Maruti hikes diesel car prices by up to 10,000 rupees

[San Phrangmung]

What Maruti needs to do is start up new production facilities apart from increasing capacity in current ones plus opening up more and more dealership and atleast 20% more service centres.

But the real need is disel version of all varients starting from Alto to Wagon R to Eeco an the rest.

Then they dont have to take all the profit making money from just one sperstar Swift.

[deetjohn]

MSIL shares took a real pounding today. It went below 1000 for sometime and closed at a very lowly 1006 per share. IIRC, the lowest in 2 years.

I don't know whether the price hike is to blame for the poor show. But even during the strike, the stock had fared much better.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by muni

From your post it looks like you like swift passionately than the other cars. Believe me there are a lot of people buying Swift/other maruti products with eyes closed which they dont do with other cars.

Ritz is a far better/practical car than swift for the price it sells and the only drawback being its rear looks. Quality of the new swift is still not spectacular as what is percieved. To me it is priced atleast 30 to 40K more than what it deserves.

Maruti has a crazy brand recall when it comes to decent looking hatchbacks

I dont own one, but if i was looking to buy a Diesel Hatch right now, it would be Swift.

Ritz is practical - Yes. But the butt is ugly (IMHO) and the tacho is an eyesore (sole reason why a friend moved from Ritz to Swift).

Is Maruti extracting a premium on Swift ? Hell Yes, but why blame them - people are willing to pay it.

I dont blame Maruti, i blame the other manufacturers. Come up with cars as good as Swift in all areas (show me one FTD diesel hatch with good looks, peace of mind ***, low service cost & high resale) and then see how people will buy your car. No one is foolish to plonk ~6-8L of their money on blind faith. Maruti has spent >20years in India setting up the dealer network and ensuring low spare cost, Hyundai is finally matching up to it and look where their numbers are.

[CRtorquefan]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

And it defies my logic when some people say, I can buy a swift if it's 7.95L but NOT at 8.05L !!

Already understood your point but try to think from my side.
Swift ZDi already isn't a much VFM either & with addition of Post-purchase charges(like Insurance, RC, etc) VFM tag runs far away from it.
In addition to just look at the New Swift's lightest build quality, Coal-bin dark monotone interiors & Reported Niggles, as compared to Ritz & previous Swift.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

Already understood your point but try to think from my side.
Swift ZDi already isn't a much VFM either & with addition of Post-purchase charges(like Insurance, RC, etc) VFM tag runs far away from it.
In addition to just look at the New Swift's lightest build quality, Coal-bin dark monotone interiors & Reported Niggles, as compared to Ritz & previous Swift.

Yep, I have analyzed the problem from a customer;s shoes too. I agree that the Swift doesn't look like VFM anymore. My concern is, even at this point, how many potential customers are willing to move into a different product / brand!

In a way, aren't we customers letting a brand exploit us saying, "however you price this car, however less quality plastics you gives us, however cramped you make this, or however long the waiting periods are, we WILL still buy it" ??

As you said, it doesn't make sense to buy a ZDi at 8L, but anyone who has booked it already, can afford the additional 10K as well - we cannot help the hike, so why crib? Add to it, come April, there will be additional taxes and other stuffs that will be added. So the people who are ready to wait for 6+ months for a NOT so VFM car should be ready to pay the extras as well right [are they prepared for that hike]? Or it's high time that they find an almost good car and switch to it, buy it ASAP, start enjoying it ASAP & beat the price hikes as well.

Off-topic:
Frankly, at this point of time, if I was in the market, I would look at a Beat, Ritz or Punto over a Swift. Or rather look at pre-owned sedans like Linea or Magnum at 8L!

Disclaimer: None of the comments are intended at any personal level. It's my thoughts to the general sentiments I find here in t-bhp which I believe is a subset of Indian customers who will react pretty much the same way as many of us here, including me.

