[AnandB]

I was quoted 14.5L OTR for Rapid Style DSG diesel which includes loyalty bonus. I have made a counter offer which has a 50-50 chance of working because of my previous purchase with them. Lets see if the deal happens or not.

Vento Highline+ DSG was quoted 14.6. It has LED lights which Rapid doesn't have but Rapid looks sexy to me and felt better to drive than Vento probably because of the suspension setup.

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

How is quoting more examples of inflated pricing refuting the argument that pricing has gone crazy as a whole?

The most expensive Santro variant is about 7L (for an entry level model with Eon discontinued), the most expensive City is about 18L and will probably breach 20 with the upcoming refresh.

The list of insanely priced cars is endless.

Its understandable if manufacturers "inflated" luxury cars because the rich don't worry about a 5 lakh difference between the old and new model.

But what logic does a manufacturer have to "inflate" an entry level car far away from a poor man's price range and thus drop a proverbial hammer on their own foot if it isn't higher input costs forcing them to have an entry level car approach 8 lakh rupees ?

Not even Maruti is able to sustain pricing these days despite its numerous advantages.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

...
But what logic does a manufacturer have to "inflate" an entry level car far away from a poor man's price range and thus drop a proverbial hammer on their own foot if it isn't higher input costs forcing them to have an entry level car approach 8 lakh rupees ?

Not even Maruti is able to sustain pricing these days despite its numerous advantages.

I'm sure people with an economics background can give you a nuanced answer with supporting stats, but for me, it was the combination of easy credit availability and the manufacturers getting greedy in the last decade or so. Which came first is a chicken & egg question, but the combo obviously worked a treat.

With the ability to spread impact to one's finances over long repayment plans, people started looking at (and manufacturers started pitching) one-segment-up products to customers (Only small increase in EMI for a much bigger car Saar!), while lower segments got pulled up with the 'rising tide lifts all boats' phenomenon.

Contrast to now, with credit no longer free-flowing, incomes not rising in the same proportion as earlier mixed in with job stability going downwards, it's a perfect storm of reduced consumption (or at least higher skepticism in purchase decisions).

Long story short, easy credit convinced customers they could afford more than they actually could, and manufacturers used that to squeeze more out of customers, and it became a loop with one feeding the other.

Take one spoke out the wheel, and watch it wobble.

[NGM]

Originally Posted by AnandB

Vento Highline+ DSG was quoted 14.6. It has LED lights which Rapid doesn't have but Rapid looks sexy to me and felt better to drive than Vento probably because of the suspension setup.

Is it for the face-lift version? I was offered 15.1, so I guess there is more scope for negotiation.

[vvvinod]

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

for around 20K USD, that is ~15L INR, you can get a mid variant Honda Civic or base versions of Accord. They come with six airbags and all the basic things steering controls and backup camera. The same price 15L will get you a City.


What I am missing here? I don't know the reasons but cars are ridiculously expensive in India.

To me one reason is >4mtr Cars are Taxed at 28% to 52% make them supper expensive compared to 8-10% Taxes in US

[Vid6639]

Incase people are wondering, the Rapid is being discounted heavily cause they need to get rid of stocks before the updated one comes in January.

There will be no diesel and no 1.6L MPI. Rapid will have just the 1.0L TSI 3 cylinder with 115PS and 7 speed DSG option.

Same will happen for Polo/Vento and this engine will be the locally made bread/butter for Skoda products part of the India 2.0 plan.

Related thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...speed-dsg.html (Skoda Rapid to get 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine with 7-speed DSG)

[k_kumar]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

... cars made in India are actually very cheap compared to what you would find outside due to our government's lax and outdated standards... 10 lakhs inr is about 15k usd, try seeing what your options are for a new car in the US with that budget. Over here its enough to get you a car with a touchscreen, backup camera, steering controls, automatic climate control and a lot of other convenient features. Over there, you won't even get power windows for that budget on a new car.

This post of mine will digress from the topic but I must say that cars are actually cheaper in the US compared to India. For about 15k USD you'll definitely get a better built, more powerful and safer car. In fact, touchscreen, rear camera, power windows etc are standard in 2020 Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio base MT variants that have MSRP of $15195 and $15750 respectively. Plus most manufacturers if not all offer at least 5-year powertrain warranty on top of 3-year basic warranty. To put things into perspective, better equipped 2020 Civic starts at $20550 (approx 14.4 lakhs) while Indian Civic starts at about 18 lakhs. But I totally agree with you regarding the entry level cars in India - affordable, feature-rich, unsafe.

[svsantosh]

This thread pretty much sums up todays' average car buyers (in)ability to invest in new cars of his choice. All topics from GST, Demon', Salaries, Inflation, Cash flow, Credit Crunch, etc have been discussed but the poor Skoda isnt flying of the shelf, even after a big fat Indian Discount...!

[Sunny_ST3]

I bought Skoda Rapid Ambition PETROL at 10.5Lakh OTR in October... Now my friend with my reference bought Skoda Rapid Ambition DIESEL at 10.6Lakh OTR in November...

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Sunny_ST3

I bought Skoda Rapid Ambition PETROL at 10.5Lakh OTR in October... Now my friend with my reference bought Skoda Rapid Ambition DIESEL at 10.6Lakh OTR in November...

Are you sure it was 10.6 lakhs for Ambition diesel? It is 11.6 elsewhere(after discounts, original OTR was 13.7)
These discounts were active even from September. I enquired I September and they had these offers back then.

They even had the Ambition DSG at Ambition MT price.

[Sunny_ST3]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Are you sure it was 10.6 lakhs for Ambition diesel? It is 11.6 elsewhere(after discounts, original OTR was 13.7)
These discounts were active even from September.

Yes. Its 10.6 Lakhs for Diesel without Essential Accessories which is 7k. IMO He was able to negotiate that much because they bought 3 cars.

[indigo74]

Am in for an automatic sedan. Have 8 yr old safari 2.2. looKing for a better specimen amongst rapid, verna and ciaz. With this price cut, is rapid a best choice?

[AnandB]

For self-driving nothing better than Rapid.

[Sebring]

VW is offering a whopping 2.5 lakhs in benefits on their diesel line-up. This will be the best year ever for discerning buyers. So if there is a toss up between the two brands (Skoda & VW) who do you think consumer will prefer?

[AnandB]

If prices are the same VW always has something that Skoda doesn't have. Rapid doesnt have DSG in petrol, Vento does. Vento also has led headlights in top model, Rapid does not. Still I'd go with Skoda because all their cars look so much better than bland VW. Mainly choose whichever has better service reputation in your city.