Team-BHP - Hyundai Elite i20 Facelift, now launched at Rs 5.35 lakhs

Maybe I'm off base here, but isn't pricing not just a component of profitability but also of inflation.. I mean I also think about how cheap cars were in the early days, and I have a few prices almost burned in my memory :

- The Honda City came to an on-road price of 11 lakhs, and it was a much better built first version of the arrow-head design. Automatic was just about 12 lakhs, today the price is 17 lakhs +. Almost 30% increase.

- BMW 3 Series costed about 27/28 lakhs on road, the Corporate Edition even less. Today? Anything northwards of 40. 35% + price increase.

- BMW X1 had an offer of about 24L on-road.. today easily 12+ lakhs more. 50% more.

- A Skoda Laura L&K with sunroof, 6 airbags, EBD, hill hold, auto light sensors, auto wipers etc over 12 years ago (segment first everything) costed 18L on-road and the Laura looked 10 times better than any Skoda today. The Yaris, a whole segment down, today costs as much.

- A Chevy SRV with a 1.6 litre engine and a price almost close to 9 lakhs bombed while the Ignis costs slightly more today.

Being in touch with production industry (not automobiles though), I know for sure than input costs have risen tremendously over the past 10 years be it steel, plastics or electronics. Heck even petrol was about Rs.59/60 when I started driving but today its close to Rs.80 and might even cross that soon.

Prices are also a component of demand, any car that sells well or is in high demand will be priced high. The middle-class of yore even paid a Rs.25-30k premium to get early deliveries of the Maruti 800, I know we as a family sure did even though I was too small at that time I still remember that fact.

Sure, the i20 is overpriced today, but its not all due to profiteering..prices have gone up across the board and this is no different and ultimately demand or the lack of it might cause corrections but only over time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dark.knight (Post 4404036)

Sure, the i20 is overpriced today, but its not all due to profiteering..prices have gone up across the board and this is no different and ultimately demand or the lack of it might cause corrections but only over time.

I completely agree with your statement here but all I would like to add here is just because your car is successful that doesn't means you would drastically increase your profiteering and that's exactly what Hyundai has been doing currently. We have been Avid Hyundai users from the last two decades and it has never disappointed us until now.

For reference see the price of Nexon or even the Freestyle now. Agreed it has a 3 Cylinder engine which has helped Ford keeping the cost low but then again we know HMIL has a 100% localisation here for these products yet they're pricing it extremely high. Same goes for the City.
Honda & Hyundai works on the design and overall feel of the vehicle now.

What I basically mean is if wanted Hyundai could still keep the price competitive and beat the Baleno if it didn't had to portray itself as a superior brand when compared to MS. This is the only thing that I like about Maruti Suzuki India, they know how to price their budget offerings! See the basic variants of Baleno, they have all the essentials needed whereas Hyundai doesn't equips it's base variants properly. Now, everyone doesn't goes for a top end especially when you price it in the 8 Lakh bracket & 10 Lakh for the Diesel top end! I love Hyundai cars, I feel for Urban usage they make the most sense in the current market scenario. They're a jack of all and truly makes you feel that you own a premium vehicle. It has that feel good factor but now with the way they've been pricing their high selling products it's absolutely heart breaking.
Currently Verna is the most Value for Money offering from HMIL in India.

2018 Hyundai i20 CVT starts arriving at dealerships; Priced from Rs.7.04 Lakh.

Hyundai Elite i20 Facelift, now launched at Rs 5.35 lakhs-untitled2.jpg

CVT is offered on the Magna and Asta trims. (Rs 7.04 lakh and Rs 8.16 lakh Ex-Showroom)

CVT is pricier over the manual variants by Rs. 1 lakh.

Deliveries for the Hyundai i20 CVT are expected to start by June 2018.

The new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) replaces the 4-speed torque converter on the predecessor.

The i20’s rivals in the premium hatchback segment all come with the option of an automatic; the Maruti Baleno gets a petrol-CVT combo (Rs 7.10-8.41 lakh) and so does the Honda Jazz (Rs 7.71-8.47 lakh; all prices, ex-showroom, Delhi). At this price point, the i20 CVT undercuts both its competitors.

I wonder why has there been no discussion about the 2019 update? I could not find any mention of this and hence I am listing some of the important changes for reference (@Mods, please feel free to move this to an appropriate thread or edit it.)
Note:This has been taken from the Hyundai website.

Era:
+Reverse parking sensors

Magna+:
+Front fog lamps with DRLs
+Steering mounted audio controls

Sportz+ (available with dual tone paint scheme):
+Tilt and telescopic adjust steering wheel
+7-inch touchscreen (same as the Asta)
+Reverse camera
+Alloy wheels of the erstwhile Asta variant

Asta (O):
+Wireless charger

Here are some other points to consider too:
+Hyundai has introduced the CVT in the Asta (O) variant clap: This is a better alternative to the Baleno. Many people wanted the i20 in the top end but had to buy the Baleno instead.
-The Sportz should have definitely got automatic climate control at least. People paying around 9 lakhs on road will not be satisfied.
-Hyundai has removed the auto dimming IRVM from the top end :Frustrati Why Hyundai?

Greedy Hyundai adding bits and pieces back into variants they stripped earlier because the car was selling like hot cakes.

Before all the 'facelifts', the Elite i20 Sportz variant had auto-dimming IRVM with integrated reverse camera display, ACC, tilt/telescopic steering and rear A/C vents. The only things it lacked were alloys, passive keyless entry & go, projector headlamps and rear wash/wipe, which could all be had for about 50k extra in the then ASTA variant (projectors on Asta (O)).

I don't credit Hyundai for these 'additions'. They're just adding back some of what they took away.

:OT And let us not forget the 2012 i20 and its equipment levels! Auto headlamps and wipers, DRLs, tilt and telescopic steering, 6 airbags, all-wheel disc brakes and everything else you could think of! Equipment unheard of even a segment above!
Today, the Baleno Alpha is much more loaded than the i20 Asta (O) lol: (except for the 6 airbags).
Is this a sign of days to come? What has Hyundai come to?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao (Post 4565665)

+1 I agree. The " auto-dimming IRVM with integrated reverse camera display " alone costs 60000 INR and the complete list including ACC, tilt/telescopic steering and rear A/C vents may reach a cost of approx 80000 to 100000 INR. Diamond cut Alloys would cost 45000 INR and passive keyless entry & go, projector headlamps and rear wash/wipe would make up another 30000 INR or more? I still don't think today's facelift i20 variants offer value for money, in consideration of the still missing features.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cs_rajesh (Post 4565697)

+1 to that. I suddenly feel that the pre-facelift Asta variant seems great VFM (even without the recent feature additions, or rather deletions lol: ). To be brutally honest, I would rather buy a used i20 Asta than a new Asta (O) as it makes much more sense financially :D What do you think?

Quote:

Originally Posted by artemis_fowl (Post 4565704)

To be brutally honest, I would rather buy a used i20 Asta than a new Asta (O) as it makes much more sense financially :D What do you think?

I agree and concur cent percent. No doubts. In fact I own a pre facelift jan 2015 model and I have all those features except toucscreen AVN and I don’t intend to part with that car anytime soon. In fact the resale price quoted by hyundai dealers and some online buyers made me firmly believe to retain my car rather than go for a latest model ( that was a decision made sometime in Aug 2018). You might get a prefacelift car ( perhaps asta or sportz variant ) on a good deal, especially those cars whose car lease just expired and have now come to used market.