My long email to Hyundai India regarding The New i20 / Getz / Updated Verna

[VSG12777]

Hi everyone, here is the long email I wrote to Hyundai India last night, putting down whatever thoughts I had in mind regarding the cars concerned:
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Subject:

UNDERPOWERED ENGINE IN THE NEW i20 / LACK OF FEATURES IN THE GETZ 1.3 / NO AIRBAGS IN UPDATED VERNA / GENERAL PRICING OF HYUNDAI CARS

Hello Hyundai India,

We own a Santro 2007 XO Limited Edition model in Chennai and are very happy with it. My dad owns the car and my wife and I were eagerly waiting for the i20 since we had planned to go in for a car. Though we love the Getz, I can't digest the fact that so many features are left out in the Indian Getz compared to the Australian or UK versions.

I have lived in Australia for 3 years since I did my MBA there and just before coming back to India in Sep 2006, we had rented a 3-door 1.5 litre Getz automatic hatchback there in Melbourne for last minute driving around. We absolutely loved the car. The car so easily touched 100kmph on the freeways there and we never felt the speed. This was only a basic model with wheel covers but it had powered mirrors.

Why are features like powered (electric) mirrors left out in the Indian Getz ? Height adjustable driver's seat ? Height adjustable front seat belts ? No Airbags ? All the overseas versions of the Getz seem to have ABS and dual airbags standard. Why not in the Indian version ?

Well, I am a Hyundai fan and am utterly disappointed after seeing that the new i20 has been launched with the 1.2 litre Kappa engine. Most of the auto magazines have mentioned that it's alright for city driving but feels underpowered for the highway.

The i20 is a pretty wide and heavy car. Referring to the specs, I observed that the i20 is wider than even the Verna (1710mm for i20 compared to 1695mm for Verna) !! And the car weighs 1086kg. This is even heavier than our Daewoo Cielo 1998 GLX model at home (done 30k kms) which weighs less than 1000 kg. I can say, even without test driving the i20, that the 1.2 litre engine is definitely underpowered for this car. It's great in the i10 but not the i20. People have mentioned that the i20 struggles on inclines with the A/C on and with 4 passengers on board.

Also, though we are happy that Hyundai India has brought class leading features in the i20 (many of them 1st for the segment) like 6 airbags, electrically folding rear view mirrors, multi information display in the centre of the dashboard etc, why have some important features been LEFT OUT IN THE INDIAN i20 ?

For example:

* Vanity mirrors in the sunshades in front
* Height adjustable seat belts for the front

I have observed that the above features are available in the overseas versions of the i20 (UK to be specific). It's only logical that if a driver's seat height adjustment is provided, a height adjustment for the seat belt should also be provided. Otherwise the seat belt would not be comfortable if the driver's seat height is adjusted to the lowest or highest position. This is such a glaring omission !!

Maybe we don't really require heated seats or heated outside rearview mirrors, but at least the above omitted features should be provided. When such pain has been taken to offer 6 airbags and electrically foldable rearview mirrors, why omit the above smaller but useful features in an otherwise excellent car ?

Also, most people were expecting the 1.4 litre CRDI diesel engine option in the i20 as well. Hope Hyundai India launches this in 2009 WITHOUT STRIPPING OFF THE OTHER FEATURES like it was done in the GETZ CRDi. Please Hyundai !! Give Indians the fully loaded diesel version as well.

Just like you're introducing automatic transmission in the diesel versions of the Sonata Transform and the updated Verna, please also offer the automatic transmission as an option for the petrol and diesel versions of the i20. There are more people looking for a nice automatic transmission car now than there were a couple of years back.

Also, please do launch the 1.4 litre petrol engine (100 bhp) in the i20 as this is the minimum engine that the car should have !! The looks should match the power too !! I find that you have a wide range of engine options for the i20 overseas, comprising the 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6L petrol engines as well as 1.4 and 1.6L CRDi diesel engines. So why not offer a better engine in the i20 and make it a nice "hot hatch" as they call it ? This way, the car would have both "show" and "go".

Many people feel that the i20 is overpriced by at least INR 50,000.

I am an active member on the popular automotive forum, Team BHP. I highly recommend that your marketing department / finance department goes through this thread on the forum which is only talking about the i20. You would get to know the people's opinion on the i20 regarding quality, features, price, space, comfort etc.

