[smokyace]

Honda sets the sales books on fire but that was expected with the blockbuster City.

However the historical trend surprised me with HM-Mitsubishi moving 690 Pajero Sports between August to Feb even with Absolute Zeros for Jan & Feb. Is it due to the strength of the product, lack of options in the segment or a lot of crazy folks like me out there who would buy a Mitsubishi just for its DNA??

Help Me

[akhilesh51]

A small query for the moderators/creators of this thread:

Why is XUV5OO (10-14L) classified as D1 segment vehicles when it is significantly cheaper than other products in the same segment. Infact, XUV5OO should rather play in C2 Segment (8-13L) unless I am missing other criterions for classification.

My other observation stems from the fact that Safari Storme (10-14L) having similar engine specs, product classification and product category is also part of C2 segment.

The realignment of XUV5OO in C2 segment will provide clearer picture of D1 segment (most under performing segment IMHO) where average sales of other products hover around 500-700 units.

I request mods to kindly make the changes if my points are considered valid.

[jessie007]

Originally Posted by prakhar1998

Excellent analysis as usual. But what puzzles me is the disappearance of the fuel story comparison. That used to be interesting, if possible,could you please add that as well.

Yes awaiting the petrol / diesel vehicle sales break-up eagerly. One of my threads is based on this comparison only.

Honda really has stolen the show. But what is amazing is that inspite of so much competition as compared to earlier, Maruti Suzuki is still holding fort - with the top 4 places (which translates to maximum volumes) sealed. I feel that under the current circumstances, Hyundai is the only credible competitor and the new Xcent, even with its 3 cylinder diesel engine, should pose some challenge to the Dzire. Amaze will be a bigger loser, considering Hyundai is boasting class leading boot space (one of Amaze's selling points versus Dzire), which means the Xcent will have a boot bigger than 400 litres, even if it is just a few litres more. Also Tata motors should launch the Blot & Zest at the earliest possible time, to counter the sliding sales and atleast regain number 4 position.

[RavenAvi]

Fantastic as usual, GTO. 5-stars for the detailed thread + 1 extra star for your wonderful in-depth, insightful analysis = 6 stars!

Regarding Ford, one simple narrative should clear the picture - when I sold off my City, the first car I thought of was the EcoSport. I knew there was a waiting period and also that I might get lucky with a cancelled booking/loan-declined case, so decided to pursue it anyway. Called up the nearest Ford dealership and asked about the car, and got this reply - the EcoSport diesel is commanding a 7-8 month waiting period (nothing new there), but they could get me the Titanium diesel in 45 days flat, if I was willing to get accessories/stuff from them worth 1 lac, to be paid in advance!! Upon my casual remark about what would Ford India think if this news went to them (it was a sugar-coated threat), the dealer sneered and said that this has been conveyed to them by Ford India itself, since the EcoSport is such a hot-selling car!! And also, I was more than welcome to take up this directly with the company, either through e-mail or Customer Service.

Mind-boggling arrogance!

Needless to say, I said no thanks and that I was not THAT desperate.

Shifted base to my trusty Honda dealership again and booked the City V i-DTEC. Facing slight delivery issues right now (might get my car in April only), but at least I have peace of mind considering the whole deal/transaction.

Just goes to show what a car company + dealer nexus can result in. A very, very shoddy experience.

Talk about a meteoric rise!! The City is back with a bang!

Now, if Honda India increases their number of dealerships, specially in Tier-III cities and below, and combine that with the Mobilio and Jazz launches, it's going to be their year all the way. The car company is now a frontrunner for a case study in quick-term success.

[CoolFire]

Honda should be very happy. Just around 4000 shy of the third position. They should crack it with the new launches. Especially since the 'rise' of Mahindra seems to be losing steam.

[wilful]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Regarding Ford, one simple narrative should clear the picture - when I sold off my City, the first car I thought of was the EcoSport. I knew there was a waiting period and also that I might get lucky with a cancelled booking/loan-declined case, so decided to pursue it anyway. Called up the nearest Ford dealership and asked about the car, and got this reply - the EcoSport diesel is commanding a 7-8 month waiting period (nothing new there), but they could get me the Titanium diesel in 45 days flat, if I was willing to get accessories/stuff from them worth 1 lac, to be paid in advance!! Upon my casual remark about what would Ford India think if this news went to them (it was a sugar-coated threat), the dealer sneered and said that this has been conveyed to them by Ford India itself, since the EcoSport is such a hot-selling car!! And also, I was more than welcome to take up this directly with the company, either through e-mail or Customer Service.

