[heavenlybull]

The boring looks of S-Cross and no petrol option are holding this car back. With the launch of Baleno its numbers will dwindle further. Think it will settle at 2-3k in the long run. 'Premium' Nexa hasn't struck a positive cord with most people.

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

Most of the members seem to missing the fact that the S-Cross is sold from a very less number of outlets compared to the Creta.

As the outlets increase, S-Cross might see more numbers as well. Still 3.5K is a decent number for this product.

Originally Posted by heavenlybull

The boring looks of S-Cross and no petrol option are holding this car back. With the launch of Baleno its numbers will dwindle further. Think it will settle at 2-3k in the long run. 'Premium' Nexa hasn't struck a positive cord with most people.

The ratio of units sold (3.5K for S-Cross and 7K for Creta) is 1:2, but have to say that somehow based on visibility on the road this ratio is looking more like 1:10 for now. I agree that Creta has better presence which might be a reason, but if the trained eyes of BHPians are suggesting so then there has to be some merit in the argument

My point being, going strictly by this observation it would be surprising if Maruti can sustain even these numbers going forward.

[KreativeGeek]

Originally Posted by ambujlal

I don't think Kwid will be able to have a major dent in Alto numbers. People buy Alto for the peace of mind and Suzuki's wide network. There sales number come from tier 2 and 3 cities where Renault hardly has any presence. Kwid should sell in Tier 1 cities well but it would never be enough to have significant dent on Alto numbers.

News reports suggest otherwise, Kwid has seen 35% bookings coming from Tier II and Tier III markets so Alto sales numbers are going to see some drop in coming months and it again depends how Renault is able to cope up with the initial demand/supply gap

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/49244647.cms

[shobhitk]

Originally Posted by misquitas

Fully agree with you there. Earlier this year, my cousin compared both cars and eventually opted for the Xcent.

The same may be said about the the Ritz and Swift. I am truly dismayed by the plummeting sales of the Ritz, especially in comparison with the Swift. Despite having the same diesel engine as the Swift and a more spacious cabin (in my opinion), have a look at the comparative sales between the two siblings.

MONTH....RITZ........SWIFT
Sep........1194........18278
Aug........1177........16811

Besides, the Ritz is one of those few truly tall-bodied hatches still left in the market, making ingress and egress easy for the elderly.

Is the Ritz, one of my favourite hatches, doomed only because of its ugly rear?

I bought a Ritz ZDI about 1 years back. I have enjoyed driving this extremely wonderful car with its amazing 1.3 diesel engine and very comfortable seats.
Actually it was the review by GTO and constant updates by a4anurag, Schoudhury, RavenAvi, and blue pulsar and many illustrious BHpians which drove me towards this wonderful hatchback. In fact I along with my family took 4 test drives of Liva diesel but sheer power of the engine, powerful AC and Ritz’s majestic looks made us opt for Ritz. As there was no Ritz available for the test drive, we booked Ritz without any test drive on account of the fact that my father is already using Dzire ZDI with same 1.3 diesel engine and the review of Ritz by GTO was overwhelming.

As far as plummeting sale of Ritz is concerned, Maruti itself is responsible for stagnating the sale of Ritz. First of all, Maruti did not bring ZDI version of this car for many years to ensure that sale of Swift is not eaten up by Ritz. Secondly, even Ritz ZDI is deprived of features like climate control, light indicators on ORVM. Experience at the Maruti outlets is never encouraging, if you go there to buy Ritz. Anybody asking for a test ride is politely declined by the remark that instead of Ritz, buying Swift will be a better option. Last month my uncle went to a prominent dealer (not the one from whom I had booked the car) to book a Ritz VDI but again this dealer also convinced my uncle that instead of Ritz, he would recommend him to buy Swift. As usual there was no Ritz for test drive. In such a scenario, if Ritz is managing monthly sale of 1000 to 2000 cars, it is a pleasant surprise.

