[fine69]

Originally Posted by himavanth_m

Atleast for Beemer's , in the eventuality of a puncture, the Beemer can still go upto 200kms.

Not really.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post2522505

This is what happens if you plan on continuing with run-flats in case of a puncture, and this was only 50 kms.

Most of the cars equipped with run-flats are driven in the cities which is why there hasn't been much feedback in terms of unacceptability of such technological advancements in a country like ours.

Because when one is being chauffered in the city and there's a puncture the 2nd car with another driver would reach the owner much before a flat-bed would reach that beemer and till the time he gets enough feedback on the snob value of owning a beemer he's ok with run-flats or even punctured tyres for that matter.

Coming to the S60, I voted for it in the 'car of the year' thread but it looks like a long way for the S60/80s to be seen plying on our roads.

[GTO]

Nothing! As things stand, none of these moves (cheaper variants included) will do anything to the Volvo cause. It's all about the brand, reputation, prestige & keeping up with the Joneses when buying a car costing over 20 lakhs (or even 15 for that matter).

When Volvo cars & buses had the same owner, they atleast had something to show for their presence in India.

Good news for us enthusiasts is, the S60 T6 will fly at rockbottom prices in the pre-worshipped market place. Only challenge is finding them

[SamuraiJack]

One of the most beautiful cars available today, looks great & I'm sure performs well, sad there are not many visible on the roads. Anyone watched Top Gear review of the Volvo Super car? should give us a glimpse of Volvo's ability

[bigron]

This should be a good move. But apart from plonking in a smaller engine Volvo need to be aggressive with their marketing campaign. They need to spread the word around that they are one of the options available for the luxury car buyer.

[joommen]

Volvo for life is a theme promoted by them in western world, have seen very old ones on the roads without any troubles even on snow. Wish they will extend the same quality and reliability in India too.

[Dry Ice]

In light of the discussion on the last page and the facts highlighted by swiftnfurious, I take back my words! Seems they have a long way to go before things can change.

Just had a look at their website - 7 dealers for the entire country - Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Pune.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

With this correction, they might have a chance.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I always thought Volvo's sell less due to the brand & image. But now I know why!! Just read all the below points together and we will understand what's wrong with Volvo !

Originally Posted by blackasta

Need any more proof of the robustness?
The Volvo had its airbags deployed though.

Looks bad! Hope the occupants are fine!

Seems like crumple zones did their part in the Toyota and because of them, I guess, the results would have been pretty much the same even if there was a different car involved here.

BTW, which airbags deployed in the Volvo?

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Looks bad! Hope the occupants are fine!

Seems like crumple zones did their part in the Toyota and because of them, I guess, the results would have been pretty much the same even if there was a different car involved here.

BTW, which airbags deployed in the Volvo?

I was the one driving, and had a co passenger. Both walked away from the accident.
The corolla had all 6 airbags deployed, and the Volvo had only front airbags deployed (may be due to the fact that it hit another car in front)
The ER and cops did not believe at first that the Corolla only hit the Volvo and was in such a sorry state!

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by blackasta

.. and the Volvo had only front airbags deployed (may be due to the fact that it hit another car in front) ..

Aah, that clears it up. I was wondering if the Volvo had some kind of curtain airbag at the rear windshield!

Glad you guys walked out fine from that wreck.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by GTO

Nothing! As things stand, none of these moves (cheaper variants included) will do anything to the Volvo cause. It's all about the brand, reputation, prestige & keeping up with the Joneses when buying a car costing over 20 lakhs (or even 15 for that matter).

GTO what you are saying is absolutely right but I'm unable to decipher how Octavia took the market by storm (however small the storm was) when Skoda came to India.

Neither they had a vast dealership network at that time, if I'm not mistaken, but once the car hit the market and people bought it the word spread around about how good the car was. Why can't something like this happen for Volvos? Or should I ask, why isn't it happening already?

I'm no hardcore Volvo fan but the cars are a superb mix of performance and reliability.

[GTO]

@ Fine69, two words = NO COMPETITION!

The Octavia was amongst the first 10+ lakh diesel sedans (alright, notchback) in India. From the current crop of competition, Honda entirely focussed on the City, and Toyota on the Qualis. VW wasn't even around & neither was the Cruze. The only alternative was the Elantra, but even that arrived later on the scene. Product to product, the Elantra couldn't hold a candle to the Octavia.

Those who had owned a City / Lancer / Escort / Astra had a single viable option for upgrade = The Octavia. Of course, the Octavia was pretty darn competent for its time (perhaps more than the Laura is by current standard). Great build, reliability, ride, handling, power and mind-boggling fuel efficiency.

It would be safe to say that the Octavia 1.9 TDi really built the Skoda brand in India. The 2.0 petrol was a dud (in performance and sales).

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by GTO

It would be safe to say that the Octavia 1.9 TDi really built the Skoda brand in India. The 2.0 petrol was a dud (in performance and sales).

I would say the 1.8vRS further cemented that position amongst the petrol heads / enthusiasts and the technically inclined.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by GTO

@ Fine69, two words = NO COMPETITION!

The Octavia was amongst the first 10+ lakh diesel sedans (alright, notchback) in India. From the current crop of competition, Honda entirely focussed on the City, and Toyota on the Qualis. VW wasn't even around & neither was the Cruze. The only alternative was the Elantra, but even that arrived later on the scene. Product to product, the Elantra couldn't hold a candle to the Octavia.

Those who had owned a City / Lancer / Escort / Astra had a single viable option for upgrade = The Octavia. Of course, the Octavia was pretty darn competent for its time (perhaps more than the Laura is by current standard). Great build, reliability, ride, handling, power and mind-boggling fuel efficiency.

It would be safe to say that the Octavia 1.9 TDi really built the Skoda brand in India. The 2.0 petrol was a dud (in performance and sales).

Absolutely bang on! The Octy was the well off bloke's vehicle of choice when it hit India simply because nothing else at the time could hold a candle to it! It was known euphemistically as the poor man's Mercedes at that time in some circles. Like you said, the owners of 5 year old Astra's, Escorts, Sonatas, Cielos and the like went hell for leather and bought it the moment the Octy hit the market. In a sense it was our first brush with Euro luxe and the great build quality that we appreciate. And as you say, the FE was mind boggling for a such a large beast - I know people who used to clock 22kmpl in their Octy 1.9PD Diesel vehicles! This car set the expectations very high for any other manufacturer and the various cars that came in later like the Embera, Accord, Elantra etc simply could not cope!
Then came that beautiful first gen Laura and Superb both of which I love the looks of in comparison to the newer gen Laura's and Bling wagon Superbs!
I really wish VW would allow Skoda to compete on a level playing field against their Polo, Jetta, Passat and what have you! This would be simply brilliant from the consumers point of view!

[1-Testosterone]

XC60 D3 KINETIC now starts at INR 34,36,767 while XC60 D3 SUMMUM starts at INR 37,40,100 ex showroom Chandigarh. That's cracker of a price considering it's a CBU. Of course, their fully loaded model remains D5 SUMMUM which comes with all bells and whistles. That should make things interesting in the luxury SUV/Crossover sector.

[Axe77]

Can you please also provide the previous prices so there's some perspective on how much price reduction has happened?

AFAIK, this still seems to sit squarely in the BMW Audi X3 / Q5 price point. Not sure how many customers it will be able to pull at a comparable price.

Thanks

[shankar.balan]

This would still put it squarely in the Freelander territory, which means it is out priced for chaps like me.
34 lacs would translate to about 44 lacs on road Bangalore all found. Thats about double the price of my Yeti.