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Old 5th October 2016, 09:28   #121
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

I probably am not a purist. Nor am I in the scale of life where I can afford to own and run any of these three marques. But I have always loved the Three Pointed Star of the Mercedes.

Saying that, I also do have a marked preference for the older, more mechanical Mercedes, BMW and Audi cars of the '80's and '90's. I find these new ones a bit too decidedly high tech for my taste.

So much so, that one may actually need a minor engineering degree to learn how to operate one of these newer cars.

Some of the best ever that I really love - The Merc 190E Cosworth, The Bee-Em M3, The Audi Quattro 20V - all of the 1980's and 1990's...delicious.

Clearly even of these three, the Merc 190E stood out.

And even today, the beautiful wedge back lines and three pointed star of the Classic 1990's Mercs, still makes me turn my head in case I see one.

The newer Mercs too, are absolutely delicious. I think this is something to do with their overall design language and the way it somehow tugs at the heart more than the head.

Like the GLA of today makes me want it but the X1 and X3 of today, well, frankly, I can take 'em or leave 'em...

I guess for me, it is always going to be the Three Pointed Star - irrespective. There's a madness that I have in me, associated with this Marque.

Saying all this, like most things, this "brand preference" thing is also cyclical. Quite clearly. It's all about the "flavour of the season" and the "desirability" cues that the brand is able to stimulate in the minds of the consumers.

Last edited by shankar.balan : 5th October 2016 at 09:44.
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Old 12th October 2016, 11:23   #122
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...w/54805964.cms

Use of the term 'maintenance issue' actually gives out a negative perception of the quality of the vehicle. Not sure what all issues led to the situation. Definitely not something that BMW should be happy about.
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Old 12th October 2016, 11:54   #123
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

Ironically, I am in the minority who doesn't like Mercedes' new design language. I am a huge MB fan, but my loyalties are now slowly shifting to BMW. (Can't put a finger on why - as I always rooted for MB and hated when BMW entered India and displaced MB)
I just love how the new BMW 7 series looks and am not sure why it doesn't get as many accolades for its design as say the new S Class - which in my opinion is striking at once, but also quickly fades in the imagination.
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Old 3rd November 2016, 08:43   #124
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

Mercedes Benz is the clear winner in 2016. Lead continues in October sales too.

Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India-capture.jpg

Source- Auto Punditz
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Old 3rd November 2016, 09:58   #125
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

Off-Topic:

Quote:
Originally Posted by srishiva View Post
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...w/54805964.cms

Use of the term 'maintenance issue' actually gives out a negative perception of the quality of the vehicle. Not sure what all issues led to the situation. Definitely not something that BMW should be happy about.
I think she later cleared that there is no such "issues" with the car. The return was to do majorly with the bad roads in her native it seems. A low GC car couldn't be driven over those. Secondly, there is no BMW service centres at her native and her coach also hinted on the huge service costs associated with the brand.
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Old 12th November 2016, 08:46   #126
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

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Originally Posted by swiftnfurious View Post
Off-Topic:



I think she later cleared that there is no such "issues" with the car. The return was to do majorly with the bad roads in her native it seems. A low GC car couldn't be driven over those. Secondly, there is no BMW service centres at her native and her coach also hinted on the huge service costs associated with the brand.
...and the elements like gift tax, registration, insurance charges. On top, you have to drive around whole of Bangladesh to get you car serviced in Kolkata!
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Old 12th November 2016, 10:22   #127
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The New design language for Mercedes is working for sure. It does looks novel and flashy, something that strikes you instantly. On the other hand some cars seem ridiculous, the GLA seems out of place in its segment and is awkwardly small. While the X1 is just right in size and road presence. Somehow I get a feeling that Merc is going all out and wants to be the new "Audi" in terms of design and outright novelty. But the classic design language of the Beemers is something that you cannot explain. Every car that BMW builds seem timeless ( may be except the GT ). And they maybe better off not chasing the numbers like Audi or Mercedes. Just look at the sales. Mercedes has 1000 cars with such a wide range of cars and similarly with Audi too. On the other hand BMW is hovering around 700 cars with nearly half the number of models.
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Old 16th November 2016, 07:43   #128
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[quote=motorworks;4091301]The New design language for Mercedes is working for sure. It does looks novel and flashy, something that strikes you instantly. On the other hand some cars seem ridiculous, the GLA seems out of place in its segment and is awkwardly small. While the X1 is just right in size and road presence. /QUOTE]


