Skoda Fabia much awaited premium hatch is finally here!!!

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by agent4ferrari

I don't understand which Indian would put 5.5-7lakhs of his hard earned money into a hatchback. most buyers like to buy the costliest looking car within their budget. 5.5 upwards theres the aveo fiesta sx4 etc which not only look bigger but also look more striking.

This Indian invested 5.7 lac of his hard earned money in buying a Swift VDI. But you are right, I wouldn't have crossed 6 at any cost.

[BUSA]

Originally Posted by agent4ferrari

I don't understand which Indian would put 5.5-7lakhs of his hard earned money into a hatchback. most buyers like to buy the costliest looking car within their budget. 5.5 upwards theres the aveo fiesta sx4 etc which not only look bigger but also look more striking.

The cars top model is going to be 7.5Lacs IMO. Base model with better features, build and ride then competition will be around 6Lacs.

Also Swift VDi with ABS costs 5.79Lacs, plus you add tires, rims, ICE and you exceed 6, here you dont need to add ICE, rims, tires, since they are adequate.

[khanak]

Originally Posted by agent4ferrari

I don't understand which Indian would put 5.5-7lakhs of his hard earned money into a hatchback. most buyers like to buy the costliest looking car within their budget. 5.5 upwards theres the aveo fiesta sx4 etc which not only look bigger but also look more striking. car lovers and enthusiasts will lvoe the car for its technical aspects and features. but the normal man who buyes cars need to have the max show off appeal for his money. so that he can say yes iv bought x car. if it does not giv that value then it needs to be cheap on fuel service and more value for money. lets see how this new skoda fares in the indian scenario. even the exisiting skoda customers if their religion aint cars, they wish they owned a toyota or a honda instead. the older design of the fabia was good. the new design is too sober for our premium market. on top of its and expensive hatch. with such features the mentainance costs would also be premium! nor does this car have the performance figures of the superhatch. besides luxury and refinement theres nothing else to it. in a market where most premium buyers look at selling their car in 2-3 years, theres little scope for people to appreciate the build quality and durability, unless they meet with an accident and the car proves its strength. look at wht happened at the amazing palio 1.6! inspight of also having a powerful engine. look at the fusion and the srv. even the uva is having tough time. getz sales arent inspiring. these are good products with good intentions and concepts but when compared with whats the ebst you can buy for your limited money, then the high end hatch doesnt come in top slot. the rear legroom int he srv and uva are more. the engine power is more in the hyundais and the fiats. others look better. to make matters wose the side cues remind you of the much cheaper swift. just the additional features are all secondary needs. i wouldnt like to spend for a car that from far may be mistaken for a cheaper car atleast that neither looks the best in its class nor performs like a hot hatch. may be the ride quality and build is excellent but howmany realy appreciate that out here. i think this product will have the same destiny the opel sail had few years ago. great product but wrong marketing mix for the wrong market.

Not too sure if I agree with you on a couple of points

1. The only advantage to launching the old Fabia instead of the new one would be the fact that it was available as a sedan. Other than that it looked boxier and more dated than even the Octavia. Looks and image play an important part in a buyer's deciscion making process and ultimately decides the car's fate.

2. This isnt an out and out enthusiast's car. If you want power the Getz D can be tuned to 130bhp with a Petes box. This car will appeal to the more educated and aware buyer who has matured over the years and realizes that even though he could probably get a Logan for the same price as a Fabia, just because the Logan is a bit bigger and has a boot doesnt mean its a better car.

3. The 'hatchbacks arent real cars' mentality is certainly present in the minds of consumers though people are slowly starting to see beyond that. I believe a Swift costs almost the same or more than an Esteem and still sells more. People arent as price concious as they are value concious. Everyone is looking to get the maximum bang for their buck. If people were just Diesel crazy and were so price sensitive why would the vdi outsell the ldi?

4. Skoda IS a premium brand in India and its definatly a nice brand to have in your driveway and something you can flaunt unlike having a Swift or Getz.

Im not however saying that this car is a garunteed success, its a pretty risky move on Skoda's part. A sedan would mean garunteed success in the Fiesta/City/Aveo segment but I guess Skoda doesnt have the time to wait for the international launch of the sedan and is taking its chances on the Indian market. To be honest Id rather have a well proportioned Swift than an akward Swift sedan, an Indica rather than an Indigo and the Fabia hatch than some wierd sedan.

[khanak]

Originally Posted by Eddy

This Indian invested 5.7 lac of his hard earned money in buying a Swift VDI. But you are right, I wouldn't have crossed 6 at any cost.

