[lancer_rit]

Originally Posted by Baddychat

On the fuel story front, what saddened me to the see the diesel/petrol split on the Laura 125 to 1.

Yeah, thats really sad. The TSI is a gem of an engine, and petrol prices are moving significantly southwards.

For the Toyota numbers, since these wholesale numbers. it could be possible that they have stepped by capacity in March, dispatched more cars and had a downtime at the start of the FY. The averages add up to their normal levels though.

Most probably, production adjustment given the very high Innova numbers last month, or maybe some maintenance etc ?

[subratasenn]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Some observations. What amazes me when I see this thread is how different the South Bombay automotive market is from the country as a whole. 4,000 Omnis sold in April 2013 - amazing for a grossly unsafe van that was outdated in 1988 (I refuse to even step into an Omni taxi - prefer even Fiats to Omnis). The Hyundai Eon as the No 4 car in India - I don't see even one each day. Yes, we do see the Dzires and Swifts - but the Superbs and 3 Series are almost as common.

I agree. Probably the sales figures throughout India does not match each and every place. Your experience in South Bombay matches my experience in Kolkata, though in a different way.

I see lots of Amby's here, growing every month, though they are in taxi segment. And well, plenty of Suzuki Dzire as white taxis marked as "touristers" with black bumpers all over the city. While everyone is complaining about Etios being a taxi brand in T-BHP, I find Dzires as taxis the city over. Soon to compete with Ambys here I suppose.

Very rarely do I see a Fiat, but Etios and Liva are flooding the city as private cars. Maruti is the king, true, but where are the other cars who are topping the sales figures every month throughout India?

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by SDP

1. Duster on a roll! New king of the C2 segment!
2. XUV5OO in a freefall! Has been falling since last 7 months straight. This month it clocked the lowest numbers over last 12 months! Mahindras need to wake up and smell the coffee.

Is this because Duster with its <1500 cc engine doesn't come under the purview of the new SUV duty regime and XUV 5OO with its >1500cc engine attracts higher Excise Duty?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Is this because Duster with its <1500 cc engine doesn't come under the purview of the new SUV duty regime and XUV 5OO with its >1500cc engine attracts higher Excise Duty?

Though Duster top end pricing enters into XUV territory, there are many trims, which are in much lower price bracket. That triggers off a different sales chart between the two cars.

[condor]

Originally Posted by rockporiom

If they calculate just by the number of cars sent to dealers then aren't the facts misleading? Since they can show more sale by dumping stock to dealers even though the cars aren't actually sold.

Not quite. The cars that get shipped to the dealer will /must get sold some day. It may take 3-4 months, very very rarely one year, but they will move out.

Secondly, the manufacturers will maintain a small inventory of all types, some variants get picked up, some get a little push. But they will pace production to demand. It is not like the manufacturing goes on at it;s own pace.

Even transfering the vehicle from manufacturer to dealer is a kind of a sale in itself.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

My guess is they've stopped producing Laura TSI's. The demand for the petrol variant was always below supply, resulting in huge discounts. Based on that trend Skoda would have reduced import of Laura TSI kits. Unlike 2010 & 2011 there was no news of any great discounts on the Laura TSI during late 2012 and in this year (correct me if I am wrong).

I won't be surprised If Skoda skips the 1.8 TSI for the new Octavia. This engine is head and shoulders above all offerings in its segment and perhaps one segment above too. Plus its super reliable, and unlike cars like the Palio GTX its frugal too. Yet it finds no takers.

That probably is the case. From what I know, the MT variant of the Laura TSI stopped production in 2012, and MY13 model was the one with the DSG gearbox. The added kit on the AT variants was indeed a great move to clear stock without hefty discounts.

Yes, I don’t expect the 1.8 TSI to come in the new Octavia (atleast at the launch). The sole petrol variant should be the 1.4TSI 122ps or 140ps. Even in the UK market, the 1.8 TSI has not made an appearance in the new Octavia.

Probably until the arrival of the next vRS, you will be part of an exclusive club

[SDP]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Is this because Duster with its <1500 cc engine doesn't come under the purview of the new SUV duty regime and XUV 5OO with its >1500cc engine attracts higher Excise Duty?

