[serious_maniac]

I don't know whats the fuss all about. I own a Skoda and have had good experience pre-sales & post-sales with no major complaints. Yeti, old gen and the newly launched would be ideal for me and I do love them more than most cars on the road. I would love to believe I can break the convention and I did, though at a lower price point by going with Skoda but like most others I am failing to understand why Skoda didn't launch the new Yeti at same price or a small premium.

Maybe they have a good reason than many posted on this thread but it is definitely gut wrenching to see it out of reach when one thought that it could be next upgrade. It is gut wrenching to see a car that you would love to see more of on the road going down and I see that as an overwhelming feeling on this thread and I share that.

~maniac

[dkaile]

I own a Skoda and just love the product. I have had error free 2 years with it. But to be honest I am disappointed by this facelift. It has some great hardware like the Haldex Clutch but all that was present even before. But to see a gen old Bolero stereo, the same one on my Superb, instead of the newer one of the Octavia is disappointing. And why do we not get GPS enabled systems of their Europe based cars? Not available even as on option. Why do these Europeans treat us as second rate buyers? Somehow I loved the quirky round headlamps of the outgoing car. This one looks too generic.

Also I am disappointed by the news that Skoda is going to go slow in the next few years in India. That does not auger well for prospective buyers and even has turned off many of their dealers. Case in point being the shutting down of my local dealership in Meerut. Their market share too is shrinking month after month as is evident in the sales figure. Their MD really needs to give more importance to these facts.

Nonetheless the product has strong fundamentals for die hard fans. And you can still land a helicopter on its roof... But what good is a great product from a shrinking company, is THE point of introspection rather than the price!

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

The X1 launched in 2010 at 22 lakhs ex-showroom (Base). Today the base model is 31 lakhs.

IMHO the price difference between the two has remained similar. Its not just Skoda who have raised prices - the exchange rate has affected all manufacturers. What was 44 to a $ then is now 61, which is more than 35% increase - to expect prices of CBU/CKD kits to remain constant in such a scenario is being extremely optimistic.

Good point. Yes, duties have gone up and the exchange rate has indeed affected all manufacturers too. I'm sure the Superb and Octavia have been affected by this as well. Shoudn't price go up in the same relative manner too? Why has it seemingly affected the Yeti that much more?

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I'm sorry but there is nothing "period" about that statement - it is highly questionable on a number of counts. Firstly you're comparing across two segments, and secondly you're comparing a 4WD (and a capable one too, ground-clearance notwithstanding) with a sedan.

Are you actually saying that it's OK for the Yeti to be priced at this point, when you look at the old price of not just the Yeti, but all the other cars in the 15-30 lakh bracket?

Please refer my first and second post in this thread. I am not comparing a sedan to a crossover. I'm merely making you aware of the fact that the Yeti was once cheaper than the Octavia and now it's more expensive than the Octavia.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Suhaas what are the extra features the Octavia offers over the Yeti besides the DSG and the sunroof?

Isn't it missing some general niceties like auto-wipers, rear sun-blind and the new Infotainment system, or whatever it's called?

Originally Posted by akshay1234

The fit and finish on the Yeti is a notch above the Octavia/Laura and is at Superb level. Yes the quality of the interior in the Octavia may be perceived to be better quality due to better looking interior.

Naa! Fit is great, yes. I haven't disputed that. But the finish, I reiterate, is more on the lines of 10-lakh-Polo than 20-lakh-Octavia. There is liberal use of hard and scratchy plastic all-round. It's definitely not better than the Octavia and it's no where near the Superb's.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I decided to cross-check facts as a statement that followed this assertion on the original post came across as being rather uninformed.

This is what I got from CarWale:

1. The Yeti is not priced at 26 lakhs.
2. The top-end Octavia is not 2 lakhs cheaper.

Disclaimer: I do not have access to pricing in India, I am going by CarWale's pricing:

We paid 23.6 lakhs OTR for our Octavia which is a 1.8 TSI. The top-spec Yeti is 26 OTR Bangalore. The diesel Octavia will be closer to the Yeti's price-tag but it still manages to stay below it. Please don't forget that the Yeti was once priced well below the Octavia. And once again, I'm NOT comparing the two cars.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by aseem

For all I care Armani is made in the same factory as Peter England, but there is a brand value associated with Armani and Armani has spent millions and possibly billions of dollars to get that brand value in place.

So you think a Q3 or X1 is Armani and a Yeti is Peter England?

I would sincerely request you to drive both. And then please come back to have your say.