Like WagonR, Maruti should update Ritz to make such a wonderful car available to the buyers with all the latest gadgets. Maruti should not forget that still sale of Ritz is more than its very famous competitors like Figo, Brio, Micra, Pulse, Beat, sail U-VA and newly launched Bolt. Despite step motherly treatment by Maruti, Ritz is running neck to neck to Liva + Liva Cross and Polo. Indecently Polo has just been in news in the backdrop of emission issues. Now the trend is to buy feature rich cars. I am sure that upgraded Ritz with much needed favour from Maruti show rooms will ensure that its sale picks up gradually. A wonderful, spacious and dependable car like Ritz definitely needs to be around for many more years to come.

[adi_gt]

The market segment to which alto caters is a very conscious segment regarding the purchase of an "asset" which will help them move from Point A to B with more comfort than a two wheeler, doesn't make them look like a Nano owner ( no offence to all Nano owners but most first car customers don't buy Nano fearing its cheap image) and should be parked easily in congested tier 2/3 cities. Whatever buzz Kwid may generate, it can at best become "also rans". The only thing which I can say now " lohe ko loha katta hai ", alto can only be beaten by Maruti Kwid and not a Renault Kwid.

[KreativeGeek]

Originally Posted by adi_gt

The market segment to which alto caters is a very conscious segment regarding the purchase of an "asset" which will help them move from Point A to B with more comfort than a two wheeler, doesn't make them look like a Nano owner ( no offence to all Nano owners but most first car customers don't buy Nano fearing its cheap image) and should be parked easily in congested tier 2/3 cities. Whatever buzz Kwid may generate, it can at best become "also rans". The only thing which I can say now " lohe ko loha katta hai ", alto can only be beaten by Maruti Kwid and not a Renault Kwid.

That's the irony of the market being heavily skewed in Maruti's favor where consumers would think twice to buy a Renault Kwid citing reasons like cost cutting and quality of plastics etc. and the brand factor even when they know that the value proposition they are getting is way better than Alto.

If the same product would have being launched by Maruti, people would buy like crazy overlooking all reasons they would bring to debate for other brands, so I personally feel in the long run only consumers can show Maruti or any other brand a mirror of their changing expectation rather than acting like brand sheep's and forming a herd to uphold some myths created long back that need to be broken.

I do cherish Alto as my first car, especially because it served me well on expressway and other family outings when my son was born, I used it extensively during my brother's marriage function but while parting with Alto I carried over bitter memories of Maruti Suzuki as a brand which opened up my acceptance to other brands.

I do not want to sound too critical of the Maruti brand but just like Apple I believe this Goliath needs a leveler in the years to come which is healthy for the car market.

Hyundai is on a roll with their latest launches and I personally feel this brand has the potential to capture close to 20% market share now.

Honda has to get Amaze refreshed with a face lift version to bring it out of Brio platform shadow, promote the new Jazz aggressively because it definitely has a good road presence and build quality looks excellent. If Amaze can be remodeled with front fascia similar to that of new Jazz it would nail it in terms of looks.

I am also eager to see Renault building a strong foundation as a brand with Kwid and they should make sure customers who show faith in them are rewarded with satisfactory after sales experience.

When it comes to the new Figo twins, Ford has to up its game on the marketing front. I saw an Aspire Diaries event that was held in Delhi few days back on twitter with very few tweets and there was hardly any noticeable buzz around the event and zero mention on Ford's FB page. Their TVC on Figo Aspire has very low recall value especially during the time of the launch it is no way close to effective.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by heavenlybull

The boring looks of S-Cross and no petrol option are holding this car back. With the launch of Baleno its numbers will dwindle further. Think it will settle at 2-3k in the long run. 'Premium' Nexa hasn't struck a positive cord with most people.

Yes, the bland looks of S-Cross seems to have done it in. Especially, that sloping bonnet which looks so 90s. Esteems and Cielos used to have those sloping bonnets. These days it is the flat and high SUV-like bonnet which grabs attention. See how SUV-like flat bonnet and high grill is working in favour of Kwid.

