[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by anand_hc

Tata Nano which was launched with so much hype & hoopla, is selling so low numbers. Isn't it time they stopped it ? Is it even viable option for them in long term?

Doubt its going to happen anytime in near future, i believe Tata are working on some alternate fuels for the Nano and considering that Nano was raking in almost similar numbers as that of Eon not too many months ago and Tata have good reason to believe that it can achieve numbers closer to that of Eon sooner rather than later.

Moreover, Nano has more often than not been the 2nd best selling model for Tata's after the Indica+Vista combine. If anything Tata should expedite the process of bringing in the CNG / Diesel variants for Nano. Tata's have good reason to believe that the Nano CNG/Diesel variants would bring up good numbers for them and may just turn out to be the cash cow for them !!

[Driving_Nomad]

Originally Posted by GTO

Main reason being, there still isn't an entry level diesel car. Tata has a huge opportunity with the Nano diesel, before the competition catches up.

Rightly said. Even when they bring it, I wouldn't predict that it would set the sales chart on Fire! Look at what happened to EON It was supposed to almost write the last page of the Alto-Era, but the competition isn't even stiff.

Originally Posted by GTO

Nope, the most niggle-free car from Tata is the Sumo. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the stellar levels of reliability reported by owners.

It indeed is, except for the "ever failing never repaired" rear door lock!! I have seen at least a dozen sumos in which there is some or the other problem with the rear door lock. Might be that it has something to do with how it is abused by drivers.

Originally Posted by GTO

The engine supplies (and profits from the same) will ensure Fiat's survival in India.

Waiting for a day when Fiat has a sustainable car (not engine) sales figure!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Quite interesting. I half expected this, as everyone I know with a Superb has the infamous 7 DSG 1.8 Tsi, and in Bombay, atleast, 80% of the Superbs you see are petrol.

Unfortunately, these are also the ones suffering the DSG failures (which Skoda & VW STILL have no permanent solution to). The 6 speed DSG is apparently more reliable.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Rear seat comfort on par with the E class? Thats an amazing comment for this Hyundai

Actually, even the Accord's rear seat is better than the E-Class.

The best? The Nissan Teana. We're talking much better comfort than the E-Class or 5 Series.

Both Hyundai and Maruti had resigned to their fates even before the launch of these two cars - and had minimized their investments and risks accordingly. Otherwise - both were competent products which just needed the right market positioning.

I wouldn't agree to it, but we are debating too early at this point - any more argument would only be wasting server space. Will be back in Feb/March 2013 Sales thread (Unless Mayans were right!) to say - 'I told you so'.

Actually, I myself don't expect the Sail to burn the charts (though I do think it's a heck of an all-rounded hatchback...we're discussing two different things now). With the previous Aveo & UVA, Chevrolet proved they aren't capable of marketing staid-looking products like Maruti can, or even Ford managed (with the Figo).

VW India is having its strategy wrong IMO- something which just does not justify the initial impact they created in the market.

I think they've just been taking the wrong advice from a partner already in India (i.e. Skoda). The poor dealer experiences & the arrogant sales personnel in particular reflect a similar management approach.

Is VW doing a good job in India? No ways. Are they bothered? You bet.

Originally Posted by gharika

From what I have read, Ford has priced EcoSport above Duster in Brazil. Will you consider that as a well priced car if they do the same in India?

Not at all. But it's important to note that the Duster 110 is priced unusually high in India (hardly an economy SUV). Also that the Duster isn't eligible for the excise benefits that the EcoSport will be.

[Sayeed]

So the slowdown continues in the auto industry...........!!!!!!!!!!

I think it will take a while before the sales would jump back to the earlier levels. But the high cost of petrol & high interest rates are not the only reason, some of the companies themselves are to be blamed for this, otherwise how does one explain the success of cars like Ertiga and Duster (I would still call it a car...wonder why it is being compared to SUVs). Just see the rise in the volumes of these cars or for that matter a Verna, XUV 500, Swift or i20, all are holding strong in the prevalent market conditions.

It is the companies themselves to be blamed. Pick up the American twins Ford & Chevrolet, they have a ineffective marketing team at the helm with lacklustre portfolios except for a Beat or a Figo here and there & coupled with directionless or misguided service centres adding on to their miseries.

