[aviat18]

Originally Posted by govindremesh

Tata and many on this forum believe that they have fine products. I'm sorry to say that Zest and Bolt, though a fine effort, have still some way to go in the quality department. Revotron needs to prove its reliability since the reports from existing Tata owners about their so called "proven engines" are not very encouraging. Tata should understand that reliability and ease of servicing are major factors for customers while buying a car.

My views exactly!

I am quite new to car ownership, and took the plunge with Tata Bolt last April. I must take exception to your view about the reliability of Revotron engines. I have been a regular follower of Zest and Bolt threads and have not once come across any issues regarding reliability or drivability of the Revotron engines. Infact, misconceptions like these are actually hampering the sales of Tata cars, and just shows the power of brand value. My experience with TASS has been good so far (driven 15k+ in last 9 months). The car has been reliable and solid.

But perceptions are hard to change. In my opinion, what's under the hood is the last priority of Indian customers. Most play it safe and go for a Maruti or Hyundai. To bring them out of the herd mentality, you need a brilliant package (like a Kwid/Duster/Ecosport). This is where Tata is lacking. All their recent launches are competent products (and save for the Ford twins I would say the most VFM twins). But they are not eye-candies like an Ecosport or even Kwid in its segment.

[Ksingh544]

Originally Posted by 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......:

Hi Jessie thanks for sharing this breakdown. I had been looking Thar figures for a while but the company had not been reporting these for the last 12-14 months.

If i have read your data correct and a first level glance tells me that the Thar is easily out performing the following vehicles -

- Linea
- Fiesta
- Sunny
- Scala
- Gypsy
- Terrano
- Enjoy
- Xylo
- Safari

While i understand this is not a head to head comparison. But nevertheless impressive for a 2 seater jeep

[RSR]

Thank you for the numbers, charts and graphs, Aditya!

I'm terribly, utterly disappointed with the market's response to the new Ford Figo & Aspire.

Here we have a manufacturer offering 6 airbags + ABS (or 2 airbags + ABS + ESP + TC, depending on the variant) in two cars when even those from sub-segments above don't have them. Not to mention the stonking & blisteringly quick 100 PS 1.5 diesel motor. Or a 6-speed dual clutch transmission coupled with a 112 PS 1.5 petrol engine, when no other car has anything more than a 1.2 litre petrol engine in these sub-segments. All in cars that tip the scale at a substantial 1000 kg plus for most variants.

And the market response? It has been rather ordinary. It's this kind of stupid market response to such cars with brilliant safety features that makes manufacturers conclude the Indian market doesn't value safety. Just pathetic!

By the way, the new Figo twins were not affected by the Chennai floods, as they're being rolled out of the new Sanand plant. It's the EcoSport whose dispatches would have been affected by the floods.

To hell with the average market response! The new Figo twins have won my deep respect because of the sheer wisdom of Ford in providing additional safety features in segments where none of the competitors have them. The twins make it straight to the top of my list when the time comes to replace our i10.

Listen Ford! Just hire an accomplished marketing agency that will highlight the twins' excellent safety features, the brilliant 100 PS 1.5 TDCI and also the 1.5 Ti-CVT + 6-DCT combination. I'm willing to provide great ideas for print, radio, television & internet advertisements (for free!) should you need them.

Lest I forget, bring out the Titanium+ variants of the automatic Figo twins soon. And while you're at it, bring out a remapped 1.2 Ti-VCT (with minor hardware tweaks if necessary) to provide the petrol manuals a creamy smooth, linear response (without any dull range in the powerband) right upto the red line!

The Figo twins certainly deserve to succeed in a big way! Only then will the Indian market get better safety features in the sub-1 million rupee price range.

[Ironhood]

Originally Posted by aviat18

My experience with TASS has been good so far (driven 15k+ in last 9 months). The car has been reliable and solid.

Cannot agree more. I owned a Manza, 3 scheduled services, one ad hoc visit. At all times, the service was good. The appointment time was respected. The car itself had no issues till I sold it, superbly reliable. I am very confident that the current owner is happy with it too. It tells a lot about the product when the seller is confident that the buyer will not call him back after the deal.