[noo.b]

Surprising to see that the aspire hasn't even made it to the top 20 inspite of being such a capable product, wonder if its because of low production or low demand. Hope it doesn't go the zest way.

On the other hand the numbers of the amaze are equally surprising, I am not sure if all of those are sales from this month, manufacturers at times have been known to under report their sales numbers and adding them to their numbers at the time of a launch of a new competitor.

How the TUV has raked up those numbers beats me.

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by shobhitk

I bought a Ritz ZDI about 1 years back. .....

A wonderful, spacious and dependable car like Ritz definitely needs to be around for many more years to come.

Sorry to spoil the party Shobhit.

Maruti has already puled the plugs on the Ritz and it is off its production line.
It is a sad death to an otherwise good car.

Probably the "Boomerang" rear boomeranged on the fate of its continued existence

Refer to the link:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...itz-dzire.html

[jessie007]

I would like to add to the statistics with figures for segment-wise market share over a period of last month, 3 months and 6 months. These numbers give a fair picture of each vehicles market share within its own segment and whether they are gaining or losing. Plus the percentage market share and overall segment-wise sales are colour-coded to reflect relative position.

Segmentation might not be perfect but I have done it to the best of my knowledge. Have also highlighted (in yellow) top 10 sellers for each month over the past six months. Hope this is helpful.

Click on an image to enlarge / zoom

[Whichcarnow]

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

A snapshot of segment wise sales trend since Sep'12

Facts

1. A and B1 segments have seen a steady decline over the last 3 years, A from 16% to 12 % and B1 from 16% to 11%, declining steadily.

2. B2 segment has been witnessing a steady increase, though minimal.

3. Its the C1 and C2 segments where things have really changed, rapid growth compared to B2 segment, from 11% and 7% respectively to 17%, a volume rise from 23.9k units to 40.6 k units for C1 ad 15.1k units to 38.5k units for C2. The increase in volumes has been progressive. C2 segment has shown much consistent growth.

Yes very good observation. I have been noticing this for a while. All companies look for growth. EVEN Maruti Suzuki. Their mainstay A and B segment are diminishing every year. They know that the growth is in the C segment now. Hence they started NEXA and new launches geared for this segment. BUT, in this segment they have been absolutely owned by Hyundai, and for good reasons. Hence they should be really worried.

They can't carry on their A segment attitude of just bring out a Maruti it will sell here. Using the same engines in every car? 3 lakhs extra for an engine which is provided as standard in all the other cars in the segment? Other markets will get new engines but not their main market? That is not premium. This strategy needs to change.

They should up the ante in the safety department(which they have started, but why not bring 7 airbags in the top model like they have EVERYWHERE ELSE). They have to bring in new engines. China gets 1.4 boosterjet we don't. For all the "importance to India" by launching Baleno in India first, why no 1.0 boosterjet here.

The point I'm trying to make is that they are clearly losing in the segment that matters, where the growth is. they are AWARE of this They have to up their game now which they can quite easily. I don't understand the lethargy and reluctance then. I mean just look at Baleno. With that kerb weight, just imagine the performance with 90 bhp diesel and 110 bhp Boosterjet with a relatively minimal price shock. Atleast in the top models!!!

[aniketi]

Just want to share my experience at Ford last Sunday. My cousin is looking for new car in range of 8-9 lacs. We went to Ford showroom, Sai Sakshi which is a brand new showroom in Pune. We were there for around 20 minutes but nobody hardly asked what we want. We looked all 3 cars they have. Aspire is good but the color choice for interiors is horrible, it looks very unpleasant in day light. Figo in all balck also not that good, frankly interior quality and design is very ordinary, my cousin didn't like it at all. After some time one person arrived and shared some info. He was telling all approximate prices for all models. Such showrooms experience will never sell cars for them. They need to learn a lot from Maruti and Hyundai. I see future for Figo and Aspire very very weak. That is purely my opinion.

