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-   -   Japanese or European cars? Whats your pick in India? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/17181-japanese-european-cars-whats-your-pick-india-2.html)

This is a tough one. For me my luxury car should be European which my other cars can be japanese.

Being a guy in service (i.e. not running a business) I would always go for a Japanese as they make lot of economic sense, also the features these days are no less than Europeans. This holds true even for Bikes mainly SBKs

European cars are built to last, and that is my main reason for voting in their favour. I would prefer to have a car that I can have for a long time, so the car can become like an old friend who knows me well. Of course, I would take good care of this old friend.
Even, going by pure looks, European (and even American) cars have simpler lines, which catch my eye. The Koreans are just too ornate in their lines and the Japanese are somewhere in between.

I think it's the other way round. Hype, marketing, and image are all the same IMHO, btw.

I don't know what reference you are using. To use an example that I am familiar with, the Palio 1.2 weighs 1040 kgs and the Swift Vxi weighs 1010 kgs. Assuming 30kgs doesn't hamper FE all that much, I have still seen Swifts do 12.xx second hundreds and give 13kmpl consistently. A Palio would find that very hard to match.

What do you base your supposed superiority of European cars on? People like me, who prefer Japanese cars, are not stupid, and we have not been brainwashed either. I suggest you think through what you have to say.

GTO, how about a multiple option poll? Abhibh was right, cars can suit needs that are more important than brand loyalty. Also, I could buy a Korean Hyundai or an Indian Dicor, since I think they are great VFM too.

Having said that, if I had to spend 3 crores on a car, it would have to be Italian!

As far as liking is concerned most of us would say european cars....but practically speaking when i would go for purchasing a car i would see the prices and maintenence costs...so japanese cars all the way....

I don't know why people think Japanese cars are less safer than Europeans.
As the "safety feel" is of no use. What matters is how they fare in crash test.

I am with abhibh on this one.
agree:
As long as car fits my requirements and I am sure to get proper service then origin of the car won't matter.

clap: atleast someone agrees with me. As for safety i think Swift is a japanese and i think it's good in safety, build, finish etc.. So you can say japs are not number 2 in the competion they are just one step behind number 1 ;)

Japanese cars are superior in Fuel Efficiency. Granted. But they are not supposed to last more than five or six years, after which the body just withers away. So, you have no choice but to get yourself a new car.
European cars definitely feel more solid and safe. The reason for that may well be heavier gauge sheets, and no rocket science.
But if your car is five years old, you will still be transporting your loved ones in the European car, while your Japanese car will already be looking forward to retirement (unless it already is).
About the marketing / image aspect, marketing would mean the car company actively throwing out desired pictures of itself for the world to start believing. Image is the picture already in the minds of people created from experience over time.
Having said all that, given the situation of the world oil reserves, a conscientious citizen of the world should vote for a car that is fuel efficient (green), but then, bhp, toque..... its a wild world, so easy to go astray.

Wow! Very interesting poll results and comments.

This is a general poll. As an example : consider that the Octavia and Corolla both suit your needs...what would you choose?

Devarshi, Please do refrain from making such statements. Among other things, Japanese cars do sell for their reliability and FE.

Look again. Though this poll is between Japs and Euros, the third option on the poll includes everything else (Indian, Korean etc.)

No ways! My Esteem is 11 years old, and it really is not that bad (though currently on sale due to 2 lakh Km on the odo). My Accord in the States was 12 years old when I sold it, with 160,000 kms, and still going very strong. It would be extremely inappropriate to say that Jap cars are built to last only 5 - 6 years.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a 10 year old 118NE or Ford Escort (European cars) in the same condition as a 20 year old M800 (Japanese car).

I have had a succession of Japanese cars, a lot of which were older than 5 years. Even my Santro, which lasted 5 eventful years with us, felt as tight as the day we bought it.

