[wildsdi5530]

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT post messages that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the quality of this forum.

Please read our rules before proceeding any further. We request you to post ONLY when you have something substantial to add to a discussion.

[MDED]

The pricing goof up made by Honda for the old jazz and current Mobilio clearly indicates that HCIL is yet to understand the pricing dynamics of Indian market. If you have to compare in plain vanilla terms then I guess Maruti is the best in terms of understanding the market pricing structure and model overlap. I feel the only mistake done by Maruti was pricing S Cross and now to keep the customer loyalty by their side they have rightly offered vouchers to the early bird s Cross customers by way of gift vouchers.
It is better that mobilio is being removed from the Indian market. Such boring looks at a fortune was not worth it.

[i74js]

Mobilio was a failed product right from the launch, even the official TBHP review presented no appreciation for the machine.

- Plain looks - no head turner
- Cheap interiors - no sense of arrived for the person who sits and drives it
- Insane pricing - Overleveraging of brand "Honda"
- Price correction - I think no body at Honda needs to learn about market dynamics

And things fell apart; pull the plug, learn from your mistakes Honda; keep in mind other companies don't make bad cars, Your brand in India is no longer premium as barring CRV, everything else has moved from Premium segment to Mass segment.

Do it right and up the game. Let people enjoy a product which is correctly priced and appreciate your efforts of coming out with a new car.

[DriveOnceMore]

Mobilio is a great product with ample room all around, good looking exteriors, decent diesel mill and good ride and handling levels.
But Honda's over-ambitious pricing did spoil the game.

Still with that higher price tag, Honda did manage to pull decent numbers initially for more than a year since launch.
The reason behind this drop in sales figures is much beyond just poor interiors and over-killing price.
I see launches of good C2 and D segment sedan offerings behind diminishing sale of Mobilio.
Ertiga had its own plus points which helped it survive but Mobilio's weak points helped the ship to sink to the bottom.


Still I don't see Honda pulling the plug on Mobilio so early. Neither I see them launching BR-V at such low price tag.
Honda will definitely not go below Rs. 8 lakh for BR-V.
In my opinion, Honda will relaunch the Mobilio with cheaper price tag (cheaper by Rs. 50,000 to 1,00,000) and launch BR-V at Rs. 8.9L to 14 L price tag.
Hyundai has created enough breathing space for Honda to price this SUV at a premium price point.
If Renault can sell Duster at such prices, Honda surely can sell BR-V at a good premium price point.

[romeomidhun]

Source: http://indianautosblog.com/2016/03/h...ontinue-225648

Now, Honda says they have no plan to discontinue Mobilio!

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by DriveOnceMore

In my opinion, Honda will relaunch the Mobilio with cheaper price tag (cheaper by Rs. 50,000 to 1,00,000) and launch BR-V at Rs. 8.9L to 14 L price tag.
Hyundai has created enough breathing space for Honda to price this SUV at a premium price point.
If Renault can sell Duster at such prices, Honda surely can sell BR-V at a good premium price point.

When did BR-V become an SUV? All they did is give Mobilio a nose job and some high heels. Its a facelifted( or ambitiously call it next-gen ) Mobilio. It needs to be placed in the current Mobilio price range (or slight premium)to be successful.

[karts]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Source: http://indianautosblog.com/2016/03/h...ontinue-225648

Now, Honda says they have no plan to discontinue Mobilio!

From the link, it seems like Honda is going to revamp Mobilio's interior with that of BR-V, Bad move according to me, BR-V should have some differentiating factor here, No matter how much ever Honda advertises it as a SUV, a side by side comparision of BR-V & Mobilio makes BR-V look like a facelifted Mobilio.

So all 4 vehicles on same platform as that of their entry level hatchback, only differentiation being the Brio still has old dash board design. Don't miss, from Jazz to BR-V uses the same 1.5 I-DTEC(Across 4 segments) , should have plonked the 1.6 I-DTEC in BR-V

[riteshritesh]

Originally Posted by m8002?

When did BR-V become an SUV?

I guess, ever since anything and everything with a higher GC began getting termed as SUV.
99% of the so called SUV's are faux-SUV's. Without a 4 x 4 and inability to road/sand bash, it shouldn't be called a SUV. I guess they are called Special Utility Vehicles in India,because they are able to escape the speedbreaker scrape that sedans face.

[abhishek46]

MY 2 cents.

In my opinion, the primary reasons why the mobilio did not work are as follows:
1. Looks very similar to the brio from the front and sides (till B pillar). No one wants a million rupee vehicle which looks almost the same as a entry level hatch.
2. Cost cutting interiors, Poor seats etc.
3. Narrow cabin and overall width compared to competition.
4. Priced higher than competition.
5. Competent rivals (Ertiga, Brezza)

When BRV is launched, it may have the same demerits (Points 2 to 5) as the Mobilio. Fingers Crossed.