If this trend would have emerged around budget time, then there would have been good enough reason to believe the corelation between the excise duty and the sales.

Yes, the sales of XUV5OO would have been impacted by the excise duty hike. But I don't believe that's the only reason. The niggles reported by the initial owners and negative word of mouth might have spread wider than normal (fanned by the internet). May be the recent recall (applauded by mature folks on forums like ours) would have been perceived negatively by the general public. One of the thing that worked towards XUV's success was, it proivided a option at a new price point. Duster also enjoys the same advantage, albeit at a even lower price point. In fact Duster is still VFM, whereas with the 1L+ hike (non-excise) since launch, the XUV has moved farther away from the grasp of a few more customers. The ride quality of Duster - which has been praised uniformly by everyone - could also be a reason behind the bumper sales figures.

Finally, you must be aware of the hype-cycle.


The x-axis is the time. My opinion is that, Duster which has been recently launched is still in the ascending part of the curve. On the other hand, with bad publicity over niggles and losing the VFM tag, the XUV seems to be clearly in the "Trough of disillusionment".

Just my opinion.

[ambadan]

Originally Posted by SDP

Finally, you must be aware of the hype-cycle

I am expecting the same with duster in the coming months. Partially due to hype-cycle and partially because of launch of ford eco-sport. If eco-sport is cheaper (that is the general perception), it will impact duster sales.

Duster is a good vehicle, but if you need safety features (airbag, ABS etc), you must buy the top versions. This is a negative point.

[Marauder]

One way for XUV500 to address the fall would be by launching newer variants.They should probably launch a barebones version without all the gizmos which would reinstate the VFM which has been partially lost due to continuous hike in prices and the launch of Duster.Also,a luxury variant above the W8 would be welcome,this way they can straddle a larger price bracket.They should position the XUV between the most expensive variant of Scorpio and cheapest variant of Rexton.Currently there are gaps between the three cars which others cars like Duster and Yeti are exploiting.

[volkman10]

Great to see the petrol Vs diesel list growing.

Great show from MS -Dzire seem to contain the Amaze factor, as of now!NOW!ue to waiting periods.

Toyota is having a bad patch.

Renault should be really happy with Duster being the major product for them, at the same time the risk associated in losing numbers is also evident once the Ecosport comes out.

Amaze numbera aregrowing but more so on cannibalizing the City and Brio numbers.

VW is having a flat month and would contibue so as the TSI is not exepcted to garner volumes. Need the 1.4 TDI Polo or the TSI on Vento!

Cheers!

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by SDP

....The ride quality of Duster - which has been praised uniformly by everyone - could also be a reason behind the bumper sales figures.

Finally, you must be aware of the hype-cycle.

Originally Posted by ambadan

I am expecting the same with duster in the coming months. Partially due to hype-cycle and partially because of launch of ford eco-sport.

Yes, Ecosport would be the next happening and going by current indications the price will be quite right with a very high VFM factor. Though smaller than the Duster, Ecosport is equal in passenger capacity and ride comfort with handling a tad better. So too the safety & security with the Emergency Assist, as seen from various reports. .
See excepts from Autocar India review.

Fords are known to be great driver’s cars and the EcoSport more than lives up to this reputation. The steering is just phenomenal and and comes with Ford’s ‘Pull Drift Compensation’, which corrects the steering when it detects a pull caused by crosswinds or a crowned road surface. It’s light, yet full of feel and delightfully quick, which makes you want to throw this car around every corner. The brilliant suspension allows you to do just that. Ford has painstakingly tuned the suspension to strike a finely judged balance between ride and handling. The result is a car that feels surefooted at speed on any surface and yet pliant enough isolate you from road shocks. Playing no small role are the 205/60-R16 tyres, which offer superb grip and a cushy secondary ride. Be in no doubt, the EcoSport sets a new ride and handling benchmark for a car below Rs 10 lakh.

[M35]

Why no one notices the performance of the age old work horse, Scorpio.

Duster saw a decline by around 1000 units when compared with its march figure while Scorpio more or less same.

The consistent decline of XUV sales[and the success of Duster] would hopefully urge Mahindra to speed up the exercise in the hut, if at all any, to launch the all new Scorpio at the earliest possible.