Here is the link:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...4-80-lakh.html (Hyundai I20 Launched at Rs 4.80 lakh)

I agree that no product would satisfy 100% of prospective customers, but the features that I have mentioned above are some glaring omissions. I am sure height adjustable seat belts and vanity mirrors would not even cost 30% as much as the cost of adding ABS or airbags !!

When the overseas versions of the i20 (which are essentially being made in Chennai) can have all these features, why not the customers in the domestic market ? Please Hyundai. This is from a Hyundai fan and I am appealing to the big bosses in Hyundai to take corrective measures.

The i20 would be a runaway hit if it is loaded with the missing features and a better engine for the current prices. With the current prices, if a diesel version with automatic transmission is added, the price would probably go to INR 7 lakh or even 7.5 lakh, which would make people think twice or thrice before buying the car as it would be too expensive for its size and what it offers.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE PRICING Of YOUR CARS HYUNDAI INDIA!!

The Indian market is quite a price sensitive one and now customers in India expect more features at reasonable prices. Most people on the Team BHP forum say that the Getz is overpriced too and it's the main reason for the car not doing too well in the Indian market.

A discussion on this can be found using this link:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...verpriced.html (Do you think that the Hyundai Getz is overpriced?)

With the current set of features, the Getz 1.3 GLX feels like a rip-off since the only nice thing it has is ABS. Even the alloy wheels can be purchased and fitted outside. The 1.3 GLX on the other hand does not even have ABS and is quite a rip-off too. No alloys, no ABS etc. No climate control in Getz either - but this I can accept somewhat since the car was launched in 2002 worldwide. However updating it with automatic climate control would not hurt, especially after seeing some other competing brands having this feature in their cars (and even in Hyundai's own i20 and Verna, Sonata etc).

Since we own the top of the line Santro XO Limited Edition model (which is no longer available) and being a Hyundai fan (your cars like the Genesis in the USA are marvellous to say the least), I have put so much of my time in writing to Hyundai India.

I certainly hope and pray that what I have mentioned in this email appeals to the concerned authorities in Hyundai India and the i20 and Getz are updated accordingly with features. I would be sure to buy one of these cars if any updates are done. I am sure many others would too. There are many people whom I know myself, who have decided against the Getz due to being overpriced and due to the lack of some features, compared to competitors' models. And these people whom I personally know have instead purchased competitors' models after waiting for the launch of the Getz Prime in 2007.

Also, why no airbags in the updated Verna ? The smaller i10 and i20 get airbags but not the Verna ? Please Hyundai. When the Verna/Accent overseas is offered with dual airbags as standard, why not for the Indian market ? Why is safety being compromised here ?

I guess it's time to pull up your socks and revamp your product range Hyundai !! Go for it !!

Hope to hear from you soon with positive information regarding the new i20 / Getz / Verna.

Thanks and warm regards,
Venkat

P.S. - If you feel I can write to someone more important to get my views across, please do forward the email IDs to me and I shall gladly write to them. Being an avid Hyundai fan, I thought it would be my duty to get these thoughts across to Hyundai India with the hope that some kind of action would be taken. I am marking a copy of this email to my own office email ID as well as to 2 of my close friends (one who works with Ford India and had previously purchased a Santro XO model upon my recommendation and quite an automotive buff, and another colleague in my office who wants to buy a Getz / i20 in another couple of months and is generally very interested in cars). Thanks !!
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I shall update the thread if and when I receive a reply from Hyundai.

Warm regards,
Venkat

[raj_5004]

you think the person-in-charge will spend so much time reading this LONG mail?

but i appreciate your concern.

[salvation]

with my experience! they dont care a damn!

[narayan]

VSG12777 - its very good that you put in your thoughts in an email and sent to them. Very few customers/prospective customers do that and good companies will only capitalise on such feedback and make necesssary changes

there is no point in just discussing the pros and cons in a forum or elsewhere - need to tell the companies too. of course its a different matter what their response is going to be - but YOU HAVE DONE YOUR BIT

good show

P.S. - you may also want to take the contact details of the local Hyundai sales manager and send it to him also. typically SALES PEOPLE LOVE SUCH FEEDBACK from customers and gladly FORWARD IT TO THE RIGHT HIGHER UPS.

because it helps them give that " extra excuse" to tell top management why they are not able to meet their targets

Originally Posted by salvation

with my experience! they dont care a damn!

lets avoid the negativity - bottom line - its good to give FEEDBACK !

it a different matter how well the receiver puts it to use

[yatin]

I suspect that Hyundai, of late, is interested in India more as an export base than as a market that they would want to improve in. They know they have a good name here, and almost any product they bring in will find *some* takers. They are quite willing to strip and over-price a car, and accept the sales they get; their exports of better-equipped cars could be their major profits. The govt. would be happy too to show growing exports ... the domestic sales graph wouldn't matter to it.