Mind-boggling arrogance!

Just goes to show what a car company + dealer nexus can result in. A very, very shoddy experience.

[/left]
[/center]

This does not make good reading at all! Definitely does not augur well for the immediate future of Ford India. Arrogance and indifference from the side of dealerships are things that cannot be reversed easily if they are not nipped in the bud by the company. (I know that I am a little here)

[dsr_rpm]

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[GTO]

HM Numbers just came in:

Pajero: 100
Ambassador: 150

[veyron_head]

Great Analysis GTO. Such a good read it was.

Whatever happened to the pulse suddenly, - 94 in Jan to 569 in Feb, 500 Percent MoM gain?? I hope I get to see one of them on the road, haven't been lucky as yet.

[ram_hyundai]

Nissan-Last month due to the termination and confusions the wholesales of cars happened at the month end.This month would be huge numbers for them as the sales for Feb and March would reflect.

[Cooltronics]

Fantastic compilation.!!
Just one pager required to show the bragging SAs where their cars and company stand in the last one year

I am quite happy to see Renault Pulse numbers. 550 odd cars in Feb 2014 up from 95 last year is a significant achievement and truly justifies how good the car is. We got the Pulse Diesel in our family last year and it is a pleasure to drive. Zilch turbo lag, minimum engine clatter and linear acceleration makes you wonder for once if its a petrol or diesel engine. Rear seats also happen to be quite comfortable and spacious. Its a pity other junks are selling like hot cakes on name of mileage and company reputation whereas cars like Pulse are not seeing the response required.
Hoping the scene changes.

[tejas08]

The sales figure of Honda City surely shows the importance of brand name to the Indian Consumers.

At first, Honda launched Amaze with their first ever diesel engine in India. People went berserk with the fact that finally Honda has an Oil Burner.

Now comes the even better part. This Diesel engine with the Honda Brand name combined with the City Badge is just the blockbuster start that Honda needs in 2014.

I am guessing that the Indian market may have just found a C2 Segment car which could have a potential of notching up figures of 5K+ every month.

Hyundai will need to do something about this quickly or else they may end up losing sales to the City.

Ecosport is an example of how a company can make a blockbuster product into a big disaster.

Hyundai Grand i10 seems to be raking in the numbers and going steady at almost 10K average figures. Good for Hyundai! In fact, if Hyundai released the numbers of Grand i10 & i10 together without giving a split they will easily surpassing WagonR to the 4th Spot.

[BusyBoyKK]

Honda's case: Add to the blockbusters, rightly priced Jazz and Honda is going to go full capacity. Seeing what Honda has done with Brio, Amaze and City, Jazz is going to be priced and positioned correctly. It will take Honda to further horizons.

Amazing work by Management Punditz and analysis by GTO. I recollect GTO's analysis on Honda's way forward and things seem to be taking shape. Wow!

[i74js]

Originally Posted by pratyush.

Honda is getting it's act together and everyone is feeling the heat. I wonder why the Brio's sales are not improving much. A reliable batch and hatch, loads of fun to drive and priced competitively vs the segment leaders, the Swift and the i10 Grand.

Is the styling really backfiring so hard? I may be wrong, but I see very little going against it otherwise.

I was hunting for a new hatch last year, endned up with Punto. While Brio was one of the cars I checked, the overall soft design was a clear no-no to everyone in the family.

Even the Sales guy agreed to this fact and requested me to consider Amaze instead. It seems that the present Brio design is not to the liking of many buyers (both first time as well as people looking for a second car in the family).

You are quite right on this

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by tejas08

The sales figure of Honda City surely shows the importance of brand name to the Indian Consumers.

Disagree. If brand value was so important, Brio and Amaze would not have performed so poor compared to the competition.

IMO - success of the new generation City shows clearly how Honda has studied in the Indian mentality and wrapped the product perfectly to this requirement. Competing with Sunny/ Scala in space, Verna in features, Rapid in terms of VFM and packing diesel punch - its a good allrounder and it shows!