Tempting deals on petrol cars - News - Autocar India
To negate the slump in petrol car sales, car manufacturers are offering discounts across the range. The biggest discounts on offer are on the petrol VW Polo and Vento, which go up to Rs 1.1 lakh (click to read more). Another good deal is the one on the Micra XV variant – Nissan is offering a Rs 30,000 cash discount on it and a corporate discount of upto Rs 6,000 on all petrol versions. The Sunny petrol too gets a Rs 6,000 corporate discount.
For Hyundai, the i10’s sales have fallen by nearly 24 percent over the past year and to arrest the fall, the company is offering a Rs 15,000 cash discount and a Rs 15,000 exchange bonus. The Eon gets a free 2nd and 3rd year extended warranty worth Rs 4,000 and a Rs 10,000 exchange bonus, while the petrol Verna gets a corporate discount worth Rs 5,000 plus an exchange bonus of Rs 10,000.
Ford too is offering free insurance worth upto Rs 20,000 and a corporate discount upto Rs 5,000 on the petrol Figo. The Toyota Etios and Liva petrol models are being offered witha Rs 20,000 cash discount and a Rs 2,500 exchange bonus.
Honda isn’t offering any discount on the Brio and Jazz hatchbacks, which indicates good sales, but there’s a small Rs 5,000 corporate discount on the City. The Japanese carmaker had slashed prices of the Jazz and the City last year, making them more competitive. And once the company recovered from the Thailand floods setback, sales have been strong.
Maruti is offering an exchange bonus of Rs 15,000 on the Swift while the Dzire gets no such deals. Skoda is offering 50 percent off on Skoda shield (insurance and extended warranty) which works out to Rs 14,700 on the base model and Rs 19,000 on the top end model.
The demand for petrol cars has taken a big hit in the past year due to skyrocketing petrol prices, but those looking for a petrol car could turn it to their advantage. This is because despite it being five months into 2012, Volkswagen still hasn’t cleared its 2011 Polo and Vento petrols and is desperate to clear stocks. Most manufacturers face this situation once the year ends and stocks are cleared in the first quarter. VW is the only manufacturer left to sell its 2011 cars though.
The 2011 1.2 and 1.6 petrol Polo is being offered with a massive Rs 50,000 cash discount. In addition, you get free insurance and a two-year annual maintenance contract (AMC) worth Rs 60,000 collectively. That adds up to Rs 1.1 lakh or a 20.5 percent discount on the on-road Mumbai price of the base Trendline variant.
The petrol Vento is being offered with a flat Rs 1 lakh cash discount for the 2011 model, and if you want to order a 2012 model, you will have to wait for up to a month for its delivery. It is not because VW is flooded with bookings but because the car is being made in limited batches – so an order needs to be sent to the factory to manufacture the petrol model. Even 2012 petrol 1.2 Polos get free insurance and AMC worth Rs 60,000.
Although you will register a 2011 model in 2012 when you buy it, the date of manufacture being 2011 will affect its price when you decide to sell it. Most individual buyers don’t check the date of manufacture but used car dealers do, and will quote a lower price compared to a car manufactured in 2012.
VW’s petrol motors may not be as efficient as their Japanese counterparts in general, but otherwise both the petrol-powered Polo and Vento are very capable cars that are superior to the competition in other ways such as build quality and safety.
The market currently has offers on petrol cars from other manufacturers too. Click on the link below to know more.
Discounts vary from city to city. Please check with your local dealer for exact discounts which may not match figures quoted in this story.
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Seems like a perfect time to buy a Polo/Fabia 1.6 or even a Laura TSI!