Yes, it is the perception of Indian buyers that has to change. In our own forum, on TATA car reviews we see - "Tata's after-sales service experience remains a gamble". If I like it, I write good. That should change the perception.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by aviat18

I am quite new to car ownership, and took the plunge with Tata Bolt last April. I must take exception to your view about the reliability of Revotron engines. I have been a regular follower of Zest and Bolt threads and have not once come across any issues regarding reliability or drivability of the Revotron engines. Infact, misconceptions like these are actually hampering the sales of Tata cars, and just shows the power of brand value. My experience with TASS has been good so far (driven 15k+ in last 9 months). The car has been reliable and solid.

But perceptions are hard to change. In my opinion, what's under the hood is the last priority of Indian customers. Most play it safe and go for a Maruti or Hyundai. To bring them out of the herd mentality, you need a brilliant package (like a Kwid/Duster/Ecosport). This is where Tata is lacking. All their recent launches are competent products (and save for the Ford twins I would say the most VFM twins). But they are not eye-candies like an Ecosport or even Kwid in its segment.

I agree with your views aviat18. Tata needs to correct the customer perception. And this is a complex job. Buying a Honda or a Hyundai is considered prestigious or premium. Buying a Tata or Mahindra is considered VFM only.

To chage this perception, good product, good sales experience and good service are not enough. They need to condition the brains in the herd that buying Tata products will make them elite. So the cars shall be seen with right characters of the movies, with right eminent personalities in real life. Some kind of social approval needs to be created.

This is a complex job. And before getting on this task, they need to improve customer experience in the showrooms.

[navate]

More worries for the D1 segment - sedans (Only XUV has volumes in this segment).
Even the sales of good old Corolla too dropped significantly by the end of the year.
Will we be seeing new launches in the segment in 2016 ?

[SKavuri]

Once again, professional quality analysis of the eagerly awaited information!
Thanks Mr.Aditya.
Kwid numbers are not a surprise, considering it is COTY on Team-BHP.
But as some members expressed, Ford twins numbers are inexplicable. I actually thought there is an error in the numbers.
Mr. Aditya, just curious - what about Punto Abart numbers?

[sudhirnam]

Originally Posted by RSR

Thank you for the numbers, charts and graphs, Aditya!

I'm terribly, utterly disappointed with the market's response to the new Ford Figo & Aspire.

Here we have a manufacturer offering 6 airbags + ABS (or 2 airbags + ABS + ESP + TC, depending on the variant) in two cars when even those from sub-segments above don't have them. Not to mention the stonking & blisteringly quick 100 PS 1.5 diesel motor. Or a 6-speed dual clutch transmission coupled with a 112 PS 1.5 petrol engine, when no other car has anything more than a 1.2 litre petrol engine in these sub-segments. All in cars that tip the scale at a substantial 1000 kg plus for most variants.

And the market response? It has been rather ordinary. It's this kind of stupid market response to such cars with brilliant safety features that makes manufacturers conclude the Indian market doesn't value safety. Just pathetic!


The Figo twins certainly deserve to succeed in a big way! Only then will the Indian market get better safety features in the sub-1 million rupee price range.

Cannot agree more to this. Figo twins deserve better market response. Being very similar vehicles, clearly there has been a split in the sales. If we consider total sales of the Figo twins, the number seems decent (around 4400) for Ford. If only Ford could the bring a more enthusiastic petrol version, it could have done wonders.

[raghutk]

Wow!! Feels good to see Renault Lodgy numbers picking up. Was always wondering why such bad numbers for a great MUV which is very value for money and gives the best driving experience especially the 110PS version. I have driven the car in the toughest roads of Coorg and still had the best experience overall and have paid 5L less than Innova.
Also very good to see Kwid numbers picking up. This will boost confidence for Renault Car buyers and I guess we will have more service centers India wide.
Baleno looks to be a winner from the Maruti stable as expected and Sorry S-Cross you are facing too much competition.
I guess creta is seeing its real numbers and will be around this is what I feel.
Brio is almost on the verge and Jazz needs more numbers as this is a capable car.
Thanks to T-BHP for the wonderful compilation and analysis.

[viren83]

Originally Posted by amit

Mercedes & Audi sell more E & A6 then BMW sells the smaller & cheaper 3 series! In fact, BMW sells more 5 series then 3. What went wrong with the 3 series for BMW? The A4 despite being older outsells the BMW 3. That is surprising.