IMHO,if they get the design bettered, it could easily outsell Duster to top the chart, considering the performance of the current version of Scorpio against the new generation Duster. Time for Mahindra for a media show with a facelift to XUV 5 Ooh Ooh as well.

[romeomidhun]

Chevy Enjoy may eat into Tavera sales. We have to wait and see.
EcoSport to affect Duster, XUV, Ertiga and Scorpio in the coming months. Let us wait and see!
Figo is clearly losing its sheen.
Amaze to eat into Brio and City sales, for sure.
i20 is also affected by Amaze.
Santro performs consistently.
I was wrong when I predicted Quanto can sell 5K per month. It sells just 2K per month!
Scorpio is holding its forte.
The consistent fall of XUV is clearly a lesson for M&M - for unnecessarily hiking the price almost every month!
Alto off the high levels.
Glad to hear Maruti has decided to replace both A-Star and Estilo by another hatch.
Ertiga sales are settling down at 5K levels.
Mere facelifts can't save SX4. Please bring a full sized DZire in place!
Swift's loss is DZire's gain. But once the backlog is cleared, DZire sales also will come down because of Amaze, I guess.
Evalia is a flop from day 1.
Indigo + Manza sales at 2K levels is pathetic - that too with the sub 4m CS!
As I predicted, Safari facelift is just a waste of effort for many.
Toyota is the most affected - total sales are down by 50%! Any production issue?
Vento + Rapid at 3K+ is a good achievement for VW.

[turbospooler]

The sales of the SUV category vehicles (including Innova as our govt seems to think it as one) has declined due to just one factor: EXCISE DUTY HIKE!
Hyundai who doesn't have a high selling UV in their kitty is hence undeterred. same is the case with Maruti.
Storme is really really laying low. I don't understand. Most of the reviews are positive and the thumb-rule of 6 months wait to buy a newly launched Tata vehicle has also passed!
Hope there is a massive cost cutting to make the vehicle pocket worthy for many enthusiasts!

[ACM]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Some observations. What amazes me when I see this thread is how different the South Bombay automotive market is from the country as a whole. 4,000 Omnis sold in April 2013 - amazing for a grossly unsafe van that was outdated in 1988 (I refuse to even step into an Omni taxi - prefer even Fiats to Omnis). The Hyundai Eon as the No 4 car in India - I don't see even one each day. Yes, we do see the Dzires and Swifts - but the Superbs and 3 Series are almost as common.

I hope Skoda is just clearing out inventory as it prepares for the launch of the New Octavia and the face lifted Superb.

The demise of the D segment sedan has been oft talked about - and there is no better proof of that than the fact that the Ssangyong Rexton outsells all D2 segment sedans put together. Guess all the money in India is with politicians - why else this SUV obsession.

One last observation. VW group seems to do much better in Bombay than in Delhi. My non random sample of vehicles travelling outside my window suggests that Ventos and Rapids outsell the Verna by a wide margin (as does the City). Not true, obviously.

Even many normal executives who are not politicians do seem to prefer SUV's over sedans. It is a global trend that has actually come late to India. In the USA SUV's took the lead very long while back. Then again Sedan made a small comeback during the last recession.

The New Laura (Octavia III) is round the corner and the sales would be impacted by that as well as the fact that in that segment the overall numbers have been down year on year for the total segment while the number of players have only increased. The New Elantra seems to be the segment favourite right now, and it is indeed a good vehicle, not exiting like the Skoda but presumed reliable.

Actually The Verna too is quite visible even in Greater Bombay, Infact I feel more so than the Vento and Rapid. It is really matter of what we have an eye for. Sometimes cars sold in very low numbers are seen quite a bit and others that are sold a lot as somehow not noticed. Most Verna that I see happen to be white and so again are noticed that bit lesser while Vento exhibits the full colour range.

Yep in South Bombay the landscape is quite different - I too travel there each day through the entire length of the city and yes eons are seen more in the suburbs - it is a small petrol vehicle and people buying it probably use it to go around their locality rather than make the long distance commute to South Bombay. Besides people living in South Bombay as a demographic would be more likely to buy premium vehicles vs a smaller budget hatch. Infact it probably sells better in midsized towns, Maruti would be the brand selected in the smallest towns for that segment.