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View Poll Results: Is downsizing the next trend in Indian auto industry?
No- Size does matter! 226 52.56%
Yes- Small is beautiful! 204 47.44%
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Old 20th June 2018, 09:41   #76
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

We can see that thread is evolving and size does matter and it keeps growing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana View Post
One factor that works against small cars is the ride quality which just cannot be matched with plush riding c2 sedans and SUVs
Not necessarily. Today we have hatchbacks like Jazz, i20 and even Grand i10, which can give good competition to some of the sedans and most of the under 25-30 lakhs SUVs in terms of ride quality.
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Old 20th June 2018, 09:44   #77
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

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Originally Posted by Wanderers View Post
Not necessarily. Today we have hatchbacks like Jazz, i20 and even Grand i10, which can give good competition to some of the sedans and most of the under 25-30 lakhs SUVs in terms of ride quality.
I haven't travelled much in jazz or i20. But compared to kwid and swift, my ciaz is way more plush riding, and storme is leagues ahead.

Btw jazz and i20 are not exactly small, at least to me
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Old 20th June 2018, 10:59   #78
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

I, for one, would like to keep a small car forever. The pain of being stuck in traffic is the same, irrespective of the size of the vehicle. Yesterday, it took me 45 minutes to cover 3kms to the office. The times I wish I had a bigger car is when I travel to my hometown and I have to bring back half a house in the boot (luggage, coconuts, freshly ground spices etc etc etc). I'll probably hire a bigger car on these trips, which are twice or thrice a year.

An SUV or a crossover would offer road presence and I always have an itch to upgrade. But then I ask myself, how much do I use my current car and if my driving pattern would change if I brought an SUV or a crossover? The answer to those two questions helps me keep my current car.

I dont think a one size fits all mantra works in India. Our company just opened up the car lease policy and I can see colleagues getting quotes for a new car, most of them opting for SUVs with some opting for sedans. I wish they would opt for hatchbacks and not add to Bangalore's traffic, but at the end of the day, to each his own.
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Old 20th June 2018, 11:30   #79
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

My take it very simple; what was offered earlier in high end sedans is now available in hatchbacks & crossovers at a reasonable price.

I do not miss on bells & whistles when I invest in a small machine and this applies to active and passive safety features too. Smaller cars are cool & zippy with added advantage of ease of driving.

I am all in for small machines. I have replaced my Ford Escort and Hyundai Verna with small cars as they serve the purpose.
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Old 20th June 2018, 11:36   #80
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

I think with EVs coming in. I hope they implement the policy of taxes proportional to pollution. It wil be sensible. Then smaller vehicles will become to norm.
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Old 20th June 2018, 11:40   #81
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I am quite happy with my small car and don't see myself upgradding to a bigger car
I always wondered why the engine size limit is different for petrol and Diesel. A jazz 1.5 petrol will be as efficient as the 1.2 which is perfect for Brio not so much for Jazz. Same for all other models.
Many people who prefer to buy petrol are actually left with no choice but to go for a larger size car.
I really wonder if we did get better petrol engines in the small cars with tax structure permitting, cars like i20, Jazz, aspire or the like will satisfy most people without sacrificing fuel economy. This may really tilt the purchase in favour of smaller cars.
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Old 20th June 2018, 11:42   #82
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

Having owned a hatchback for 9 years (my beloved Punto), i definitely want to upgrade in size with my next car (just cant get the Compass out of my head). So for me, i definitely would not want to buy a similar or smaller sized car. In fact, till the Compass hadn't arrived on our shores, i was very keen to upgrade to an XUV500, so i guess size definitely does matter to me!!
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Old 20th June 2018, 11:57   #83
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

Quote:
Originally Posted by aniyo View Post
Everytime I want to change my Brio to a bigger car like the duster or creta, my wife asks "park kidhar karega". She just loves that the Brio fits and turns anywhere. That's why my plan for a bigger car is endlessly waiting.
May be by the time I have kids I will have decent options in compact cars
Same situation for me too, my 2005 Waggie turns and twists, crouches and hides where ever it wants. I can park it where there is a half parking space right next to a gate, the security of that entrance won't chase me for that. I can't imagine a morning commute on an SUV.
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Old 20th June 2018, 11:59   #84
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

I think the tendency is to have a small footprint but at same time go up in height (as in suv) so as to avoid the stress of driving low in bumper to bumper traffic. Fiat punto is very low slung and it is only to be expected that you want the commanding view from an suv.
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Old 20th June 2018, 13:31   #85
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

Interesting thread, and quite reflective of how the thinking of a lot of members here has evolved with time.

