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Old 27th February 2006, 11:42   #16
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well all said tat laura will not sell that much becoz it was over priced. well laura answered all tat with its sales.
Laura will do 'OK' sales.

After Skoda's success with Octy, any car from their stable will be hyped by the public.
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Old 27th February 2006, 18:49   #17
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What makes people choose a diesel version over petrol?

I am not sure if this should be a new thread (moderators - please decide), as this thought got triggered with the sales of a rather expensive car - the laura.

Well it all shows how much of a "diesel" or economy oriented society we are - even when you end up spending upwards of 18L (i have seen quite a few diesel Mercs as well). Did Laura/skoda sell because it was a diesel car or was it the features?

So the point is - what is the tipping factor to choose diesel over petrol?

Is it a basic/minimum performance after which diesel is preferred to petrol?

Would you prefer a diesel version of the Honda CRV/Accord provided - ???, or it does not really matter - fuel efficiency and cost is the only criteria if the looks/outward appearance/ride quality is acceptable.

It would be interesting to compare the sales of petrol vs. diesel for the 15L+ car market comprising of:

1. Superb (now that they have both versions available)
2. Mercs
3. Laura - when the petrol version is available

All the others are offered with either a petrol or a diesel engine.

Last edited by rangaraj : 27th February 2006 at 18:51.
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Old 27th February 2006, 19:03   #18
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Great post, Rangaraj.

Let me tell you why I chose the C220 (Diesel) over the C200 (Petrol) :

1. NOT Economy. Look around at my posts and you can tell that I care two hoots about average.

2. Latest technology. Always longed for a Common Rail after a brief stint in an Accent CRDi.

3. Massive torque and City Driveability.

4. Character. More robust. To some, Mercedes = Diesel.

5. The Petrol mercs are extremely sensitive to fuel quality. I can tell you confidently that the C220 can take our adulterated fuel without any complaints.

6. Potentially lesser problems. I have had a terrible experience with a petrol C180.

7. The sadistic joy of keeping up with RS' in an oil burner.

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Old 27th February 2006, 19:30   #19
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[quote=

1. Superb (now that they have both versions available)
2. Mercs
3. Laura - when the petrol version is available

.[/QUOTE]

superb
You see a lot rather a little more now that a deisel is available
Mercs
Either it is a barebones petrol (sign that one is just making it in life) or a high specced diesel. A fully loaded petrol 500 S means you have made it
Laura - Petrol - you'll see a lot of Team Bhp guys ignoring the price and queueing up. For the price 104 bhp is a pittance, they should have broght the 140 bhp. Petrol Octy's are being sold for peanuts secondhand or big discounts. There are three skoda's driven by techies in my company - all 2.0 petrol.
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Old 28th February 2006, 01:45   #20
 
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well all that can be said is.....that it very difficult to judge indians psyche cos whatever sud sell doesnt and what shud does not....you just cannot predict in this country a formula whereby you can decide whether a car is gonna be a winner or a loser.
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Old 28th February 2006, 02:06   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hellspawn
well all that can be said is.....that it very difficult to judge indians psyche cos whatever sud sell doesnt and what shud does not....you just cannot predict in this country a formula whereby you can decide whether a car is gonna be a winner or a loser.
Well said hellspawn .. I second you .. It really is difficult to predict what would/not sell in this country .. and the Laura and Embera are the fine examples ... I really feel sad when i see a car which is well overpriced sell in huge numbers ..
It does not send the right message to the Automotive sector .. All it does is,allow other mnfrs too to overprice their cars and get away with it ..

The success of laura could change the positioning of the upcoming VW models and dont be surprised if you see the passats, jetta priced at 50% more ..
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Old 28th February 2006, 08:12   #22
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Success of Laura

Thanks GTO, so we besides torque, driveability would re-sale value be another key factor.

You could not easily get a second hand octavia in the early days, european engineering gave it the sturdy feel that it would last, plus it had the FE, so people preferred it to the petrol version.

So to sum it up, if it is a self driven car and you want ultimate driving pleasure combined with raw power, you go in for the RS of the world. As GTO mentioned, if the petrol does not give a significant advantage of power vs. diesel, then other matters do come in such as torque, FE, and re-sale value.

So Laura seems to be doing well as it has
1. Better build quality than its competitors (compared to the Hyundai's)
2. Diesel - FE and torque (compared to the Toyota/Honda)
3. Gizmos and Jazz (compared to all)
4. Perceived better re-sale value (extapulation of octavia's success)
5. Classy overall looks - (compared to all)
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Old 28th February 2006, 11:13   #23
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Thanks GTO, so we besides torque, driveability would re-sale value be another key factor.
I use my cars till they fall apart. Resale potential has never been a tickmark on the checklist.

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