[GTO]

Originally Posted by Jeevith

Beg to differ a bit here. The examples you cited are more on account of inflation rather than expanding the definition of 'premium'

Nothing to do with inflation. People were shocked at the initial pricing of the Zen; after a year or so, it picked up so much that there was a huge waiting period for it and brokers would sell 'allotment letters' (even I sold a few as a college student ).

The response to the i20 was lukewarm at the start. Once the overpriced Jazz was launched, the i20 overnight became VFM and sales shot through the roof.

it would manage 1000 copies a month at best.

What's wrong with 1000 copies a month? Arvind Saxena had said at the time of the i20s launch that he would be very happy with 1,000 - 1,200 sales / month.

1. That's 130 crores to the topline each month and 8 - 10 crores to the bottomline? It's a higher gross than what the Elantra & Tucson bring to the table.

2. Why would an i30 do just a 1000 when an ugly hatchback with barely enough power (S-Cross 1.3) does more? IMHO, the i30 might start off with a 1,000, but it'll climb, climb, climb.

Originally Posted by silverado

If they have to get this in 1.4/1.6 Diesel, its going to cost same as Verna.

Originally Posted by dipen

With 1.4 / 1.6 engines, its going to be priced not close to but exactly same as Verna. No one will pick this over a full sedan if they are firmed on a Hyundai

Untrue. How else does the S-Cross sell 3,000 a month when there is already a Ciaz in the same showroom?

[Surya-TJet]

I think its high time Hyundai started testing waters bravely again.

Now that they are the established No.2 in India, they can afford to do such trials.

This is the perfect platform to launch the N-Sport brand in India for Hyundai.

As more & more enthusiasts are starting to open up their wallets, if Hyundai India can bring the i30 N-Sport at around 25L, it would create a shockwave amongst all other OEMs.

People would start to look at Hyundai with starry eyes for their feature rich products yet again.

This may help them propel the sales of the normal i30 as well (what a GT TSI / GT TDI did to the bog standard Polo in India).

Fingers crossed for this dream to come true.

Link to some of the N-Sport videos which I have come across:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WgnK6KES_A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgFR-7NBaQI

Cheers & Safe Driving

[arvind71181]

Originally Posted by motorworks

Hyundai are better off launching a sub 4M compact sedan since that is a very visible gap that they have. i30 can come in later, may be 2-3 years from now when the market is more mature, probably in a powerful Turbo petrol Automatic guise.

Er.. isn't the Xcent already there to address this??

[King_pin09]

Originally Posted by Jeevith

Beg to differ a bit here. The examples you cited are more on account of inflation rather than expanding the definition of 'premium' or the definition moving with time. Also, back then (at the time of said examples), the SUV fetish wasn't as severe as it is now.

IMHO, bringing the i30 would be stretch, it would manage 1000 copies a month at best. The S-cross managing 2,500 has a lot to do with the Maruti's reputation of low maintenance.

+ 1

You may also quote the Fabia and first gen Jazz which were priced northwards of INR 7 lakhs at launch (during late 2000's). No wonder, despite being very competitive they bombed in our market. Other examples of insanely priced small puppies that bombed are Fiat 500 and VW beetle.

Such high priced machines who serve no other purpose than being Fun To Drive, are picked up either by spoilt kids of a very rich families or a crazy buyer having 3-4 cars already in his garage, both for whom a loss of Rs 20 lakhs would mean nothing. In my opinion a matured market does not necessarily mean, people ready to buy any insanely priced product but instead it would mean buyers are well informed and are reasonable with respect to the choices they make.

[dipen]

We also need to factor in the fact that Verna and i20 are based on the same platform. i30 and Elantra are based on the same platform. With the same in mind, how will Hyundai be able to price in the i30 in or within Verna price point if at all.

Ciaz and SCross are different products with different platforms in similar price category and it boils down to customer preference. So would not be the right analogy in my opinion.

Do we see a domestic market for i30 with it being priced higher or similar to Verna even for 1000 units. Its a question mark for now unless the i30 is spec'ed and kitted very well. It would be a interesting watch.

[Whichcarnow]

Originally Posted by dipen

We also need to factor in the fact that Verna and i20 are based on the same platform. i30 and Elantra are based on the same platform. With the same in mind, how will Hyundai be able to price in the i30 in or within Verna price point if at all.

The present Verna is based on the Elantra Platform.

[King_pin09]

Originally Posted by GTO

2. Why would an i30 do just a 1000 when an ugly hatchback with barely enough power (S-Cross 1.3) does more? IMHO, the i30 might start off with a 1,000, but it'll climb, climb, climb.

Why go elsewhere when the Hyundai stable has a live example. The Creta which is, as someone calls, a RBI authorized Note Printing Machine for Hyundai.

If the product is right and with all right ingredients in place viz., marketing, positioning, after sales support, robust backup for service, etc., there are always takers even at a slight premium.

Considering the present market sentiments (i.e., back to back success of Creta, Elite I20, Grand I10 and Verna) I have absolutely no doubt that the I30 would clock huge volumes right from the day one. Perhaps there could even be a long queue for pre-launch bookings as well.