[DriveOnceMore]

Originally Posted by m8002?

When did BR-V become an SUV?

Originally Posted by riteshritesh

I guess, ever since anything and everything with a higher GC began getting termed as SUV.

This can become totally different topic for discussion. SUVs vs. WannaBe SUVs vs Pseudo SUVs etc etc.

Even if WE don't call it SUV, 99% of the people will look at it as an SUV and if they don't there is no point in Honda launching it.
Ever since Honda has slot in the high-volume sales gear, they have tried multiple segments of high volume market and only remaining segment now is of SUV.
If we can buy Hyundai Creta as 'The Perfect SUV' then there will be many ready to buy BR-V - 'The more Perfect Japanese SUV'
Repeating point from my previous post, Hyundai Creta's price tag will help Honda to price it with premium and still make it appear as a cheaper alternative.

[DriveOnceMore]

Here comes one more report, which says Honda won't discontinue Mobilio.
IAB

[riteshritesh]

Originally Posted by DriveOnceMore

Even if WE don't call it SUV, 99% of the people will look at it as an SUV and if they don't there is no point in Honda launching it.
Ever since Honda has slot in the high-volume sales gear, they have tried multiple segments of high volume market and only remaining segment now is of SUV.

My belief is that this will compete against the MUV's like Ertiga, Enjoy, Lodgy & Innova because of the 7 seater avatar. The success will purely be based on the Crysta's pricing and people moving to the next cheaper option available.
It should be a hit with the taxi segment too.

[GTO]

Nope, I don't believe Honda will discontinue the Mobilio just yet.

See, even if the product has flopped, did you see a manufacturer pulling it off the shelf in 1.xx years? Not with the new Fiesta, Bolt, Quanto etc. and the innumerable Renaults / Nissans. Manufacturers like to show stability via their offerings; it also helps to prevent buyer remorse among those who invested lakhs in the flopped product. Don't forget, Honda still sells the flopped Brio as it did the previous-gen Jazz (for 4 years, despite being a dud).

As I'd mentioned in my official review, at best, the Mobilio should have been priced right at the Ertiga level. Some dimwit decided to price it at a premium and the car sank. It's a spacious MPV with good engines, ride and handling. Cost-cutting is there, but nothing that a tempting price couldn't have solved. Honda killed it with the pricing just as they did the last Jazz.

Even Maruti doesn't optimistically price its mass-market products. Case in point = Vitara Brezza. Despite all the anticipation & hype around it, she came with a good price tag.

Originally Posted by just_in

Discontinuing the mobilo might just force the people to look at the BR-V but considering the market share honda currently has in India I strongly feel they should adopt the product overlapping strategy. This just might work in Honda's favour than discontinuing the mobilio. Just my thought on it.

Great post!

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Nope, I don't agree here. With the limited production capacity and rumors of Civic and Accord making a comeback, space in the factory is at a premium.

Manufacturers are in the business of producing cars & selling them at a profit. If the potential is there, production capacity will be arranged.

Originally Posted by poised2drive

Even with its looks...

I think the Mobilio is a good-looking MPV. Perhaps, better looking than even the quirky BR-V.

Originally Posted by m8002?

When did BR-V become an SUV?

The same day that the EcoSport, Vitara Brezza, Creta and gang became one.

[poised2drive]

Originally Posted by GTO

I think the Mobilio is a good-looking MPV. Perhaps, better looking than even the quirky BR-V.

Perhaps, I may be too harsh in my criticism , but I must say this car seems disproportionately long for its stance with an overgrown hunch and it looks to me more like a 'Goods Carrier' than a Passenger Car. The Greedy pricing and the company's attitude may have played their respective roles in further exacerbation of my disgust

While Ertiga is not 'Drool-worthy' when it comes to looks, it tends to be neutral rather than an outlandish which syncs well with the targeted segment.

[Mpower]

Rather than discontinue the Mobilio and take a hit on the sunk cost, I would urge Honda Marketing to study the competitive landscape, understand where the product is lacking and come up with a solution for it.

The van uses a lot of parts bin engineering so trimming down the price further should not be that hard to do

Originally Posted by just_in

I think honda should start following the Maruti Suzuki way of ovrlapping vehicles. MSIL does not care what car it sells as long as the buyers still end up buying a MSIL product. Discontinuing the mobilo might just force the people to look at the BR-V but considering the market share honda currently has in India I strongly feel they should adopt the product overlapping strategy. This just might work in Honda's favour than discontinuing the mobilio. Just my thought on it.

I don't think product overlap is a strategy as such but more of an undesired outcome for various reasons and one that OEMs need to deal