[vibbs]

What I m more interested in, is the oil burner. Come on Honda bring it in fast, give the city a revamp ,plonk the diesel in it and see the competition run for cover. Hmmm only if it were so simple. Honda does nt seem to be launching the diesel any time soon. 2014 may be a little late I guess.

That said, I guess 2014 would be a case of too less too late for Honda even in case of the MPV. As opined before, the market would be full of similar products, The Ertiga may have already recieved a facelift and in all probabilities would have sold close to 2 lakh copies.

[urajkumar]

My 100 post - it has to be me cribbing about the Dieselization of Indian automobile industry as usual! ahh well guess no one cares!

To be fair to Honda, they were ruling the roost (City, Civic segments i meant)till the Petrol - Diesel divide was not very wide. It is not fair that our Govt unfair policies has resulted in Honda pushed to the deathbed in India. I am sure you still agree in terms Petrol vehicle sold, Honda City is still the leader in its segment.

While we can say 2014/2013 is too late, knowing Honda they must be burning the midnight oil to get thier diesel engine right & best in class. After all they have a repuation to live up to. I am sure when thier diesel engine is released, people will flock back to them.

Going by recent trends, they also seem to have realized that pricing is crutial for making an impact & so i expect them to come back with a bang by end 2013 with diesel powered vehicles. Imagine City, jazz & brio in Diesel (Add the MUV based on jazz which i must say looks very nice)!

Fingers crossed!

[CARDEEP]

I believe this is just a trend. Almost all manufacturers are joining the MPV brigade in India & Asian countries. Reason is the joint family culture that we have as compared to the nuclear family in the West.

Not to crib or complain about other cultures/ living styles, these MUVs/ MPVs/ Crossovers offer a practicality over big engined SUVs (not undermining their relevance in certain situations). Moreover, there is cost advantage of over the body on ladder chassis. Thereby, these can be cheaper in most cases & offer more or less same practicality for daily usage. In fact Toyota is also selling the 7-seater Prius in Australia.

Regarding Honda's Freed (or as a matter of fact the planned MUV/ MPV), which is expected around 2014/15 late entry can prove to be an advantage. & the bigger diesel engine (which may offer better drive-ability courtesy turbo lag ~ ECU management), rev happy yet efficient petrol engines & Honda brand image in India could be the trump cards.

In addition, IMO over next 2 years they can analyze the market & demand properly to deliver their punch (could be winning... god knows).

To sum I am optimistic about the project & the MUV/ MPV.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Every manufacturer has one similar to Ertiga. But Maruti opens the sector up by deriving the first starter advantage.

What about Tata and Hyundai?. Hyundai/Kia has Ertiga sized products in other markets, but nothing mentioned about launch in India. I have not heard anything coming from Tata to complete with Ertiga yet (A 7 seater Nano). Will Toyota bring a mini Innova?
Hopefully the response to Ertiga will encourage others to come up with similar vehicles or mini vans. In a country like India, vehicles like Ertiga (compact 7 seater) makes more sense than 5 seater hatch backs (Ritz). During weekends we need more than 5 seats, but compact enough for our narrow roads and city parking. India is ready for a 7 seater mini van with sliding doors. ( Opening the doors in parking lot is so difficult). Who will be the first one, Is it Nissan?

[amitayu]

HOpefully there will be no more Tsunami's around Japan and Thailand till 2015!!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

I believe this is just a trend. Almost all manufacturers are joining the MPV brigade in India & Asian countries. Reason is the joint family culture that we have as compared to the nuclear family in the West.

The small MPVs had been one of the popular segments in many East Asian countries for many years. Just that in India, it is a new trend in India, and Ertiga can safely be called the trend-setter in this space. I even had a thread started on MPVs sometime early last year .
Almost all the major players have something to offer in this segment. For now, it looks like Nissan maybe the first one to follow Ertiga. I still feel that Honda should gamble with the 1.5 petrol Freed, at least to cash on the early entrant advantage.

