[vkochar]

Very Nice Topic - Very Debatable also. The discussions on this can be endless.

But yet the main criteria of selecting a car in India will always be Price first - and the story more or less remains the same all over the world. But different Priorities in terms of vehicle features.

The more money you spend, the more technologically advanced vehicle you get, more safety features you get.

You cannot get better than a Mercedes / BMW / Audi / VW in terms of safety, luxury and Status' !!

You want performance - get a Mitsubishi, Porsche, Ferrari etc.

You want economy - get a Skoda, Fiat, Toyota.

When you speak of Maruti, Hyundai in India which are both India's largest Manufacturers - they are not world class cars by any means. They are Bare Basic vehicles - Just an engine with AC on four wheels. Nothing else. But then what do you expect in 3 - 4 Lacs !! You get a Bike abroad for this.

Indian customers are a very tough lot - here people want maximum bang for their Buck. Foreign countries are a little different I feel - people give Safety a very big Priority when selecting vehicles.

In India on the other hand People do not look at saftey at all. Why is it that a Swift VXi sells more than a Swift ZXi ? Because of the 70k or so Price difference !!!

Yes, the Indian Market is maturing now and we will see a vast improvement in the coming 2-3 years. Look at the i10 ( O ), Swift ZXi, Indica ( O ), Safari ( O ), All have safety features now. Even Honda known for its stringent pricing, has given Airbags Optional in Vtec.

And I am 100% sure that in the coming years our Indian Companies - TATA, MUL, M&M will be right there up with the competetion.