Each time I think of which car after the City, the only aspect I cannot see myself downgrading is performance. The car HAS to be as fast or faster than the City (or feel so). Hence, I would think of Polo TDI (or even Ecosport/Aspire Petrol AT) as cars I could imagine changing to, without feeling that I am compromising.

But when I really though about it, the past 8 odd years of having experienced Sedans and SUVs has played a big part in reaching here. Having the Crysta and Civic in house had changed the City from our 'big car' into somewhat of a beater. And now with the Jetta discontinued, I simply do not aspire for any other upgrade, so the next purchase would be based on financial constraints alone. If the Crysta was not available for outstation trips, I'm sure my thought process process would be very different.

Point being, for a vast majority of members here, how they perceive this question will depend a lot on what their ownership journey has been so far, traffic et all is just a smaller aspect.

Last edited by avisidhu : 20th June 2018 at 13:34.
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Old 20th June 2018, 14:03   #86
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

Quote:
Originally Posted by reignofchaos View Post
The ideal thing to do is

a) Have a luxury long distance cruiser for weekends and highway trips
b) Have a small, fun, chuckable hot hatch for the city

Best of both worlds ain't it?
That is precisely what I have done. And have extended it to 2 wheels as well.

4 wheels - Scorpio 4WD and Swift ZXi+
2 wheels - Yamaha FZ-25 and Activa

While I won't upgrade the commuters for a decade, for sure I will think about better/faster SUV/Motorcycle as the next change.
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Old 20th June 2018, 14:19   #87
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

Call it the 'Bangalore Traffic Curse' or plain 'Common Sense', but I never have liked those big bulky SUVs.
I just love small, fast and enthusiastic Hatches, or Compact Sedans which also offer similar criteria. I have never really owned a SUV myself, but have had innumerable driving experiences, piloting many (Innova, Creta, Ertiga and Duster) through city traffic, and none has been a pleasant one.

Im not really sure about the trend, but I think the ease of a small hatch and AT gearbox is a super-hit with folks who can afford a second/runabout cars.

Any day of the year, GT TSI is way more easy and fun to drive than a Creta in B2B situation.

Other than for the obvious Engine/Displacement, I was pretty much downsizing my car when I went from Getz to a Polo. But I have never once regretted my decision. I used to drive my Getz to work daily through the week, and the occasional weekend highway trips.

However, the equation is a little different now:

GT TDI - Weekend fun and road trips
FZ 25 - Official workhorse

Last edited by Vik0728 : 20th June 2018 at 14:21.
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Old 20th June 2018, 15:09   #88
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sgiitk View Post
I think with EVs coming in.
I do not see EV coming in big way in India, atleast for a decade. The question of small EV comes later. I am in oil and gas and we have long to go for EVs. I am sharing couple of slides from presentation given by STRATAS during one of technology meet hoisted by Ministry of Oil and Gas.

Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?-ev-scenario-1_page_13.jpg

Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?-ev-scenario-1_page_15.jpg

Slides credit: STRATAS ADVISORS

Last edited by Wanderers : 20th June 2018 at 15:11.
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Old 20th June 2018, 18:19   #89
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

I feel to understand the trend one has to look at the demographics.

Urban areas tend to have younger people who live in non-nuclear families given the higher cost of living. So typically a couple's parents would live in a tier-3 city or lower. In such cases a 7 seater won't be used at maximum capacity for most of the time. Also most weekend drives generally don't involve more than 4-5 people for families in cities.

Similarly in smaller towns and cities, one can generally see larger vehicles parked in houses, given the larger size of the family. So while Innova remains the king of MUVs, and brings in the number for Toyota now, it may not serve as the breadwinner 5 years down the line.

Also I feel for this trend to be successful, most people would've to downsize their daily drive for the small car to affect travel times. Otherwise you could just be bullied on the road by bigger cars.
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Old 20th June 2018, 19:12   #90
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Re: Is downsizing your car to a smaller one the new trend in Indian cities?

I have always preferred larger cars to smaller ones for many reasons including space, comfort, features and power. I think the best option for me is a D/E segment sedan or even a SUV for long distance journeys and a hatchback for the city.

That said, I find myself using Uber/Ola more frequently within the city (I don't let any driver touch my cars) which takes away the frustration of driving in city traffic and the bigger headache of finding parking space.
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