[vsathyap]

I see many issues with this announcement - 2014-15 is too long a time for any manufacturer to put a MUV on road while the competition is laughing all the way to the coffers. By then, other auto makers would have brought in similar models in prices that are a close competition to the Ertiga.

I am pretty sure Honda's MUV will have either a mileage issue or a ground clearance issue, or both. Add to this Honda's pricing strategies and we have an overpriced late entry into a hot and competitive market, and has no boast-able features, except for a good engine. Eeeeeekn (trying to sound like a wrong answer buzzer in a quiz show) ... bad stuff Honda!

Instead, they should try to get into the small car segment (Brio is fine, but only one model??) C'mon! Bring in another small 800cc / 1000 cc car with good GC, and price it around 4L ! Let's see who's happy then!

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Golf based 7-seater called the Touran, which actually is a nice prospect for India. Again, that one may not come cheap.

I had seen the VW prospect but could not get the link when i posted. This is it.
News, Link and pictures from - 2014 Volkswagen Microbus Review and Prices - Consumer Guide Automotive

[rajeev k]

Another Ertiga challenger is the Nissan Evalia. See this link in TBhp. B
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...po-2012-a.html
But from the pictures comparison weighs for Ertiga.
Suddenly hatches giving way to compact UVs.

[Mpower]

The last I checked its still missing a diesel engine and that's where it will hurt them as usual.

[rajeev k]

One more offering in this segment is from Ashok Leyland based on Nissan Evalia, named Stile, but could be a descaled one as a people mover. Take a look in this Autocar India link.
New cars for 2012 - Updated - News - Autocar India

[k_nitin_r]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

I had seen the VW prospect but could not get the link when i posted. This is it.

From the pictures, it looks like a 4/5 seater. However, looks can be deceiving as the Ertiga looks like a 5 seater with boot space from the exterior.

If you are on a road-trip, you will appreciate the space provided by a Toyota Innova, Toyota Previa, Honda Odyssey, and Tata Winger when compared to the 'compact MUVs'. Having said that, I wonder why Honda didn't bring in something like its Odyssey to compete with the Innova but instead chose to react to Maruti's Ertiga offering.

[Nitrous Power]

Originally Posted by k_nitin_r

Having said that, I wonder why Honda didn't bring in something like its Odyssey to compete with the Innova but instead chose to react to Maruti's Ertiga offering.

Please understand that Odyssey is not a direct competition to Innova. It competes with Toyota Sienna. Odyssey and Sienna, both are full sized minivans and bigger than Innova in every aspect (not to mention, costlier as well). Correct me if I am wrong here, but Honda does not have Innova challenger at all.

As I predicted since Ertiga launch, it has opened up a new segment and has got first movers advantage. It will be hard for other manufacturers to catch up.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Nitrous Power

Please understand that Odyssey is not a direct competition to Innova. It competes with Toyota Sienna. Odyssey and Sienna, both are full sized minivans and bigger than Innova in every aspect (not to mention, costlier as well). Correct me if I am wrong here, but Honda does not have Innova challenger at all.

Indeed. I think the comparison is due the fact that both are MPVs. Infact, the Odyssey should cost atleast double than the Innova and is really an upmarket car (just for comparison, a smaller Stream cost almost 50% more than the Innova in Malaysian market).

Originally Posted by Nitrous Power

As I predicted since Ertiga launch, it has opened up a new segment and has got first movers advantage. It will be hard for other manufacturers to catch up.

Yes, the advantage of being a early-mover in this segment is enormous. But I feel other manufacturers can catch-up, if they act quickly. Honda Freed is an option (but maybe expensive than Ertiga), and Toyota can actually think of getting the Avanza.

But I guess, these manufacturers may think of something cheap, derived from an Etios/Liva or the Brio.

[anu21v]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

I had seen the VW prospect but could not get the link when i posted. This is it.
News, Link and pictures from - 2014 Volkswagen Microbus Review and Prices - Consumer Guide Automotive

Volkswagen already has a car which can compete very well against Ertiga/Evalia/Enjoy/Innova..... Volkswagen Touran. To my knowledge it sells well in Europe and is also doing fairly well in China..

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/new/touran-gp-ii/home