Would that Indian have thought he would spend that much on a hatch a few years ago? The market is maturing.

[khanak]

Originally Posted by BUSA

Also Swift VDi with ABS costs 5.79Lacs, plus you add tires, rims, ICE and you exceed 6, here you dont need to add ICE, rims, tires, since they are adequate.

Does tha average customer really think theres something wrong with the brand new tyres on his or her Swift?

[raul]

Skoda is not a premium brand, even VW is not premium brand. It used to be in India but that gloss is vanishing fast, the market is changing. The context that created that perception no longer exists. You can't make a premium brand just because you want to, that devalues the word premium brand when there is nothing else backing it apart from your desire to see it as so. There is a lot more than goes into it than just words.

There is nothing in the Fabia that makes it premium, perhaps someone can quantify this premiumness.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by khanak

Would that Indian have thought he would spend that much on a hatch a few years ago? The market is maturing.

The Indian would not have been able to afford it a few years ago. But I spent it becoz I though the car deserved it. Don't think there were too many options at that time to merit such a spend.

Market is maturing in terms of buying behavior and the quality of products available.

Originally Posted by khanak

Does tha average customer really think theres something wrong with the brand new tyres on his or her Swift?

Right. Its only a small percentage of people that go for upsizes etc. Most of them, including me, think that its quite sufficient for some sane driving in the city.

[khanak]

Originally Posted by Eddy

The Indian would not have been able to afford it a few years ago. But I spent it becoz I though the car deserved it. Don't think there were too many options at that time to merit such a spend.

Whoops!!

Didnt know we were talking about you.

What I meant is that even if one was able to afford it, one would rather spend the money and get a sedan instead of a hatch but now the thinking is changing.

[vittalnrv]

Just went through the brochure of Fabia, the 1.4 PD engine is in a 3-cylinder configuration which is ok but what was striking is the simple 2-valve per cylinder installation, so it makes a total of 6-valves for the package.How strong can we expect the performance to be?

[neoonwheels]

Even though the market is maturing in India and even if we hope Fabia even being priced in 6-7.5L should strike.... Do not forget the story of SRV...

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Even though the market is maturing in India and even if we hope Fabia even being priced in 6-7.5L should strike.... Do not forget the story of SRV...

Apart from the high tag price, the SRV had pther things going against it, least of all -- the brand and its reputation.

Skoda as a brand is much more successful in India and this will definitely help the Fabia.

[jerish666]

Originally Posted by khanak

Not too sure if I agree with you on a couple of points



2. This isnt an out and out enthusiast's car. If you want power the Getz D can be tuned to 130bhp with a Petes box. This car will appeal to the more educated and aware buyer who has matured over the years and realizes that even though he could probably get a Logan for the same price as a Fabia, just because the Logan is a bit bigger and has a boot doesnt mean its a better car.

3. The 'hatchbacks arent real cars' mentality is certainly present in the minds of consumers though people are slowly starting to see beyond that. I believe a Swift costs almost the same or more than an Esteem and still sells more. People arent as price concious as they are value concious. Everyone is looking to get the maximum bang for their buck. If people were just Diesel crazy and were so price sensitive why would the vdi outsell the ldi?.

It is true that a Getz can be tuned to 130bhp with a petes tuning box.What about the ABS and air bags?
Why hatchbacks arent real cars?Then why subaru made hatch back for wrc to compete against Citroen c4 and Ford Focus.So how can you say hatchbacks are not real cars?

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by jerish666

It is true that a Getz can be tuned to 130bhp with a petes tuning box.What about the ABS and air bags?
Why hatchbacks arent real cars?Then why subaru made hatch back for wrc to compete against Citroen c4 and Ford Focus.So how can you say hatchbacks are not real cars?

He is not saying that. To the contrary, khanak is debating that good hatches do sell now even at prices comparable to sedans.

[.anshuman]

Fabia's PD engine is not all about outright acceleration,check out the in gear acceleration times and its the real world driveability that matters to masses.

[nikhilv12]

Hi guys, managed to drive the car for a few meters today. The driveability of the car is awesome.

The engine was pretty noisy, as expected, but vibrations were not something to worry about, though it fairly "shakes" the whole car, when cranked.

The interiors are simply awesome, good quality, good space, definately best in the class. And the best part, it is loaded with features, no other car has in the segment offers even as an option.

Even if you try retrofitting these options on a swift, it will turn out to be as expenceve as the fully loaded fabia, let alone a getz crdi!
It was simply brilliant!

expected price : 7.5 OTR for the top of the line diesel.