[Car&me]

My bad, I thought I saw some one posted saying its a old technology and hence said its got better technology than most cars. I should have said on par technology / features of the so called modern cars launched in India.

But I would still love you to point out what technology you think is helping in some other car thats not helping you in Cedia, again as I said I would like to get enlightened and get that clarified becuase I am planning to buy the Cedia again.

Vtec, ivtec, VGT, ABC, XYZ whatever it is, the benefits you as a driver get or as owner get, what is that you are not getting here?

I had pointed out in my earlier quote(in the same thread) that I sold the Cedia a year back and leased a cruze (since I do 70kms per day), but I hate cruze and I have decided that I will cedia in the next 16 months as soon as the lease for my cruze is over. I only hope that its in market (as a new product) at that time.
I bought a Cedia select for 9.6 lakhs on road at Hyderabad in 2007 September.
I will buy a Cedia Sports new.

[46TheDoctor]

Originally Posted by Harbir

I don't see how the Cedia is not an all rounder. Is it short on space? Does it have poor ride quality? Inadequate trunk? Worse in urban use? Worse for highway use? Unreliable? Is it too noisy?

As to the comments about the interior, the other cars in the class aren't flawless either. The city's interior uses cheap plastics and its center console looks like $49 boombox from wal-mart. The Vento and Rapid interior looks like a dreadfully plain low rent hard wearing interior of a german taxi. The Linea's interior plastics quality is just terrible.

I am repeatedly left with only dealer network sparseness, illusions about datedness, image issues and the low resale as reasons to not buy the Cedia. All very practical and all completely non-enthusiast like.
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Harbir, I am so glad to see a BHPian who speaks my language.

Since, i am in the market for luxury SUV, i had been to mitsubishi showrooms a few days back. I had some spare time, so, i test drove EVERY car offered by mitsubishi and was totally blown away by the experience. Particularly after the test drive of Cedia, my reaction to sales person was " I just don't understand why people buy any other sedan in the 12L bracket when you have this option, especially the petrol car buyers."

IMO, Cedia is a no brainer for enthusiasts in this price bracket and even for non-enthusiasts it is just as perfect. Mitsubishi is not Tata or Mahindra when it comes to product quality. They are at least as good if not better than Hondas and Toyotas in terms of depth of engineering and execution. So, we can certainly expect a niggle free Performance Japanese car from Mitsu as confirmed by few Cedia users here. When it comes to aftersales, they may not be as good as Honda, Toyota but they are not Fiat either, they are definitely ADEQUATE to offer trouble free ownership.

In fact, i found sales people from Mitsubishi to be a lot more knowledgeable and conversant with their products than suzuki, honda, toyota, tata, mahindra, vw, renault. Only people from audi, bmw, mercedes, etc. seem to be comparable to them and this judgement from me is coming after TD of Q5, Ml 350 cdi, X3 30d, 330i, 320d, Koleos, Santa Fe, Fortuner, Montero, Outlander, X trail, GV, etc. so, you can trust me on this.

I see excuses like 'Cedia is outdated' on this thread which are totally ludicrous because i believe competitiveness of any product shall be decided by the actual product quality and performance than it's production life. Newer products need not be always better than older ones. Cedia beats every 12L car hollow in all roundedness like Interior design and quality, exteriors, space, visibility, engine gearbox combo, ride and handling, refinement, brakes, Japanese reliability and spares cost, etc. and hence a no brainer. You don't even have to upgrade your car for 7-8 years, such is the product quality, so resale should not be a big problem either at least for the enthusiasts. Also, Cedia should be compared to Civics, Corollas, etc. when it is priced for 15L not when at 10L and even if compared, it beats them IMO.

Mitsu has presence in almost all the metros and hence, the people who live in metros and have bought non Mitsu cars just can't complain for inadequate after sales service (which in fact is an uninformed, spineless decision made by them taken with the Herd mentality). Maybe, people who live in rural areas can complain.

So, i think HM deserves a lot of brickbats for not marketing Mitsu products properly, but, so do the so called Enthusiasts who make an uninformed, spineless decision with herd mentality and blame the cars for being incompetent and choose an Average car with great after sales service over Great car with Adequate after sales service.

[Harbir]

Originally Posted by aseem

I sold my 2010 Automatic Honda City at a significant loss to buy New Fiesta 2012 as I didnt like driving the City for a minute. I consider myself someone who likes to throw his car in the corners and love cars that handle well.

you do so legitimately. The Fiesta is one of the best drivers cars in its class.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Well let it drive well, but we want the new Lancer. Its been far too long. Don't you agree that the new Lancer should have been here by now? Saying the car drives well is no justification for a company selling an old product. It may not be old in terms of technology, but it is in terms of age.

If you want to pay 13 lacs for a new lancer, you're entitled to demand the new lancer. But if HM isn't selling the new Lancer at 13lacs, how does that alter the calculation for a person buying a 9lac car today? How does the absence of the new lancer make the Vento or the City a better choice than the Cedia?