[MCR]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Punto MJD - Cheaper interiors, sluggish pickup, bad resale, lackluster A.S.S., Fiat's track record in supporting their cars

Vista - Centre speedo console, "Taxi" image, Tata niggles, TASS woes

Ford Figo - No match in performance, no Rear Power Windows, lots of niggles (check other threads), dated looking

Beat - Cramped interiors, Hit or Miss Styling, 3 cylinder diesel unfit for highways

Polo - 3 cylinder engine, lacklustre pre-sales, unknown ***, high service costs, low dealer network

i20 - no fun to drive, steering issues

Ritz - Styling not to many people's tastes, handling not upto Swift's mark

So is there really an option to Swift Diesel ? If only i10 came with a diesel heart. Until then just look at Swift numbers and the competition numbers.

Hey, you forgot bashing Micra.

Swift is undoubtedly a good car but defenitely not rid of niggles / troubles. In fact there is a ownership thread highlighling the poor brakes on the New Swift VDi version. This has been mentioned in the Official TD thread as well. Seach the forum and one can find many threads highlighting the "rattles" in the Swift.

However one point that is very clear here is , Maruti Suzuki is just "milking the cow". They are making a quick buck out of this scenario.
But at the end of the day for the Swift buyer, its " their money and their wish".

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Punto MJD - Cheaper interiors, sluggish pickup, bad resale, lackluster A.S.S., Fiat's track record in supporting their cars

Vista - Centre speedo console, "Taxi" image, Tata niggles, TASS woes

Ford Figo - No match in performance, no Rear Power Windows, lots of niggles (check other threads), dated looking

Beat - Cramped interiors, Hit or Miss Styling, 3 cylinder diesel unfit for highways

Polo - 3 cylinder engine, lacklustre pre-sales, unknown ***, high service costs, low dealer network

i20 - no fun to drive, steering issues

Ritz - Styling not to many people's tastes, handling not upto Swift's mark

Adding to your list...

Swift D - Poor brakes, pathetic boot space, claustrophobic rear seats, long waiting period, overpriced, ugly rear styling (uglier than Ritz in my personal opinion).

The Swift D is far from perfect.

So going by your logic there is no diesel hatchback in India which we should buy.

The point I'm trying to make is that there is no perfect car. Each car has its pros and cons. We need to choose the car which meets our requirements and not follow the herd.

Maruti will keep milking the customers as long as they have this herd mentality.

Rohan

[jingaboysr]

I am a potential zwift ZDi buyer, I've made the booking in Oct and waiting. I needed the car after next year feb, so the waiting period was not such a big issue for me.

I looked at all the other similar hatchs and finally came back to swift. I needed a fun to drive and reliable car. Figo was not so fun to drive, i20 was overpriced (atleast for me), Micra looked girlish, so didn't bother TDing it, Punto ruled out due to obvious reasons (A.S.S.)

I too felt that swift ZDi was not VFM anymore and with this price hike, I am on the verge of cancelling my booking. I don't want to spend close to 8 lakhs for a hatchback with an inexistent boot lacking some features (like bluetooth). I am now thinking of used sedans like fiesta or optra magnum. Could get one for 4-6 lakhs, and I save some money and drive around in a sedan with lots of boot space.
I'm sure there are a lot more people who would be thinking like me..

[Mafia]

i am sure maruti can and will get away with it. The consumer is the final loser in all these issues. To lot of people maruti is the only brand.

[asr245]

Originally Posted by Mafia

i am sure maruti can and will get away with it. The consumer is the final loser in all these issues. To lot of people maruti is the only brand.

I think it's the government which loses in all of this. They are not willing to increase diesel prices but the manufacturers are willing to increase price of diesel cars for more profits. Others will soon follow suit. And why shouldn't they? It's just good business.

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by diesel_power

CRtorquefan, if you had booked the car in July, you should have got it by now. I had booked the VDi in August 1st week, and got it in Oct 2nd week. I think you need to clarify it with your dealer. This is too much of a delay.

Seriously man you got it in 3 months. I booked a ZDi in July when I was promised max 2 months on account of only few Zdi bookings. Now the dealership is clueless when I will even get. sales team was telling February but after a long discussion, manager informed that he will try to give one by this month end. This is after giving flexibility on the Color of the Car. Anything but black.