The recently launched Sail never looked to be a hot entry and the company doesnt seem to be doing much in terms of promotion too so in all likelihood it will be just another product unfortunately because on second thoughts the car does have the potential to be a good competitor in the hatchback market.

Look at Volkswagen, they have the two most wonderful products in Vento and Polo but still haven't been able to make headway or achieve higher volumes simply due to the egoistic attitudes of the dealerships who feel,that they are doing a favor to the buyer by selling their cars (this is substantiated in many feedbacks).

The cross badging with Skoda has further affected the Vento sales.

Fiat seems to be least interested, atleast as of now in correction.

Renault isnt selling anything else except for the Duster.

So there, you have five companies totally out the fray.

In India Maruti Suzuki rules like no one can, irrespective of glitches and their power lies in the vast product portfolio & huge dealer network they have created across the country and especially in the North where no one can beat them.

The only competition to Maruti has been Hyundai and they are far off in nos. and will never be able match their figures simply because of two reason, i.e. the product portfolio & their dealer network.
However Hyundai atleast seems to have quality products & reliable service network in comparison to the other companies.

TATA needs to seriously redesign the looks of their cars & SUVs if they have to even remain where they are today, as they all are looking outdated and also the officials need to personally take feedback from owners who have used their cars for 8 - 12 months and they will get to know whey no one refers someone to go and buy a TATA vehicle or why very few people opt for a TATA vehicle again and they will get an answer why they are not consistent anymore and unlike before they cannot relax because on one side they have Mahindra eating into their SUV market share and the other side they have cars like Sunny, Etios & Rapid eating into their sedan market.

Toyota seems to be hanging in there with the Etios twins but it is time for them too for launching new products.

So let's look forward to the new year hoping that the think tanks in the management of these companies come with new products & strategies to boost their sales.
Till then safe cruising to everyone.........................

Note from Support: Kindly go through the rules before proceeding. Not more than 2 smilies are allowed per post.

[rock75]

Maruti Rules the roost with top 4 slots going to them apart from segment leaders like Ertiga, I wonder when they launch XA Alpha that will be another success story.

Tata's need a product redesign fast and should introduce some new products quickly.(Bring that 75 bhp Manza CS and Vista CR4 by phasing out Vista TDI fast) They also need to change their service perception.

Honda is facing some serious heat after years of leadership which led to arrogance. Good for customers, at least now Honda will think twice before goofing up with Amaze pricing and I think they must introduce Amaze petrol right along with the diesel.

Nothing seems to be working for fiat! I hope they just quit or launch some new products fast.

Chevrolet, what's wrong, all new product eat in to existing products? spark, beat and now Sail!

I hope Hyundai brings I10 3 pot diesel quicky at < 5 lacs here, that will take its sales easily to no 2 in India and eat away market share of Maruti!

[ac 427]

well my 2 bits here.

I have tried to divided the top 20 cars basis Category, and post that we will come to know which category is doing well.

Over a period of time we will come to know what categories are doing well and not.

cheers,
ac

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by rock75

Maruti Rules the roost with top 4 slots going to them apart from segment leaders like Ertiga, I wonder when they launch XA Alpha that will be another success story.

Important to note 2 out of the 4 is petrol only.

Originally Posted by rock75

Tata's need a product redesign fast and should introduce some new products quickly.(Bring that 75 bhp Manza CS and Vista CR4 by phasing out Vista TDI fast) They also need to change their service perception.

Tata needs to ditch Indica. All sorts. (Dont know how many bloody indica/indogo/manza/Vista variants are there.) New need to be a lot less conservative and be more radical.

Originally Posted by rock75

Chevrolet, what's wrong, all new product eat in to existing products? spark, beat and now Sail!

Poor product placement. That's it. You cant have all similar cars. Beat was never destined for success. Spark has lost its spark. And the Sail UVA is not exciting either. It is actually a bad idea to launch the product because.
1. It is chinese
2. It carries the super flop name UVA.
3. It is not exciting
4. It took away the charm Chevy developed with funky designs in Beat/Cruze.


I hope Hyundai brings I10 3 pot diesel quicky at < 5 lacs here, that will take its sales easily to no 2 in India and eat away market share of Maruti![/quote]

[sourabhzen]

The analysis paints a grim picture for coming months. I don't want to imagine the analysis and comments for December sales if the sales figures for a festive months are like any other month in the past.