Originally Posted by 46TheDoctor

Particularly after the test drive of Cedia, my reaction to sales person was " I just don't understand why people buy any other sedan in the 12L bracket when you have this option, especially the petrol car buyers."

That was EXACTLY my reaction!

[Car&me]

Completely agree. It's in the corolla and civic range offered at much lower price. You get a good feeling of driving and owning that car. Not just sales folks but service guys are also extremely cordial. The build quality is certainly better than corollas and civics. May be the Europeans are better, but this is one car that has Japanese reliability with an European feel factor.

[Car&me]

Originally Posted by Harbir

If you want to pay 13 lacs for a new lancer, you're entitled to demand the new lancer. But if HM isn't selling the new Lancer at 13lacs, how does that alter the calculation for a person buying a 9lac car today? How does the absence of the new lancer make the Vento or the City a better choice than the Cedia? !

Very well said, just because the manufacturer is not providing something latest from the stable, the current ones are not in anyway inferior to its competitor in the Indian market.

For those who still want the latest, there is always the lancer evo in the Indian market for 49 lakes ex showroom.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Car&me

Very well said, just because the manufacturer is not providing something latest from the stable, the current ones are not in anyway inferior to its competitor in the Indian market.

Sorry, there is no ‘current one’ (I mean Lancer/Cedia) in our market. Do you really think Mitsubishi is still selling the previous gen car here to please the enthusiasts? If so, I really feel bad for the folks in their home country and other markets where they sell the current gen. Lancer for the past 5 years. If the car we have is so good, why did they discontinued it in other markets, way back in 2007?

Originally Posted by Car&me

For those who still want the latest, there is always the lancer evo in the Indian market for 49 lakes ex showroom.

I hope this was a joke. There is nothing much common between a regular Lancer and Evo X.

I have nothing against the Cedia. As mentioned in the comparison by Harbir, the interiors look decent against the said current competition. But these gimmicks in the name of an upgrade sound silly.

[Car&me]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Sorry, there is no ‘current one’ (I mean Lancer/Cedia) in our market. Do you really think Mitsubishi is still selling the previous gen car here to please the enthusiasts? If so, I really feel bad for the folks in their home country and other markets where they sell the current gen. Lancer for the past 5 years. If the car we have is so good, why did they discontinued it in other markets, way back in 2007?

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The question is about how cedia fares against its competition in India and not against it's successors elsewhere outside India.

If the latest gen lancer is available I will buy it, no doubt about it. In the absence of the latest gen lancer in India, question is, is it a bad buy? And my answer is no.

With regards to the evo, yes it was in the lighter note trying to point out that there always products available at a different price point, it's nothing in common to cedia other than being a Mitsubishi. Don't know If the engine is same with some tech added to it.

[Harbir]

Originally Posted by vb-san

If the car we have is so good, why did they discontinued it in other markets, way back in 2007?

because in those markets they have the Mirage to compete with the cheap city/vento/verna, etc.

Should they sell the Mirage in India? Frankly, I don't Mitsubishi should bother having HM handle the Mirage. If they're going to bring it, they should do so in some arrangement that does not include HM.

But either way, none of this makes any difference to whether the Cedia is a dated product compared to the cars that it competes with at present in Indian market.

it is not. nobody has shown that it is.

[C300]

Originally Posted by 46TheDoctor

Harbir, I am so glad to see a BHPian who speaks my language.


In fact, i found sales people from Mitsubishi to be a lot more knowledgeable and conversant with their products than suzuki, honda, toyota, tata, mahindra, vw, renault. Only people from audi, bmw, mercedes, etc. seem to be comparable to them and this judgement from me is coming after TD of Q5, Ml 350 cdi, X3 30d, 330i, 320d, Koleos, Santa Fe, Fortuner, Montero, Outlander, X trail, GV, etc. so, you can trust me on this.

Excellent post doc.
I had interacted with J Williams folks in Pune and they were professional and knowledgable. In comparison my experience with Pandit Auto (Fiat) and Deccan Honda was pathetic.

[travelwriter]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Interesting.
It's even better than the vRS and the Linea T-Jet, you mean?
...give us a break.

Now I can vouch for this statement; at least a part of it. Cedia is better than Linea T-jet and also the Optra Magnum. I tested all the 3 cars back to back and had posted my experience in this forum about a year back.

I am not sure Cedia can beat vRS or Laura TSI. But I can say one thing for sure. Cedia has the ability to deliver in excess of 150 bhp and can hold itself against many other cars in the higher price range. There is no comparison for its driveability, cornering ability and the way it handles itself in bumper to bumper traffic or the open highway roads.

[avimal]

Originally Posted by C300

Excellent post doc.
I had interacted with J Williams folks in Pune and they were professional and knowledgable. In comparison my experience with Pandit Auto (Fiat) and Deccan Honda was pathetic.