[vishnurp99]

Originally Posted by GTO

Why would an i30 do just a 1000 when an ugly hatchback with barely enough power (S-Cross 1.3) does more? IMHO, the i30 might start off with a 1,000, but it'll climb, climb, climb.

Untrue. How else does the S-Cross sell 3,000 a month when there is already a Ciaz in the same showroom?

Just a different perspective to this !!

You may call S-cross an under powered hatchback but it is fuel efficient, reliable, spacious, has good ground clearance and is rough road friendly. The looks also appeal to majority of the buying population. Scross Zeta is good VFM too considering it's under the 10 lakh ex-showroom barrier. I am not even bringing the Maruti ASS and trust into the picture because Ciaz also has that.

Which other car has all this? Sure it's not as powerful as the Verna (just to pick an example) to drive. But for a lot of people Scross is a better compromise than Verna because of the better back seats, higher seating position and better ride/handling/braking combo coupled with GC.

The question to ask - Will I30 be a better compromise than Verna? What does it offer more?

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by vishnurp99

The question to ask - Will I30 be a better compromise than Verna? What does it offer more?

The new Verna is severely cramped on the inside. And Hyundai has given it smaller seats at both front and rear to make it not so obvious.

So, compared to the Verna, the i30 will have more space on the inside. Hatchbacks are always more space efficient when compared to three box sedans. Besides, the i30 is also wider compared to the Verna and about 4.3 meter long too.

If Hyundai does equip the i30 with their class leading power-trains, I think it will be a very strong car. There are a lot of well to do folks with the GT TSi currently wondering what to get next as a second or third car at home.

The super-mini segment is up for grabs! Ford and VW, are you listening?

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The new Verna is severely cramped on the inside. And Hyundai has given it smaller seats at both front and rear to make it not so obvious.

True that! I was shocked when i sat in the new verna for a TD. The seats are narrower than i20! And the rear leg room is very very average even though it is based on Elantra platform!

[silverado]

Originally Posted by GTO

Untrue. How else does the S-Cross sell 3,000 a month when there is already a Ciaz in the same showroom?

S-Cross has not been projected as a hatchback by Maruti. It sits taller and has been projected as a Crossover. AFAIK it has started reaching 3k mark recently after facelift.

With i30, it looks purely as a hatchback.With India's penchant for 3 box shapes over anything ( Dzire is selling more than Baleno as an eg ), Verna is going to be preferred choice in same price category, unless they market i30 in a different way.

[vishnurp99]

I agree that verna's cabin is a disappointment but why would somebody not consider the Honda City or the Ciaz or the Scross. All these have better cabins than Verna. Unless I30 significantly better these incumbents it will be a tough sell.

It may sell as a supermini and an upgrade for VW GT TSI crowd. But does it really have the solidity and power delivery of these germans? This is without considering the snob value of VW. I know people who will not even look at skoda and the like for comparative badge engineered variants because they consider VW to be premium.

[Aaron:)]

The i30 is basically the hatchback version of the Elantra. I'm fact, it's sold as the 'Elantra GT' in the USA. If launched in India, I think it'll be priced just a shade below the Elantra sedan.

Hyundai in India is stronger than ever. They could potentially create a new segment! I think they should totally go for it. Maybe we'll get to see cars like the VW Golf, Honda Civic hatchback and Ford Focus in India then.

[jaganpec2002]

Originally Posted by silverado

S-Cross has not been projected as a hatchback by Maruti. It sits taller and has been projected as a Crossover. AFAIK it has started reaching 3k mark recently after facelift.

With i30, it looks purely as a hatchback.With India's penchant for 3 box shapes over anything ( Dzire is selling more than Baleno as an eg ), Verna is going to be preferred choice in same price category, unless they market i30 in a different way.

I feel the Indian market especially millennials prefer hatchbacks over 3 box shapes for the way it looks and the practicality it offers. If you consider the number of showrooms that sells Baleno compared to Dzire, Baleno easily trumps Dzire on a per showroom basis. If you consider i20, Jazz and their crossover versions, they are on par with Compact Sedan segment. Apart from Dzire no CS is having great sales. Considering that i30 looks better than S-cross and would come in petrol guise as well, they can easily clock 3000.

But I agree with you that if they come up with Crossover version of it and push it as Crossover instead of a grown hatch, it would increase the sales further.

[dark.knight]

As Aaron has already said.. i30 = present Elantra without the long trunk. Great for India I'd say.

As for comparisons with existing Indian models, i30 > Creta > Verna > i20. i30 is a class above and in terms of build quality, features and power is directly comparable to A-Class, 1 Series and Golf.

The present Verna is based on an older Elantra platform (K2), the Creta is based on the Kia Soul (AM) platform (older derivative of the Elantra 2 generations removed). The i30 is based off the present Elantra platform (J6) and is clearly 2 levels above the K2 platform of the Verna.

It will be a lifestyle car in India.. for those upgrading from the Polo TSi as someone rightly has said, and it will not be cheap if the i30 is built on similar lines as that in Europe - soft touch plastics, 7 airbags, pano sunroof, LCI, radar braking, 1.6 turbo engine etc.. should easily touch 18L ex-showroom, and its worth every Rupee.

From the business stand of point does it make sense in India? Absolutely not.