[KreativeGeek]

Originally Posted by aniketi

Just want to share my experience at Ford last Sunday. My cousin is looking for new car in range of 8-9 lacs. We went to Ford showroom, Sai Sakshi which is a brand new showroom in Pune. We were there for around 20 minutes but nobody hardly asked what we want. We looked all 3 cars they have. Aspire is good but the color choice for interiors is horrible, it looks very unpleasant in day light. Figo in all balck also not that good, frankly interior quality and design is very ordinary, my cousin didn't like it at all. After some time one person arrived and shared some info. He was telling all approximate prices for all models. Such showrooms experience will never sell cars for them. They need to learn a lot from Maruti and Hyundai. I see future for Figo and Aspire very very weak. That is purely my opinion.

It's too early to write off Figo and Figo Aspire when there are so many new launches lined up and barring Maruti erratic numbers in sales figures for other manufacturers are bound to be seen in coming months.

Baleno's launch would impact i20, Jazz and probably Figo would need a huge push on the marketing front to gain some credible ground in terms of sales, Kwid's entry is going to impact Alto and Eon primarily.

When it comes to showroom experience I personally do not warrant generalizing individual opinion as a report card for the car manufacturer. Sai Sakshi Ford outlet has opened recently after Planet Ford shut shop, they may not even have properly trained staff which should be reported to Ford even by the prospective customers only then they get to know what's happening at the ground level.

On another note, they way you have expressed your opinion on interiors of Figo Aspire and Figo, beige/black or full black both look unappealing, again when it comes to colors everyone has their own preferences and if manufacturers start paying attention to such gripes they would have a tough time with new launches. Maybe some day we can dream of cars having digital interior panels which would allow us to change colors on the fly with smartphone apps.

I have come across a lot of your threads on T-BHP even before I became active again on the forum recently and found recurring tone of a borderline Maruti fanboy, trying to balance out opinion on most brands however defensive on most instances when it comes to criticism on Maruti cars. Please don't take it personally but even dead as dodo brands like Chevrolet are still prevailing in the Indian car market and no one is questioning or going to challenge Maruti's supremacy in near future.

[raghutk]

Thanks for a wonderful compilation of the numbers.

Wow!! I am amazed by the brand loyalty our citizens show to Maruti and Hyundai. Numbers speak for itself. I am always surprised by the fact that we do not try the other ones unless it is very premium ( Audi, Merc or BMW's ).
I was a true fan of Swift for about 9 years and it gave me wonderful experience. I did not like the car because its from Maruti but because it was Swift. Good driving dynamics, excellent engine and maintenance was easy ( not cheap as everyone feels for Maruti ) .
Now I am proud owner of Renault Lodgy and has done about 1800 KMS (about a month old ) on it and super happy with the car. But feels really sad to see why our people do not buy good cars like lodgy. It ticks every box for a big family car and drives superb (110PS - More powerful than Innova) and with the offers the mid variant comes close to 11.5L OTR Bangalore which has all the features a top premium car could offer.
Read my initial ownership report here
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ip-review.html
Hopefully Renault looks at these numbers and do good marketing for its cars.

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by KreativeGeek

I have come across a lot of your threads on T-BHP even before I became active again on the forum recently and found recurring tone of a borderline Maruti fanboy, trying to balance out opinion on most brands however defensive on most instances when it comes to criticism on Maruti cars. Please don't take it personally but even dead as dodo brands like Chevrolet are still prevailing in the Indian car market and no one is questioning or going to challenge Maruti's supremacy in near future.

We have fan boys for all the brands on the forum. I would go to the extent of telling that barring the mods, almost all members are fan boys of one or the other brands.

All I ask for though is the same yard stick to evaluate all the brands. From the Baleno thread, it seems like Maruti has to go the extra mile to please a few while some other manufacturers are still living off their old glory days although they clearly have bought the levels down in terms of premiumness.

Either way this is way OT. Just wanted to put my opinion in after seeing the last few pages of the yet to be release Baleno thread and this one.