I had the same doubt! I am assuming the 3 is getting older and new faces sell more in this segment. but that's just my assumption.

The C is the best looker and the 5-series offers lucrative discounts(apart from being the best car in the segment) to support their figures but what about the A4 here?

[amit]

Originally Posted by viren83

I had the same doubt! I am assuming the 3 is getting older and new faces sell more in this segment. but that's just my assumption.

The C is the best looker and the 5-series offers lucrative discounts(apart from being the best car in the segment) to support their figures but what about the A4 here?

The Audi A4 is older then the BMW 3 yet it sells more so our belief that a newer car sells more needs a re-think. In fact, if I was Mercedes I would be very worried over the new A4. If the old model is able to breath down the new C class's neck imagine what the new one will do.

You do have a point that the 5 series has lucrative discounts which could be making people coming in to buy the 3 upgrade to the 5 but isn't even Audi giving huge discounts on the A6? It doesn't seem like the BMW case is being repeated at Audi. Mercedes is doing the same offering huge discounts on the E but the C could be holding on because it's a spanking all new generation model while the E is outdated and due for replacement soon.

There is something deeper in why the 3 is stuttering month after month. BMW needs to seriously think about that because I doubt the LCI is going to change anything for them.

[Midas]

December sales (or factory dispatch) numbers shouldn't be interpreted in the same way as other months. There are many more factors at play here.
- Year end shut down of some manufacturing plants
- Decrease in production at the year end
- Huge offers on some of the models for stock clearance
- Hesitance of some customers for buying a car manufactured in year as it can be perceived a 1 year old vehicle very soon
(I might have missed few more similar factors which is applicable only at year end)

All these can easily skew the numbers. Especially if we look at the percentage shift in "Top Gainers" and "Top Losers", we are seeing big numbers.

I'm not saying these are the only factors, but we cannot ignore these.

Anyway, very interesting sale figures indeed, with many surprises.

In continues to amaze me why Hyundai Verna sales figures are so low. At least on paper, it seems to be a good package. Already it was selling low and a 41% dip in December? . Honda City numbers are 10 times and Ciaz is 4 times than that of Verna. What is going wrong with this car?

[djay434]

Great insight into year end factory car dispatches.

1. #Kwid going from strength to strength. Still believe the 1.0L can be a booster for Renault and a serious competitor to the venerable Alto K10. Also, Renault needs to look into the back seat loose seat belts, quirky ergonomics of the dashboard and offer ABS + 2 Airbags in the top-end variant (as default) and as options on the lower end variants.

2. Referring to the luxury car sales, couldn't find Jaguar/LR figures? The good folks reluctant to share the info? I'm hopeful they're not as dismal as HM-Mitsubishi who might as well pack their bags and bid adieu to Indian car market.

[KreativeGeek]

Originally Posted by RSR

I'm terribly, utterly disappointed with the market's response to the new Ford Figo & Aspire.

Ford has stuck itself in a state of Limbo, the initial consumer confidence during the phase of Figo Twins launch was washed away within the first month and post Baleno's launch they did not even try putting up a fight.

And the market response? It has been rather ordinary. It's this kind of stupid market response to such cars with brilliant safety features that makes manufacturers conclude the Indian market doesn't value safety. Just pathetic!

It is difficult to fathom what exactly is the priority of Indian consumer when it comes purchasing a car, people go for a TD of cars from different manufacturers when they are looking for options but in the end the psychological block of sticking to the top three brands (Maruti/Hyundai/Honda) takes over logic, barring the exception of Kwid this year which attracted customers with its mini duster look and safety was not of prime concern here again.

Safety USP for Ford was instantly nullified by competition in a very short duration and currently when the Maruti & Hyundai are aggressively battling out with new launches, Ford does not stand a slimmest chance to even gain attention.

Going by the trend these two top players have set- SUV, Compact SUV, Premium Hatchback segments have become hot property (Creta, S-Cross, Baleno, i20 Elite) There is heavy demand for bling inside the cabin these days with all possible gadgetry that can be stocked is more than welcome.

To hell with the average market response! The new Figo twins have won my deep respect because of the sheer wisdom of Ford in providing additional safety features in segments where none of the competitors have them.

