) BS box capacity matched our 3-pipe heat-recovery requirement, (c) installer’s familiarity with REYQ logic. The runner-up was LG Multi V i (higher ISEER, slightly cheaper) but installer training + service depth was lighter for that region. The energy difference between the two over 12 months operation: ~2-3 %; the project-execution risk difference was material. Selection logic in Indian commercial often weighs execution risk equal to or above tech-spec differential.
What to watch (2026-27)
- R-454B variants — first announcements expected from Daikin or Carrier India late 2026
- Higher-tonnage modular outdoor units — Hitachi PrimAirX Plus (60+ HP modular) expected 2027
- AI-integrated VRF controllers — Daikin Intelligent Touch Controller 4.0 (in beta as of Q1 2026)
- R-32 + thermal storage hybrid — ice-storage chiller + R-32 VRF integrated for time-of-use tariff arbitrage (concept stage)
- BEE ISEER methodology update — expected Q3 2026 to harmonize with ISO 5151:2017 amendments
Sources
- Daikin VRV X India brochure
- Mitsubishi Electric City Multi NX
- LG Multi V i India
- Hitachi PrimAirX
- BEE Star Labelling – VRF Systems
- ISO 5151:2017 — Air Conditioner Testing
Pairs with: VRF Refrigerant Pipe Sizing, VRF Retrofit Delhi Corporate HQ, R-32 Kigali India