[SS-Traveller]

Hyundai is very wary of the Indian customer, and doesn't like them to get the best, because the co. thinks all Indians "only want discounts". This was part of a conversation I had with a Korean gentleman (I shall not disclose his identity) over a few cigarettes some months ago, at Hyundai's corporate office in Delhi. I was badgering him about the i20 and i30 CRDi, and why they wouldn't launch these in India. He told me point blank that Indians won't be able to afford it! Then he strongly came out with the quoted words, and I was taken aback.

His opinion about warranties is also anti-India, but may have an inkling of truth in it. Hyundai is not pro the 4-yr/80,000 km offered, but are doing it only because Maruti does. I asked him about a 5-yr/unlimited km warranty, and he looked at me like I was an escaped convict. He was so very vocal about people not servicing their cars regularly, and when it came to parts failures, insisting that the warranty be honoured. Perhaps true in some cases, but that does not mean we're all bad!

Lastly, I believe there is some major upheaval going on at Hyundai India. At least 3 top people I know have moved out (not thrown out, but resigned, and well before the current recession set in) of the co. recently, and not one of them has said good things about how things are done and managed at Hyundai. At the very least, the Koreans are extremely disdainful of the integrity, working ability, leadership qualities and punctuality of ALL Indians. The same impression was also conveyed to me by the Korean gentleman I spoke to.

[salvation]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Hyundai is very wary of the Indian customer, and doesn't like them to get the best, because the co. thinks all Indians "only want discounts". This was part of a conversation I had with a Korean gentleman (I shall not disclose his identity) over a few cigarettes some months ago, at Hyundai's corporate office in Delhi. I was badgering him about the i20 and i30 CRDi, and why they wouldn't launch these in India. He told me point blank that Indians won't be able to afford it! Then he strongly came out with the quoted words, and I was taken aback.

His opinion about warranties is also anti-India, but may have an inkling of truth in it. Hyundai is not pro the 4-yr/80,000 km offered, but are doing it only because Maruti does. I asked him about a 5-yr/unlimited km warranty, and he looked at me like I was an escaped convict. He was so very vocal about people not servicing their cars regularly, and when it came to parts failures, insisting that the warranty be honoured. Perhaps true in some cases, but that does not mean we're all bad!

Lastly, I believe there is some major upheaval going on at Hyundai India. At least 3 top people I know have moved out (not thrown out, but resigned, and well before the current recession set in) of the co. recently, and not one of them has said good things about how things are done and managed at Hyundai. At the very least, the Koreans are extremely disdainful of the integrity, working ability, leadership qualities and punctuality of ALL Indians. The same impression was also conveyed to me by the Korean gentleman I spoke to.

i have personally experienced what you have said and thats why used those words in my previous quote..but "sigh" what to do?

[amit27]

Why blame koreans for this . I work for a Jap company and they also have similar approach towards Indian market ( and people ) look at Toyota India is the only country where they have put in this engine all over the world including Sri Lanka they are selling an advanced version of VVTi engine

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Lastly, I believe there is some major upheaval going on at Hyundai India. At least 3 top people I know have moved out (not thrown out, but resigned, and well before the current recession set in) of the co. recently, and not one of them has said good things about how things are done and managed at Hyundai. At the very least, the Koreans are extremely disdainful of the integrity, working ability, leadership qualities and punctuality of ALL Indians. The same impression was also conveyed to me by the Korean gentleman I spoke to.

This is a problem in Hyundai USA as well. Several Americans have been fired, many quit. One sales exec was fired minutes before he was going to speak at a dealer conference. Generally bad opinion among locals about Korean management style.

[live2drive]

Nice effort there Venkat.. Lets hope hyundai takes your thoughts seriously.. Do post here as soon as you get a reply from their side.
Cheers!

[VSG12777]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

you think the person-in-charge will spend so much time reading this LONG mail?

but i appreciate your concern.

Well Raj, I only hope someone does read the mail. Let's wait and hope for the best.

Originally Posted by salvation

with my experience! they dont care a damn!

Hmm. I have also experienced this, but I am taking the chance hoping that things can still change for the better in India. Let's see.