The x1 is the right size, but the base model is absolutely bare and frugal. Not becoming of a 35L car. The model with the sunroof and better sound is 5L more!! Even the base GLA doesn't feel like a budget car.

GLA and x1 both target entry level luxury. Hurts. Someone who is a first time buyer would want at least more features and a nicer looking cabin than his/her old car!
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Old 23rd December 2016, 22:04   #129
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

I have been regularly communicating with Audi, Merc, Volvo and BMW dealers over the last few months to finalize my car purchase. While Audi, Volvo and Merc dealers have been pretty transparent in their pricing structure, I believe the local BMW dealer (KUN Exclusive) is taking its customers for a royal ride atleast in Coimbatore. I think such BMW dealers also play a part in poor sales of BMW cars compared to Merc/Audi. Just to give an example, there are a couple of glaring issues with their price list:

1. Mandatory temp registration: They are charging close to 0.85% of the vehicle cost for temp registration for every car they sell. Their reasoning is that their billing point being Chennai, they have to do a temp registration at Chennai before they can move the car to Coimbatore for permanent registration. From a customer's perspective, this is something totally unwarranted as the car is not moving out of the state. Moreover, the actual temp registration charges in Tamilnadu works out to just 0.30% of the vehicle cost. When I challenged about this 0.55% differential, I received a vague response from the dealer saying that they have bundled PDI charges as well into this.

2. Hiding the official offers: There are multiple offers from BMW this month and the local BMW dealership didn't care to inform me about them. Based on some BHPian advises, I called up dealers from nearby states and they disclosed the offers over the phone. Eventually, my local dealer agreed that they are aware of all the offers and went on to say that they don't disclose such offers so as to allow a good room for negotiation. I think this isn't a transparent way of dealing things. I am sure they are going to make money even if they sell the car at an offer price as there is an official pricing support from BMW. It doesn't feel good to see a premium car dealer not passing on the official offers to the end customer.

3. BMW Secure: The pricelist given by my dealer has a component called "BMW Secure" in addition to the super inflated Insurance component and it costs almost 1% of the ex-showroom price to purchase "BMW Secure". Based on fellow BHPian Santoshbhat's advise, I directly checked with BMW about this and I was clearly told that 1 year BMW Secure coverage is included in the car's price. Every BMW spec sheet confirms this fact as well. I am wondering why the dealership is asking me to pay 1% extra money for something that is already included in the vehicle's price.

Just to share my experience, I was given a discount of 5 lakhs on the OTR price of BMW 3GT Luxury Line - if I opt for the insurance provided by the dealer. According to the dealer's pricelist, temp registration costs Rs.48500 (as opposed to the actual cost of Rs.15000) and 50K is being charged for Secure. It looks like I am paying close to 1 lakh for something that I am not supposed to pay for. While the discount on paper says 5 lakhs, all I am getting is a 4 lakh discount or may be just 3 lakhs if I consider the insurance offered outside the dealership.

