[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by mayd85

I would always go for the top variant. The reason is that the safety kit (such as airbags and all) is usually good and the features (which can also be bought aftermarket), are mostly well integrated and are supported by the OE service network. For a particular budget, I would prefer a fully loaded car from a segment below than a low/mid-level variant of a car from a segment above.

Well this was the situation years back. These days many new car models come with either airbag/abs or both or have a optional model for each variant. Take for example the Figo or TUV. Reasons for not getting the top model include:

• You dont want to spend extra on fancy stuff like alloys/roof rack/interior decor etc to name a few.
• You want to add up accessories with time instead of committing the money initially.
• You want to customize your alloys, ICE without wasting money replacing OEM given ones.

I observed most people go for mid-low models (I hardly notice Swift Z**, most are V or L). However in case of Ecosport its opposite, most people seem to have bought the top spec ed Titanium & Titanium+ just for the styling (Alloys & Roof rails)

[GTO]

Business Standard says that the popularity of top variants is climbing. For some cars, top variants make up 50 - 70% of volumes!

A rare time when a poll of enthusiasts on Team-BHP matches the actual market-place .

Close to 70-75 per cent of bookings for the Harrier are accounted for by the top two variants — the XZ and XT. Barman expects it to come down to 60 per cent once the model is settled in its segment and gets older in the life-cycle.

When a new model goes on sale, it’s the initial set of buyers, referred to as the “innovators” in marketing parlance, who drive the trend, said Rajesh Goel, senior vice-president of sales and marketing at Honda Cars. “They are risk takers, seek changes and are the first to buy a new product. The early adopters look up to the innovators,” said Goel.

Honda is set to launch the Civic Sedan next week. Nine out of every ten buyers have booked the top end of the model,without even seeing or test driving the car. Goel expects this figure to stabilise at around 50-60 per cent after a few months.

Source

[PGA]

Wow, missed this thread earlier on, the data collated and the discussion can put any B school case study to shame.

I have always purchased my cars with my head firmly held back from swaying with emotions and desires, utility and requirement are the only factors that play on the mind, and without much ado I have normally picked up mid or low variants. After all economists have been stating that man is a rational animal.

I picked up XUV 500 W6 in 2012, keeping the above aspect in mind and to my surprise that was one of the only two or three W6 sold by the showroom for a week or so. On the road too I only saw W8s. I was quite flabbergasted as to why would anybody spend anything extra when lower end served the purpose very well. I think I have found answer to all my lingering doubts today in the discussions. And sure enough the head is swaying and this time it's likely to be a ZDi.

[aniyo]

For me the choice was simple. Nexon XZ does not even offer alloy wheels and basic stuff like Fog lamps. So had to go for XZ+ for additional features that were important

[JoshMachine]

In my view, it is a play of 2 things - the value of the product being sold by the manufacturer and the perceived value of the same product (variant, for this discussion) being bought by the customer in a particular segment.
Ideally, both should be the same but in reality it may not be so.

When I bought the Swift Dzire Vdi variant back in 2010, it was because the perceived value of the car bought keeping in mind, the good mile crunching ability along with reliability. The price differential for the Zdi was too much and I didn't have any perceived value of the alloy wheels (in the top variant) or a slightly better ICE to add to the mile munching.

Circa 2015, when I bought the Vento, it was the top-end Highline variant. However this time round, the perceived value of the car had to do with the styling and creature comforts (in addition to other bits), which comprised the Zirkonia alloys and the steering wheel controls.

Going forward, I would want to start my digital research firstly from the top variant, going all the way to the base variant.

[GTO]

Just heard from Maruti that 52% of Celerio sales are for the ZXI variant. Quite noteworthy, considering it is from a price-sensitive segment.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by GTO

Just heard from Maruti that 52% of Celerio sales are for the ZXI variant. Quite noteworthy, considering it is from a price-sensitive segment.

Would these typically include numbers from the ZXi(O) variant ?

[NaXal]

I think main reason for ZXi numbers are due to music system. Integrated music system is only available on ZXi versions.

By the way I am stunned to see the number of variants for Celerio. 12 in total.

1. LXi MT
2. LXi MT (O)
3. VXi MT
4. VXi MT (O)
5. VXi AMT
6. VXi AMT (O)
7. ZXi MT
8. ZXi MT (O)
9. ZXi AMT
10. ZXi AMT (O)
11. Green VXi
12. Green VXi (O)

This is as per their official brochure

[ph03n!x]

Quite an interesting analysis this, SmartCat!! Missed seeing this earlier!

I've always picked the top variant for the car I wanted - 2005 Indica DLX, 2009 Getz GVS CRDi (only variant with CRDi), 2013 Verna CRDi SX (O), and 2018 XUV5OO W11 (O) AT AWD. This is because -

1. I select the car first, and do not get swayed by the "lower variant in the next/ higher segment" arguement
2. I need all the safety features - 6 (or more) airbags, ABS with EBD, TCS, ESP etc. Most cars the I considered during my buying decision do not have them across variants
3. I like all visible features to be stock - while I may add AMP, change the speakers, damp the ride, change the pedals, etc., I'd assess the stock ICE, alloys, Sun Roof, and other bells & whistles that the car comes with across variant

I know I'm paying a premium, adding to the bottom-line of the manufacturer when I make this decision, but that's something I'm prepared to live with!