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

[khanak]

Originally Posted by GTO - Touring

The SRV is currently available ONLY with the Optra's 1.6 engine.

whoops!! I guess their stupid site fooled me.

[Joy Ghose]

Skoda represents a high end club today, wherein membership is rarefied. Through the pricing of Fabia, it wants to keep it that way. Profits will come, but it is not diluting the brand. Simply put, will you have the same respect for a 6.5 lakh Mercedes? Friends, we are in midst of a marketing wonder..enjoy it. It doesn't happen very often.

[jaibir]

Originally Posted by jerish666

You can see the price of Palio 1.6.You cannot think the multijet or GP same price with more options.

The Palio 1.6 is cheaper than the Swift petrol VXI even without the discounts (4.8L OTR Mumbai vs. 4.95 for the Swift VXI), despite having a larger engine and coming with factory fitted alloys. Even if they keep MJD 80k more expensive than the 1.6 petrol, it would come in cheaper than a Swift VDI. If they come out with a low spec version, it would likely sit below the Swift LDI.

On the Grande Punto, its more difficult to comment. At a price a lakh or so above the 1.6, it would be in the same price range as the Swift ZXI.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by jaibir

The Palio 1.6 is cheaper than the Swift petrol VXI even without the discounts (4.8L OTR Mumbai vs. 4.95 for the Swift VXI), despite having a larger engine and coming with factory fitted alloys.

That pricing is mainly due to the pressure of limited sales, and may not be the case with the GP if TATA- FIAT is confident of the product.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'm just not familiar with the current VAG models. If the fabia is like the polo I nearly bought, four or five years ago, it'll be too small, and I wouldn't be interested. If its more like the golf, I would.

Its a Polo. The Octavia is the Golf.

You wouldnt pay that kind of money for a Polo, would ya? Why then would someone pay so much for a Skoda clone, I wonder.

Either Skoda is nuts, or the people who buy these things are.

[hell_rider]

man...

i had a problem with honda. this fabia thing makes my diatribe against honda totally pointless.

it should be extremely interesting to see how this thing sells.

Anyone here feel that the Fusion TdCi is more value for money ? Or for that matter even the Getz CRDi. And quailty levels of both these cars too should be at par if not better than the Fabia.

If service costs of this Fabia are anywhere like has been discussed on the Skoda maintenance costs thread, then its going to be a very tough sell.

[jaibir]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

That pricing is mainly due to the pressure of limited sales, and may not be the case with the GP if TATA- FIAT is confident of the product.

That might well be - especially if they want to differentiate the GP against the palio and new indica lineup

Originally Posted by jerish666

Yes 4.8 lac+80k+tax+insurance +price of features it will be more than 6lack buddy.Minimum OTR will be 6lac.

80K is the OTR price difference between the Swift LXI and LDI in Mumbai. The invoice value difference is less. Can't comment on the features bit though - if they spec it with goodies like ABS, airbags, height adjustable seats etc, it could push well north of 6 lakhs

[burnt.]

Originally Posted by Joy Ghose

Skoda represents a high end club today, wherein membership is rarefied. Through the pricing of Fabia, it wants to keep it that way. Profits will come, but it is not diluting the brand. Simply put, will you have the same respect for a 6.5 lakh Mercedes? Friends, we are in midst of a marketing wonder..enjoy it. It doesn't happen very often.

Marketing wonder or marketing blunder, that is yet to be decided. The fact is, the Indian consumer is really suspect of products that doesn't do good numbers. They automatically assume that something is wrong with the product. If this car doesn't take off, it might find it really difficult to do respectable numbers. If you look at it, both the Octavia and the Laura do very good numbers in their respectable segments. This strategy, might just come around to bite them in the back.

[rahul_intlad]

What Skoda have not taken into consideration is the alternatives available.When the Octavia was launched[too an extent even the laura] what was the alternative available to the customer with regards to a diesel car.Is this the same in case of the Fabia right now.

Just look at the case of the Skoda Suberp,has Skoda been able to elevate itself to Mercedes/BMW levels and been able to do well in this segment.

Leaves me wondering what would have happened to our country without Maruti Suzuki Ltd.[This mantle is all set to be taken up by Tata now]

[raul]

This premium skoda business has gone to Skoda's head and obviously lots of other people too.

Skoda marketing has had to grapple with the poor image of the Skoda and you should look at Skoda advertising over the last 4 years in western europe especially UK on how they are trying to reposition the brand as value for money and sensible and not something to be embarrassed of. That's the origin of the brand, they want to be the Ikea of the autoworld. The entire company is orientated to that, not building premium products.

The premium strategy will work in other underdeveloped markets provided the premium is slightly higher not crazily high because then there is a massive disconnect between product and price that just brand cannot bridge. Brands are not built on price, that would be every marketers dream, but on product and other factors or value intrinsic to the product. Brand perception does not come from price.

The same will happen to the Fabia and people will inevitably realize its stupidly bad value for money. Nobody is going to spend 8-9 lakhs, even the rich, on a whim or some inexplicable brand value that only few perceive.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Its a Polo. The Octavia is the Golf.

You wouldnt pay that kind of money for a Polo, would ya? Why then would someone pay so much for a Skoda clone, I wonder.

Either Skoda is nuts, or the people who buy these things are.

I think I mentioned elsewhere that I nearly did, about 4-5 years ago. 10,000 UK pounds, and it looked very nice, with a large end-of-year discount; so large they were undercutting their used-car sales! They were really shifting them too.

I chickened out and spent less than half that on something completely different.

Different economy, though, and had a job at the time, of course.

[R.P.M]

Visited the Skoda showroom today.

On Road Prices Mumbai:

Diesel
Active - 7.00
Classic - 7.42
Ambiente - 8.34
Elegance - 8.96

Petrol
Active - 5.84
Classic - 6.25
Ambiente - 6.95

They have already recieved 195 orders of which 75 were booked before the car launch.

42% of the total have been from existing skoda users.

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by R.P.M

Visited the Skoda showroom today.

On Road Prices Mumbai:

Diesel
Ambiente - 8.34
Elegance - 8.96

Wow... A hatch more expensive that a Fiesta Diesel. I will be surprised if the car sells >500 per month after the initial furore dies down. Despite whatever image Skoda wants to convey, its still a bread-n-butter European car brand and nothing more!

[LLL]

Originally Posted by raul

This premium skoda business has gone to Skoda's head and obviously lots of other people too.

yes, Skoda is limiting its own sales by pricing fabia at a premium. Not too many people will be buying a fabia at those prices. And those who buy will come screaming back when they are hit with high spares cost.

They have virtually eliminated the middle class market with that pricing.

[skmami]

I have heard that lot of cars are leaving the dealer and yet I don't see any reviews on this car. Is that because no BHP-ian buying this car ?