Is this something specific to KUN Exclusive Coimbatore? I definitely feel cheated by KUN Exclusive when they unethically inflate the OTR prices and then offer some discounts to convince their customers . If this is something practiced by multiple dealers, I am sure people are going to go with other options.
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Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India-pricelist.jpg  


Last edited by ece2k2 : 23rd December 2016 at 22:16.
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Old 24th December 2016, 08:42   #130
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

Quote:
Originally Posted by ece2k2 View Post
I was given a discount of 5 lakhs on the OTR price of BMW 3GT Luxury Line - if I opt for the insurance.... temp registration costs Rs.48500 (as opposed to the actual cost of Rs.15000) and 50K is being charged for Secure. It looks like I am paying close to 1 lakh for something that I am not supposed to pay for. While the discount on paper says 5 lakhs, all I am getting is a 4 lakh discount or may be just 3 lakhs if I consider the insurance offered outside the dealership.
Is this something specific to KUN Exclusive Coimbatore? I definitely feel cheated by KUN Exclusive when they unethically inflate the OTR prices and then offer some discounts to convince their customers.
I don't know about the temporary registration but for all insurance policies, there is a headline cost and there is an offer price which is much lower. All dealers use that to exaggerate discount on OTR price. For example, when I was looking at the GLC, one of the Mercedes dealers offered free insurance and claimed it was a large value, but as my company takes its own insurance, this did not make sense for us. Also in Bombay, all luxury car dealers charge at least ₹ 30-40 k as handling charges over and above registration taxes. What I also found is that BMW dealers negotiate more than Mercedes dealers, which some people like but others dislike. You have great discounts on the 5 and X3- but we didn't much on the GT LCI. Secure premium is a separate amount which is charged - and that is well tested through an intense bargaining process.

Last edited by Hayek : 24th December 2016 at 08:45.
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Old 24th December 2016, 08:48   #131
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

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Secure premium is a separate amount which is charged - and that is well tested through an intense bargaining process.
Thanks Hayek. But why would one pay for Secure if that comes for free with the car for 1 year duration?
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Old 24th December 2016, 08:56   #132
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

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Thanks Hayek. But why would one pay for Secure if that comes for free with the car for 1 year duration?
BMW may have an offer where they pay for 1 year secure. But my company insists that the dealer break up every component of cost (company pays ex showroom and basic insurance net of discounts; employees must pay secure premium)- and even where there is an offer, secure premium is being paid to Bajaj Allianz, which is the insurer they use in Mumbai. The price list from both Mumbai dealers shows Secure premium separately.
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Old 24th December 2016, 09:12   #133
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

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BMW may have an offer where they pay for 1 year secure. But my company insists that the dealer break up every component of cost (company pays ex showroom and basic insurance net of discounts; employees must pay secure premium)- and even where there is an offer, secure premium is being paid to Bajaj Allianz, which is the insurer they use in Mumbai. The price list from both Mumbai dealers shows Secure premium separately.
It is weird that all the dealers across the country are practicing this policy. According to BMW, "BMW Secure Advance Package" is included in the ex showroom price. I guess this means BMW Secure and 24x7 Road Side Assistance aren't something that a customer is supposed to separately pay for - for the first year. Please correct me if I am wrong.
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Old 10th January 2017, 16:09   #134
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re: Mercedes, BMW & Audi sales figures in India

Slight improvement in the year-on-year BMW sales:

Quote:
BMW Group India has delivered 7861 cars to customers in calendar year 2016. This includes 7500 BMW cars and 361 MINI cars. BMW Group India sales for 2016 have grown by 14% as compared to 2015.
Meanwhile, the Star sells nearly double of that!

Quote:
Mercedes: 13,231 units sold in the January to December 2016 period (January to December 2015: 13,502 units)
Interestingly, the new C-Class has started outselling the E-Class which has always been Mercedes' best-seller.

Last edited by GTO : 10th January 2017 at 16:18.
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Old 10th January 2017, 21:00   #135
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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Slight improvement in the year-on-year BMW sales:



Meanwhile, the Star sells nearly double of that!



Interestingly, the new C-Class has started outselling the E-Class which has always been Mercedes' best-seller.

Probably because the E is due for their all new model. Also I was at the dealership quite a lot in the last one month to book my C250, the interiors of the C are in a different league compared to the out going E. There is no aspirational value with the E's interiors.
There are fantastic discounts available on the E if someone wants to go for it now.
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