This trend looks bad and I see competition fading away for segment leaders in coming months giving way to monopolistic products for consumers.

[pratiksinhal]

The depleting sales for Sedans is a cause of worry for all the manufacturers. I think we are inclined towards SUV's because of their large footprint and probably because of the condition of our roads.
Especially in Eastern part of India where I stay , we hardly see sedans from the 15lk segment. Mostly XUV's and Innova's rule that segment. Fortuners are more than any sedan of a lower segment in this region. Its confusing because to me sedans provide a different kind of ride comfort which most of the SUV's don't. I think the inclusion of DRL's, Xenon's , Sunroof's and Touch Interface on the ICE would help the sales of cars like Cruze, Corolla, Jetta, Fluence ( I am eagerly waiting for the next gen Fluence. The looks are to die for. ) and Laura. It was disappointing from Hyundai to ignore all these features from their feature rich Elantra. It would have attracted a lot of attention from the XUV's and the Innova's.
I was wondering if Maruti would have launched the Rio then what would be the effect on the market ? Probably it would have eaten into the sales of the hatches.

[ampere]

Audi sales

http://www.rushlane.com/audi-india-s...t-1254634.html

[nurni76]

Originally Posted by ac 427

well my 2 bits here.

I have tried to divided the top 20 cars basis Category, and post that we will come to know which category is doing well.

Over a period of time we will come to know what categories are doing well and not.

cheers,
ac

Good attempt. However, you need to correct some entries. Wagon R is figuring in the premium Hatchbacks while i10 in the entry segment. Wagon R needs to move to the first box. Also Dzire seems to figure in the P hatchbacks. Is it on purpose since Dzire is not a genuine sedan and rather nearly a sedan

[romeomidhun]

Honda Amaze has started its work - cannibalize City! The news about the launch of Amaze itself resulted in lower City sales, IMO. People who are planning to move from a hatch to a sedan (for those who are planning a City or DZire, in this case), are all waiting for Amaze, resulting in lower City numbers. DZire is not showing the lower numbers because it has a huge waiting list, which may also be affected by this news. The only thing that may stand in between Amaze and a blockbuster is the prize of Diesel model. If they can price it around 6L for base Diesel model, it will become a blockbuster. If they price it around 7L (my guess), they will lose an opportunity.

[Vasuki]

Things does not look good at all for VW. They are getting desperate

Today saw the ad, 0% finance scheme offer for Polo(5 Lakhs) & Vento(7 Lakhs). Most probably petrol one's, in The Hindu Cochin edition.

[ac 427]

nothing of the sales figure are out of ordinary. but the 2 most glaring & eye popping features are

1. the duster: out of no where comes this car, and starts selling 7 K plus. Let see how much long the steam lasts.

2. What is the food that the buffs at M&M are eating ? the Bolero a hit - the Scorpio a hit (even after a decade selling decent numbers) - the xuv a hit. Just waiting to see how the Quantas is going to do.

Other than this - its business as usual, Chevy is still not learning. You bring a Genuinely good car and it will sell (viz the Cruze) but please dont give us Indians a DUD car. Take a leaf from Marutis and Hyundais book, look at how aggressively & positive they are, Offering Indians 'world cars'. Why would you not bring the Sonic here ?

cheers,
ac

[FrankMartin]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Really surprised with the numbers Scopio has been managing for the past few months. I expected XUV 5OO to eat into Scorpio sales too, but both these cars seem to be climbing higher grounds each month. Afterall - there is not much of a difference between VLX and W6 variants of these cars, but the XUV5OO is a step ahead in every direction! I really wonder how Mahindra has managed to pull this one off!

The key to the symbiotic success of the XUV500 and Scorpio lies in the product to customer demographic mapping. The Scorpio sells numbers and is quite popular in the rural areas and B and C tier cities whereas the XUV500 has a more urban positioning.
The XUV500 addition to the portfolio gave a major boost to brand Mahindra and has helped to cover the urban SUV spectrum and that goodwill in turn has also helped to maintain the momentum for the Scorpio.
Infact the way Mahindra has redefined itself and "Risen" is truly a case study in product marketing