Skoda is considered a cheap Czech brand in Europe and its only claim to fame is that it is VFM when compared to likes of VW. To compare it with BMW.... well why stop there, might as well compare it with Bentley.

In India, Skoda and VW are evenly priced (almost) And this whole discussion started by you is wrt to Yeti's Indian pricing. You should not complain of its prices here & check their value preposition in Europe. In India, IMHO, they are evens.

I am sorry, but I fail to understand as to what points are you trying to drive home. No honestly. Yeti is a well equipped, comfortable, compact 4 seater. You have an issue with its pricing and find it not VFM, fair enough. Why try to force this opinion? Sometimes, you need to stay with something for a longer duration to appreciate it. Yeti is of that kind.

I very well recall my friend akshay1234's comments about the ride quality of the Q3 as against the Yeti on Michelins, you cannot tell.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Isn't it missing some general niceties like auto-wipers,

It has auto wipers (I used today to double check ) Personally, I miss auto-fold mirrors. GPS & a sun-roof would be good to have.

[shankar.balan]

The facts pointed out here are not really "justifications" for having bought a particular vehicle.

After all, everyone here is entitled to spend their own money the way they like, without having to seek plaudits, brickbats or some kind of approbation from the wide mass of different kinds of consumers, on this forum.

In life, as in branding, one cannot be everything to everyone. One has to focus on one's area of specialisation or niche and go for it with all guns blazing. This is pretty much what all "niche" vehicles do, in India or anywhere else in the world.

Like a wise man once said, opinions are like 'backsides', everyone has one.

Also, talk generally is cheap. It is only when one puts one's money on the table or skin in the game that one is taken seriously.

That said, we are by now, quite off topic but the fact remains that in my experience, the Yeti is one of the better and more capable daily driver vehicles out there in this market and I like it a lot.

With this, I think it is worth just exiting this thread permanently, because it is in danger of rapid deterioration into a "kurukshetra" of sorts...

[adimicra]

This is turning out to be a fight between the owners and the rest which is not deirable.

Can anyone of the owners tell me how the considerable price icrease of the facelift is justified over the previous version? What extra does it bring to the table apart from some cosmetic changes like bumpers and headlights? Mind you, I am not comparing Yeti with any other vehicle. May be it's in a class of its own. I am just comparing it with it's own previous version.
Also, will any of the owners buy the 'new' Yeti at this price without discounts?

And, every person on T-BHP I guess agrees Yeti to be a nice vehicle..So, that's not the point.

[shankar.balan]

One simple input. Irrespective of what vehicle I buy, I will always push the dealer very hard indeed for a discount and do my best to arrive at the price, which I, mentally and wallet-wise, am comfortably willing to pay.

Whether I buy a Yeti or an LR Freelander or RR Evoque, this above fact will always hold good. After all, it is our responsibility to save our hard earned money and to negotiate as hard as possible. I am a regular Indian consumer and my DNA is hard coded in terms of "value seeking behaviour".

Originally Posted by adimicra

This is turning out to be a fight between the owners and the rest which is not deirable.

Can anyone of the owners tell me how the considerable price icrease of the facelift is justified over the previous version? Mind you, I am not comparing Yeti with any other vehicle. May be it's in a class of its own. I am just comparing it with it's own previous version.
Also, will any of the owners buy the 'new' Yeti at this price without discounts?

And, every person on T-BHP I guess agrees Yeti to be a nice vehicle..So, that's not the point.

[zombiedriver]

I really don't understand the reason for an argument here. I have hardly come across a post that says the Yeti is a bad vehicle. Why are people who own it getting defensive when there is no reason for it. Everyone says it's a lovely vehicle and the grouse is the current price, infact I don't even see people complaining about the old price ( could be because of the discounts on offer earlier).
It is the price that is the problem not the car itself. The perception of value of a product is different for every person. There are niche segments in every line of business

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Well the previous gen 4x4 Elegance was 18+ ex showroom if I remember correctly before they stopped selling it late last year or early this year. Considering they have added adaptive bi-xenons, LED drls, electric drivers seat with memory (+mirror memory), Tire pressure loss warning, and bluetooth along with streaming, not to mention a front which is pleasing to look at and not quirky, I think the price increase is fine. Yes it is expensive, but a Q3 with the same specs + 30bhp, a DSG and a pano roof is 20l more.

All in all I think this price with a DSG would have been just fine.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Can anyone of the owners tell me how the considerable price icrease of the facelift is justified over the previous version? What extra does it bring to the table apart from some cosmetic changes like bumpers and headlights?

No one is saying the pricing is justified, the lower the better. But then, you get what you pay for.