Originally Posted by narayan

VSG12777 - its very good that you put in your thoughts in an email and sent to them. Very few customers/prospective customers do that and good companies will only capitalise on such feedback and make necesssary changes

there is no point in just discussing the pros and cons in a forum or elsewhere - need to tell the companies too. of course its a different matter what their response is going to be - but YOU HAVE DONE YOUR BIT

good show

P.S. - you may also want to take the contact details of the local Hyundai sales manager and send it to him also. typically SALES PEOPLE LOVE SUCH FEEDBACK from customers and gladly FORWARD IT TO THE RIGHT HIGHER UPS.

because it helps them give that " extra excuse" to tell top management why they are not able to meet their targets

lets avoid the negativity - bottom line - its good to give FEEDBACK !

it a different matter how well the receiver puts it to use

Hi Narayan (this is my name at home too), yes; I just felt that I should put down my thoughts / views as well as views of some of our forum friends and send it to the company. It's different when the company just hears about such views from others, and it's totally different when a person actually takes the pain to write to the company. This is now hard evidence that I've written to them isn't it ? And yes, I do plan to get the contact details of some more higher ups and send the mail to them, including maybe to Mr. H.S. Lheem who is the MD & CEO of Hyundai India. I am sure that at least the letter to the MD/CEO would do something.

Originally Posted by yatin

I suspect that Hyundai, of late, is interested in India more as an export base than as a market that they would want to improve in. They know they have a good name here, and almost any product they bring in will find *some* takers. They are quite willing to strip and over-price a car, and accept the sales they get; their exports of better-equipped cars could be their major profits. The govt. would be happy too to show growing exports ... the domestic sales graph wouldn't matter to it.

Now this is really disappointing to read. I just hope this is not as true as it seems to be. At this rate, other brands are gonna wipe Hyundai out of the market. It would take time, but this can very well happen with such a complacent attitude.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Hyundai is very wary of the Indian customer, and doesn't like them to get the best, because the co. thinks all Indians "only want discounts". This was part of a conversation I had with a Korean gentleman (I shall not disclose his identity) over a few cigarettes some months ago, at Hyundai's corporate office in Delhi. I was badgering him about the i20 and i30 CRDi, and why they wouldn't launch these in India. He told me point blank that Indians won't be able to afford it! Then he strongly came out with the quoted words, and I was taken aback.

His opinion about warranties is also anti-India, but may have an inkling of truth in it. Hyundai is not pro the 4-yr/80,000 km offered, but are doing it only because Maruti does. I asked him about a 5-yr/unlimited km warranty, and he looked at me like I was an escaped convict. He was so very vocal about people not servicing their cars regularly, and when it came to parts failures, insisting that the warranty be honoured. Perhaps true in some cases, but that does not mean we're all bad!

Lastly, I believe there is some major upheaval going on at Hyundai India. At least 3 top people I know have moved out (not thrown out, but resigned, and well before the current recession set in) of the co. recently, and not one of them has said good things about how things are done and managed at Hyundai. At the very least, the Koreans are extremely disdainful of the integrity, working ability, leadership qualities and punctuality of ALL Indians. The same impression was also conveyed to me by the Korean gentleman I spoke to.

Oh my. Doesn't sound good. So it appears as it they're doing this purposely in the Indian market then. What a shame.

Originally Posted by amit27

Why blame koreans for this . I work for a Jap company and they also have similar approach towards Indian market ( and people ) look at Toyota India is the only country where they have put in this engine all over the world including Sri Lanka they are selling an advanced version of VVTi engine

Well there you go. Why does this happen when it comes to the Indian market ? For this I really appreciate Maruti for giving us the SX4 and Swift with versions having dual airbags / ABS / climate control etc from launch at very reasonable prices. In this aspect Maruti has won our hearts. If only they could match the same quality as their SX4s and Swifts sold overseas.

Originally Posted by Mpower

This is a problem in Hyundai USA as well. Several Americans have been fired, many quit. One sales exec was fired minutes before he was going to speak at a dealer conference. Generally bad opinion among locals about Korean management style.

Man - even in the USA ? This definitely points to bad Korean management style then.

Originally Posted by live2drive

Nice effort there Venkat.. Lets hope hyundai takes your thoughts seriously.. Do post here as soon as you get a reply from their side.
Cheers!

Hi Live2Drive, thanks. Yes I shall certainly post back here if and when I do get a response from Hyundai India.