I have also developed respect for Ford as a brand for coming up with the new Figo Twins:
- Maruti always banks on mileage USP even for cars which need the muscle power and not efficiency always.
- Hyundai rides strong on design, rich interiors and they truly innovate when it comes to offering trend setting features but their cars never up the ante on power and mileage.

Ford does not have a ground breaking offering in Figo Twins however it has managed to provide a balanced product with its own shortcomings in the form a lackluster petrol engine, and average interior looks (i'm not complaining though) when compared to digital overload everyone else is busy packing. But the 1.5 TDCi Diesel engine surely sets itself apart from competition by miles.

Ford & Honda have definitely made Maruti rethink about their strategy of packaging a sheep in the coat of wolf, when real wolves are already making their presence felt (100ps club). Hyundai & Maruti were quick to start offering ABS/ABD and Airbags for Xcent, Dzire and Swift either optional or by default across different versions.

Listen Ford! Just hire an accomplished marketing agency that will highlight the twins' excellent safety features, the brilliant 100 PS 1.5 TDCI and also the 1.5 Ti-CVT + 6-DCT combination. I'm willing to provide great ideas for print, radio, television & internet advertisements (for free!) should you need them.

The Figo twins certainly deserve to succeed in a big way! Only then will the Indian market get better safety features in the sub-1 million rupee price range.

This is one area where I am unable to figure out what long term strategy Ford has in mind to gain the lost momentum for Figo Twins, Maruti and Hyundai are prepared for next round of battle to take on Ecosport with their own versions of sub 4m compact SUV.

Figo has strong competition from - Baleno, Elite i20 and even from the current gen Swift

Aspire has competition from - Baleno, Yes you read it right more than Dzire, Baleno is like a deadly dual Sith saber sword cutting through competition ruthlessly even with limited Nexa outlets. When it comes to length Baleno is Premium hatchback stretched to the size of compact sedan and it is wider to Aspire too so a customer who does not need a hatchback with a boot would definitely choose Baleno over Aspire.

The other competitors Dzire, Amaze and Xcent also have a strong grip so expecting Aspire to turn the tables is near to impossible feat.

What has Ford done until now & what could be done:
- All marketing budget and effort spent on Farhan Akhtar and other campaigns pre-launch.
- Post Launch they come up with a lame TVC with zero recall value, front page ads in newspapers were like a blip. If you check power drift video review of Aspire it would put Ford's marketing team to shame. Renault engaged Ranbir Kapoor and AR Rahman, the Re-Re-Raftaar jingle is catchy and it goes a long way in creating a strong brand recall, it was a bold move by Renault to showcase their entire vehicle fleet and Ranbir standing close to the Kwid at the end of TVC in these ads which shows that the Manufacturer is confident of their product offering irrespective of the sales numbers. Renault saw a golden chance to increase brand visibility while basking in Kwid's glory which is an ace move.
- Maruti's Baleno featured in Star Wars promotion even when they have a super hit product which can do without TV ads for now, 'What if' Ford could have tried attempting a Bajirao Mastani promo tie up - "Aspire Diesel ne 100ps performance zaroor di hai par mileage pe compromise nahin" (Bajirao ne Mastani se Mohabbat ki hai Ayyashi Nahin) OR maybe a Mashup of Kashibai/Mastani dancing to 'Pinga' song mixed with a montage of Figo/Aspire features
- 1 month post launch, discounts and offers start rolling in and come Diwali they struggle to even maintain 3K sales figure.
- Ford has being busy this year extending its dealer network and appointing vendors to sell over the counter spares, putting up service cost estimate utility on their website etc. which is important to strengthen their base and changing their image of being a costly after sales brand.
- Ford needs to position the 1.5 Deisel and AT Petrol versions aggressively with promotional ads/TVC's that pack a punch in getting the message across and it cannot be a subdued effort. I do not know if bringing on a celebrity on board can help at this stage.

It surely pains to see two credible products languishing on sales chart, nevertheless whatever amount of ranting we do online is not going to influence strategy adopted by Ford and as a consumer I am happy with my Aspire for now. Let's hope for the best if things can turnaround for Ford in the coming months.

[freedom]

In Pune city, I have started seeing a few Datsun Go/Go+ on the road (the light blue color is a standout). I have seen just 1 KWID till date.