Supposed, feel, may be are all intangibles. They may have thicker sheet metal, but do you know it for a fact? They may feel more safe, but are they safer? They are not supposed to last, but somehow they do.

There is no semblence of truth in this statement. Go to US and you will find tons of people driving 10 year old Accords and Civics.

Yup, the keyword is feel.

In general my vote goes to the Japanese cars. Yes they are fuel efficient, but they have got style and speed and are so much easier on wallet as well.

If it comes to supercars, there is no contest. European cars are the best.

If Euro cars are built to last anyway, why doesn't Skoda offer a longer warranty? I think even MBIL offers only 1 year. After that, it's goodwill, or goodwill-not. Maruti, on the other hand, offers a 3 year bumper-to-bumper warranty. I think Hyundai does something similar.

To be honest, the Europeans are the only ones who have a USD 150,000+ supercar range. The closest anyone else came was with the NSX, Viper, and now the GT. Though I'd still buy a Murcielago. :p

Benq-siemens: Siemens is the Engineering expert while Benq markets the product

Sonyericsson: Ericsson is the engineering Expert while Sony markets the product

Renault-Nissan: Renault is the more technologically sound giant while Nissan provides Marketing and cost efficienct

TCL-Alcatel: Alcatel provides the engineering genius while TCL is marketing the phones.

First CRDi engine- Fiat
Fiat hatch- Renault
First VVt- Fiat
First CVT automatic- Volvo

hyundai is known for crdi in India
Maruti is known as the best hatch maker
Honda is known for vtec
Honda is known for cvt



Swift: 1298cc, 87bhp, 113nm, 1000kgs
palio: 1242cc, 72bhp, 102nm, 1015kgs


Swift:- 87bhp/tonne
Palio:- 70.9 bhp/tonne

now compare.

Hey Chill!!! We have two Japanese cars back home, so that includes me too. I am pretty right on what I say. Read the first reply and please understand the right meaning of what I am trying to say.:)


I do need to learn to put my thoughts in better words. Till then please: bear with me. My pure meaning here is that Japanese are better at Marketing. Look at the examples above.

IMO Japanese cars are teh way to go..

The following reasons are based on my own experience and also opinions of other owners of Euro makes

Japanese car markers esp Honda and Toyota are quality obsessed and it shows. They make the most reliable cars on the market now and with high resale values. Safety ranks pretty highly with them as well and the crash ratings of the current cars prove that. They (crash ratings) are the same if not higher than some Euro makes. I do have to agree that MB makes very safe cars too. When it comes to the handling department, the japanese car makers make decent handling cars without breaking the bank. They simply make cars that are great for FE, great Interiors, good technology which all WORK together PERIOD.

Most of the Euro car makes have terrible reliability and quality that is only gradually improving. BMW and MB make good reliable cars..but still have a long way to go before they touch the reliability or quality of the Japanese cars. BMW makes the best hadnling cars though..but how many people drive 10/10 all the time?..Acura/Honda now is making great handling cars as well. MB and BMW sell on image. Euro makes generally are more repair prone and more expensive to maintain and VW is especially notorious for cars that are not reliable. Bottom line is 'why would you want to pay top rupee for something that may not work all the time?'.
As I always say..the best cars would be the Japanese cars with Euro Handling. I would love to see some Lexus and Acura cars in India like the IS 350 or the future TSX with SH-AWD.
In the long run, I do believe that Japanese cars will be the hands down winner in India as most of the Indians are for value for money.

Frankly, the only old Euro car you see running in Europe are the

Merc w123/w124/w201, old Vw Golfs, Volvo's and some Peugeots- that is because they are simple but massivly over engineered

You see some early Ford Mondy's and Opel Vectra's but hat is due to simple cheap componenents and easy to work on

Old Jap cars go on and on, the only thing that kills them is rust.

Later cars are too complex - BMW's, the electronics give up and the radiators fail causing overheating. Mercs - cost cutting means later models are trouble and not as long lasting w210's have rust issues.