Now a price hike on top of it. I just find it unethical on part of the firms to charge extra for a delay from their side. Many may say that manufacturer can charge whatever as long they have the demand but it is absurd.

Will people accept the same thing if a builder says that cement & Steel prices went up so pay more for the flat. Car industry in India really seems to work on a Flawed logic most of the time.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Swift D - Poor brakes, pathetic boot space, claustrophobic rear seats, long waiting period, overpriced, ugly rear styling (uglier than Ritz in my personal opinion). The Swift D is far from perfect..

Indeed it is not perfect. But it sure seems to be the best of the available options overall, as per the target market segment.

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

The point I'm trying to make is that there is no perfect car. Each car has its pros and cons. We need to choose the car which meets our requirements and not follow the herd. Maruti will keep milking the customers as long as they have this herd mentality.

The point you are missing is, what you so easily dismissed as 'the herd' is a group of knowledgeable customers, who analysed different choices and came to a decision. Just because their choice does not agree with yours or because they chose not to buy a Hyundai like you would, does not make them a herd. While we might pride ourselves on being informed, let us not assume that others are not doing their home-work too or worse, not capable of doing it.

Case in point the new Fiesta. When was the last time you saw one on the road ? It is not just tbhp-ians, but normal people also know that it is not value for money and hence shunned it. But the Verna is overbooked. So all those who booked one and are waiting for it, must be another herd according to you. Similarly it must be another herd that helped the XUV500 close bookings in a matter of days of the car being released.

[anachronix]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

It is not just tbhp-ians, but normal people also know that it is not value for money and hence shunned it.

The ZDi retails at 8 Lakh OTR in Bangalore, how do you justify that with a VFM tag. I am not denying that the New Swift (ZDi) is an outstanding product, but... whats there for the VFM tag!?

I know a lot of my friends who have booked the L & V variants of the DDIS and I know a lot of people here who keep the speeds below 40KMPH in the city just to avoid bumping into another car with the poor brakes on the L & V variants. I dont think people really care about this critical issue because its a Maruti!

[download2live]

As I will say again, no need to cry foul over the 10k price rise. Who are we trying to protect here from getting exploited? Most of the "herd mentality" people will grumble a bit but then finally will buy the Swift. And who are we to stop them?
I have not read about anyone on this thread who actually cancelled the his/her booking over this 10k rise. They are just thinking. Most probably they will accept this hike and buy the car.

Its their money guys. They can spend it in anyway they want.
Meanwhile Maruti, let this grand milking carnival continue.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by anachronix

The ZDi retails at 8 Lakh OTR in Bangalore, how do you justify that with a VFM tag. I am not denying that the New Swift (ZDi) is an outstanding product, but... whats there for the VFM tag!?

Different parts to this. I would not pay 8L for a diesel-hatch, but people here look at the 25Rs fuel-price differential and just plump for diesel. Many 1st time car buyers in my company have blindly gone for diesel cars, though they have no data to substantiate their usage and most probably wont use it enough to break even.

Another thing is the tax structure. What you pay 8L for in Blore would be ~7.5L in TN and even lesser in KL.

Finally VFM is based on not just price, but based on available choices and how they stack up. So given the huge demand, people must be finding the Swift VFM compared to other choices. How else to explain the 1lakh booking for what we think is overpriced ?

Originally Posted by anachronix

I know a lot of my friends who have booked the L & V variants of the DDIS and I know a lot of people here who keep the speeds below 40KMPH in the city just to avoid bumping into another car with the poor brakes on the L & V variants. I dont think people really care about this critical issue because its a Maruti!

Now this is something people need to make a hue & cry about, instead of something like a price-hike which any company is free to do and all companies (not just car mfrs) do whenever the setting is right. And such things are where extra value is provided by tbhp to the layman. A layman would assume the brakes are OK or maybe he is doing something wrong, but our review says they brakes in L & V versions are pathetic and dangerous. So, I would think maybe we need to focus on getting MSIL to fix this, which could cost lives, than worry about a 10K hike.