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Originally Posted by Mr.Beat As we were expecting but just look at the drop in amaze figures 54% drop. This will get Honda worried for sure Xcent steals numbers from Amaze as well as Dzire to some extent. What will happen when Tata Zest/Bolt will launch? |
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Originally Posted by tsk1979 Honda
Amaze has been Xcented, showing brand strength of Honda is similar to Hyundai in this segment. |
I doubt sudden drop in sales of the Amaze would have anything to do with the Hyundai Xcent. I might be releated to Honda production constraints, and the fat margins that the City generate. We are talking of dealership dispatches here, and I feel one month is just too less for Honda to analyse the sudden drop in sales for the Amaze due to the Xcent launch, and control the inventory and dispatches accordingly. The next 2-3 months should reveal the real picture.
But speaking from a personal viewpoint, I am hoping the Market teaches Honda a lesson. If anybody can do it, its Maruti with the Ciaz - if and only if, they can finally get their hands on a competent diesel engine for it.
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Originally Posted by tsk1979 Chevy first :
With nothing new in the works, and people not interested in boring people movers, the brand is languishing. There seems to be nothing in the roadmap too |
Chevy seems to be lost, and I wouldnt really invest in the brand with my money for now. Comparitively, FIAT is in an worse position, but atleast they seem to be having a roadmap for the future activities - something that gives a ray of hope for the customers/ dealers/ vendors alike. Shockingly Chevy has refused to acknowledge the issue at hand - and have let go of the edge they had with modern products like Beat and Cruze.
And please, no more Chinese stuff! I hope they realise that only competent products can work in the Indian market, given the standards of quality maintained by companies like Hyundai and the cut-throat pricing structure thanks to Maruti Suzuki.
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Originally Posted by tsk1979 Fiat
had an amazing March, and now we are back to also ran. Looks like they need to do more |
If you ask me, the trend was expected due to the below reasons -
1. Over the last two months, the Punto facelift has been revealed by various forms of media with varying degree of camouflage. Various website renderings have also made it clear that Punto might be adopting an edgier styling as previewed in the Avventura concept, with the major shift being the interiors from the new facelifted Linea. If you notice, Punto sales have reached an all time low ever since Nov '13.
2. The new facelifted Linea is not carrying any discounts yet - and trust me, FIAT has become synonymous with discounts. Prospective owners will put off their buying decision till the time discounts set in. No one would like to buy a car and then regret it later when it sells for discounts close to half a lakh and much more!
3. The 1.6 MJD motor is all set to make a grand entry into the market (Even with all the efforts from FIAT to delay it, god knows why!) and it is capable of transforming the car to one of the best in the segment. Power and torque figures comparable to the best-in-class, segment-best ride, handling and steering geometry and with the recent facelift - competent interiors too. I have can point out atleast a handful of BHP'ians waiting for the 1.6 motor to put down their money on the new Linea.
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Originally Posted by tsk1979 But SX4, is down, and in the high end, nobody touches Maruti. |
Too late for the SX4 now, but I would place my bet on Maruti to succeed in this segment with the Ciaz.
Why did SX4 fail? We could come up with a hundred reasons -
but I believe the most relevant was the highly inappropriate timing for the product launch. On one hand, we had the Honda City which was the undisputed king of the sedan segment and the second generation had a dream run for 4 years when Maruti came up with the SX4 for the Indian market. The product was benchmarked against the existing city and they went all out to conquer the market, only to realize that Honda was ready to take the game to an all new level just few months down the line, with the 3rd generation City.
Now that the 4th generation is here and its product lifecycle is locked for the next 4 years - and the Ciaz is a very competent as revealed by our spy pics, they have a good chance at the market if the product is positioned correctly. Even the new Verna should take another 2 years to hit the market, giving Maruti some breathing space to get this one right.
All this - if they can hit the sweets spot with the pricing, features and of-course their diesel engine!