This post is from this thread itself. So, if you had dig a bit deeper, you would have found it.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by aseem

It just amazes me how there are some comparisons being made with Skoda & BMW. There is no comparison mates, if you were to google the brand value of Skoda & BMW you will get your answer. Its like comparing Spice with Apple.

Originally Posted by aseem

For all I care Armani is made in the same factory as Peter England, but there is a brand value associated with Armani and Armani has spent millions and possibly billions of dollars to get that brand value in place.
(...)
Skoda is considered a cheap Czech brand in Europe and its only claim to fame is that it is VFM when compared to likes of VW. To compare it with BMW.... well why stop there, might as well compare it with Bentley.

You are spot-on about the brand image part. In general BMW >> Skoda when it comes to brand image. But saying that the X1 at only 3L more than the new Yeti is a no-brainer for a potential buyer is where your argument goes haywire. People buy cars for much more than "brand image". The X1 isn't an off-roader, it's barely an anything-roader, just an urban crossover at best. So what value will I get for my 29L is the question I will be asking myself as a buyer. In any case this is not an X1 thread and the 8L discount you were offered is not the general case so let's not discuss those on the Yeti thread.

Mod Note: Please ensure that all debates are civil and that no personal attacks are made against any members. Any off-topic or personal posts hereon will be summarily deleted.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by dkaile

But what good is a great product from a shrinking company, is THE point of introspection rather than the price!

You've raised the most valid concern here - the issue is the future of this brand. The company is not a concern, as it is VAG Group. It is unlikely that the world's #2 will disappear in dust.

Its confounding how they've suddenly decided to sell only up-market variants of the Yeti - they've dropped the two other variants, which simply does not make sense.


Or maybe it does - I understood from my service advisor during my 3rd service that the Yeti contributes the least to service issues and therefore revenues per vehicle.

Originally Posted by Samurai

Please recalculate the on-road price of top-end Yeti and top-end Manual Octavia using Bangalore as the location. Suhaas lives in Bangalore.

The top-end manual Octavia is Ambition-spec, not Elegance. Your post could also be rephrased to request a comparison of the 4x4 Yeti to the 4x4 Octavia.

The point being that there are no comparable variants or models. Which is exactly why I questioned that superfluous statement for what it was. EDIT: I think you know exactly where I am coming from, so lets not split hairs to find a justification and leave it at that.

[dkaile]

Skoda MD Sudhir Rao's interview yesterday to Hormazd Sorabjee on Bloomberg's CEO on the drive, at the launch of the Yeti, was again uninspiring. What I could gather from it was -

- No new products for at least 2-3 years (not even the Fabia for the next 2 years)
- No new dealers for the next 2-3 years
- Will localise cars (read lower quality)
- Main concentration only on the Rapid for now

In the long run they will make a blast and capture 8% market share after 5 years . I am worried for the brand I love.

[i74js]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Skoda MD Sudhir Rao's interview yesterday to Hormazd Sorabjee on Bloomberg's CEO on the drive, at the launch of the Yeti, was again uninspiring.

In the long run they will make a blast and capture 8% market share after 5 years . I am worried for the brand I love.

There are reasons why the internet is full of jokes about Skoda cars to the extent "How can you double the value of a Skoda Car - by filling petrol !"

I am not too sure if they have any strategy for emerging markets like India or they just want to have a shop here without any plans on gaining traction for their business.

Quite amazing that the big bosses of Skoda just want to let go of the opportunity like India?

Cheers

[ajaypjayaraj]

Originally Posted by azeemhafiz

Slightly off-topic, the reaction on this thread sort of cements the fate (If it were to ever exist) of VW Golf in India. With the GTI version priced closer to the A4, we would have murdered the car even before the car touched down on our soil.

Slightly OT again, but I really really hope some day VW launches the big daddy of all these VAG cars, the Golf, in India at least as an iconic model if not for volume sales. When I did homework about Yeti before the purchase, what I felt is that it is technically like an AWD Golf with a different skin and 2.0 TDI engine. When I realized that, there were no second thoughts, especially when VW had no plans of getting Golf to India.

May be not in the range of Golf R or Golf GTI for they would cost more than an A3/A4, but a well spec-ed Golf (with one of their efficient TSI/TDI mills and with DSG or Manual 6) being launched in India would be a dream come true for many car enthusiasts. I would love to add one of those to my garage if that ever happens.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by dkaile

- No new dealers for the next 2-3 years

I just hope they don't shut down the existing ones. At your place it has been shut down, its the same (Siliguri) as well.