In Bangalore, it is better than Maruti service. Believe it. Biggest Maruti service centre Bimal is pathetic in service. Earlier lathangi and now svr motors from HM are far better. They know the job very well and are patient to hear and explain.

[S_U_N]

@Harbir: While I understand the emotional connect that you have with Mitsubishi, I should say that personally, Mitsubishi did not take wise business decisions as far as Indian market is concerned.
The product would get an A+ from me, but the management would get a C-.
They did not introduce any new products in the market despite having them available elsewhere. This shows that they did not want to go for large volumes and want to concentrate only on a certain limited set of buyers.
Montero and Evo are very expensive and most people do not look at them.
That leaves them with Pajero twins and Outlander in the expensive category and Cedia and Lancer in the entry category.
Both Lancer and Lancer Cedia have not been replaced with newer models and have come of age. The new Lancer looks much better (and probably has more features) and it would do better than Lancer + Cedia in sales even if Mitsubishi did nothing better in marketing.

I think the company is making money only through sales of spares since those are very expensive (of course, the govt. also makes money by collecting import duty and other taxes).
There are no questions about the vehicle capabilities, but the newer vehicles from Mitsubishi are even better and the market will be glad to buy them if they are brought.
It is like you have a Sachin Tendulkar in your selected team, but you do not want to play him in the 11. Why?

I am just back from a little off-roading in my Cedia in a jungle trail. I wish I had 4x4 in my Cedia.
Driving on steep inclines with stop and go, in first gear with wheel spins at times, on gravel, mud, small pebbles/ rocks, I thought I will burn my clutch or heat up the engine. But nothing of that sort happened. No underbody hits or any other damage. The love for the vehicle is more now.

[razor4077]

Originally Posted by Harbir

I see very practical reasons to not buy a Cedia, they being thin dealer network and low resale. I see no reasons that are inherent to the Cedia itself as a vehicle, and the reasons I keep getting given hold no water as far as I can see.

Correct. These would be the only reasons I wouldn't buy the Cedia if I was in the market for a sedan today with a 10L budget. Those, and maybe the exterior looks... not a huge fan, thought the older gen Lancer looked nicer (and the latest one definitely does!). But it's a great car to drive, excellent interiors (the black ones) and it's probably one of the best combinations of practicality and fun in the 8-15L range.
The deal breakers (my practical side speaking here):
HM/Mitsu's poor a.s.s - while some members have written that they had no reasons to complain, I would disagree. I was a long term Lancer owner and I was frustrated at the service and support I received. Deal breaker for me.
Low resale - another deal breaker in terms of buying a new car... a used Cedia is a different story altogether. But these are rare in the market.

Honestly speaking, HM/Mitsu have done nothing to show that they're keen on tapping the Indian market. They've thrown away their first movers' advantage with poor product planning and practically no initiative in sales/marketing/customer service. It's almost as if Mitsu's looking to make an exit from India. If they really want to succeed in India, they need to dump HM and find themselves another partner/go at it themselves (but they aren't doing well globally, are they?). These silly "new and improved" gimmicks aren't going to fool anybody.

[itsgeox]

Just an observation here..

I saw many posts saying that Cedia is an old model and it just doesnt cut it.
May I ask a question?
I hope u all are aware that the Ford Figo is based on the last generation Fiesta. Ford just put some new sheet metal on it, chopped the boot and marketed it as an all new product and the Indian public lapped it up despite its reservations about Ford and its service. If u look at it, its not that modern is it? It has a comparatively old & underpowered (compared to the competition) engine & not so upmarket interiors. But what makes it tick? Its a proper VFM proposition & its a hoot to drive (I know it first hand..I own one).

So there u go....despite the fact that the product is old, the plain brilliance of the product coupled with a good marketing strategy made it a winning proposition. On the other hand a brilliant car like the new Fiesta fell prey to useless marketing and pricing decision. So compared to the Figo the only thing that Cedia lack as a product is the support from the parent company. Even its A.S.S. is not that bad.

So to sum it up as someone else already has...dont just bash the Cedia just 'coz its old...probably I can understand a layman saying that. But on a forum like this its a strict no-no. I for one would like to join in bashing HM for not marketing/promoting the product adequately.

Just my 2 cents. NOMTA

[kar.carthik]

Why can't Mitsubishi break away from HM like how Renault did with M&M?
I am sure they have a good line up of cars in other markets and can get 1 car each in all the segments. We know the reliability and quality of their products (having owned a Lancer since 1999 and the car has done 265000 kms and it is still running like a gem).

They have to get the :
1) Colt - Petrol & Diesel
2) Outlander - Diesel
3) New Gen Lancer - Diesel
4) Localize the Pajero Sport and Reduce the cost - Make it cheaper than the Fortuner.

Why are they killing the brand that has already been in the country for decades.