Warm regards,
Venkat

[aaggoswami]

Where as I appreciate your effort and concern regarding the omission of features and pricing along with those engine comments, do you really think that they will do anything ?
TBHP is now well known to all manufacturers in India. I remember that facelifted Fiesta images were leaked here and next time that dealership gate had opaque sheets fitted. Goes on to show what TBHP is, but do the manufacturers really care ?
I think GTO started one thread like this " Swift/SX4 effect on perceptions " and mailed that to Maruti. Any effect ? This is Hyundai that is inherently more rigid than the Japs.

I know people who went in for rattling Swift than the Getz. The product line up in India is itself confused with pricing and features as you have mentioned. I can go endless in these matters and create a very long post, but that is of no use.

The fact is that in India buying a car is almost as good as, well, may I add, marriage or buying a new house and doing " Vastu Pujan ". Its tough to buy a car and coupled with the enthusiasm of getting a car and upraising of social value, people often overlook many aspects. Add to that not good knowledge, and the car buyers are more stubborn and resistant to changes, buying whatever is offered and then justifying it. But eventually more often than not the customer ends up cheated.
Hyundai is not the only manufacturer doing this. We cannot help the situation unless most of the customers gain more knowledge of what is really happening. I know some who say, " Once we have bought the car, don't think about it ". Obviously he was getting creamed by dealer ( this time again Hyundai ).

We the Indian customers are taken for granted since many years, but has that changed. The number of problems in premium cars we have seen here is sufficient to indicate that manufacturers are making the maximum of the Indian car market. One short example. Skoda Laura in Europe is not a car competing with Accord. In India the pricing are around Accord levels.
Hyundai is no different. The way they have done marketing shows the culture that is followed at Hyundai, atleast for India.

Its upto the customer to demand and change the trend. People buy Verna like mad, but they rarely think of airbags.
Whatever we do, the condition is going to remain like in general for Indian car market.

[nickatnite]

Let's face the truth and that is , the Indian consumer is "paisa vasool". The only time they're reckless in spending is when it is someone else's money like corporates and politicians allegedly do.And, why blame the Koreans or anyone else?. Who is running the marketing department of these companies and the dealerships and who frames the taxation laws of this land?. This is a country where the Ambassador is still in production. The exceptions only confirm the norm. Before we blame outsiders, let us look within.The rot is right here.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Hyundai is very wary of the Indian customer, and doesn't like them to get the best, because the co. thinks all Indians "only want discounts". This was part of a conversation I had with a Korean gentleman (I shall not disclose his identity) over a few cigarettes some months ago, at Hyundai's corporate office in Delhi. I was badgering him about the i20 and i30 CRDi, and why they wouldn't launch these in India. He told me point blank that Indians won't be able to afford it! Then he strongly came out with the quoted words, and I was taken aback.

His opinion about warranties is also anti-India, but may have an inkling of truth in it. Hyundai is not pro the 4-yr/80,000 km offered, but are doing it only because Maruti does. I asked him about a 5-yr/unlimited km warranty, and he looked at me like I was an escaped convict. He was so very vocal about people not servicing their cars regularly, and when it came to parts failures, insisting that the warranty be honoured. Perhaps true in some cases, but that does not mean we're all bad!

Lastly, I believe there is some major upheaval going on at Hyundai India. At least 3 top people I know have moved out (not thrown out, but resigned, and well before the current recession set in) of the co. recently, and not one of them has said good things about how things are done and managed at Hyundai. At the very least, the Koreans are extremely disdainful of the integrity, working ability, leadership qualities and punctuality of ALL Indians. The same impression was also conveyed to me by the Korean gentleman I spoke to.

Dude, I for one find this gentleman's attitude towards Indians quite offensive. The Hyundai person should understand that in Europe and the US, people look rather disdainfully at a Korean car. In my time in Sweden, I saw very few Jap cars and no Korean cars at all. All the others were European, primarily Swedish (naturally) and German. Tell yr Korean pal to wake up and smell the coffee. India is one of the largest markets for his products. He needs to listen to the customer no matter what his car maintenance habits may be.

There are also some characteristics about Koreans that we Indians would find quite disgusting (eating dog meat for one), so let him not get his snooty nose in the air about integrity, punctuality et al.

Sorry about the rant people.

Cheers!

[phamilyman]

Nice gyan that this thread is drowning in.

The same email could be a lot more actionable, definitely coherent, and agenda-driven. And maybe, practical. But yes, the sad part is that most feature mentioned by you are the first ones cut in the name of cost by most firms That they don't have the option (whether it'll be ridiculously priced due to no economies of scale is another issue) is definitely an omission.

But then, venting is good. Kudos on your sense of initiative, though.