[gururajrv]

So this explains why few customers weren’t able to find Polo as well. VAG has basically taken it out of production. Slavia certainly seems like a solid product.

I believe the overall experience with Skoda will improve in the next 2-3 years time as they seem to be catching up well but progressive steps.

Let’s hope it works out for them. Oh btw, I’m a fan of Skoda cars but still miss their TDI engines

[ss212]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Here in the pic, another discontinued car which I am not going to sell, atleast for another decade.

Attachment 2225904

Sir, those two machines you have there. Dream. Both these cars have some of the most loyal fans.

The Rapid/Vento/Polo/Fabia are the most reliable offerings by the VW group in India. Absolutely fuss free.

A close friend had a Fabia which they used without a care - fuel filled at small local pumps, basic service done at cheap garages, missed services, improper handling of clutch/gear, high speed potholes, underbody scrapes, waterlogged roads, you name it. The car just never gave up. It's still around with more than 1.5 lakh clicks on the odo.

The friend and I, we had a joke. He also owns a Pajero and we used to call the Fabia his actual SUV.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by ss212

Sir, those two machines you have there.

Rapid was my brother's, which I got to enjoy occasionally. Sadly it was declared total loss after the accident.

Totally agreed about the reliability part

Even the polo GT was sold at 1.1 lakh km mark, the Vento is currently at 70k km. No issues whatsoever.

Another acquaintance of mine has a 8 year old Rapid with 3,00,000 km on the odo.

[Old_Salt]

Request guidance from fellow members.

I have booked the Polo Highline AT to replace the Eon which my wife drives.

Delivery is slated for first week of December, all going well.

Reading all the news, would it be wise to still plonk 10 big ones in a soon to be discontinued model?

On the flip side, wouldn’t it be good to purchase last of the PQ platform, considering we were not very pleased with the overall package which Taigun offered?

Thanks!

P.S - Monthly running of the car will be around 600kms and we plan to keep the vehicle for at least 10yrs

[Rajeevraj]

My favourite sedan even over the Vento which I currently own. My only gripe with the Rapid was that Skoda did not give it the 1.2 TSI + DSG at any point and kept it exclusive for the Vento. Probably a needed business decision by the group, but pretty sure if this combo existed during its peak years, it would have made it even more successful.

Looking forward to the Slavia. Although it is a Rapid replacement, assume it is more of a C+ segment which is much needed.

[Simhi]

Another good car from Skoda/VW group discontinued. Hope Slavia continues the legacy.

Two of my friends bought cars from the group. One bought Rapid automatic, kept if for three years and sold it last month and switched to Jeep Compass. It appears he got inside information from SA that Rapid was going to be discontinued.

Another friend had Polo, met with an accident, came out without a scratch. The car was declared total loss. He went ahead and bought Polo again. This shows the trust people have in Skoda/VW group cars once they look past the service issues.

Oops, I forgot to mention - my brother has VW Tiguan in his stable.

[84.monsoon]

If the Polo, Vento and Rapid are indeed going out of production, that would mean Skoda and VW will need an aggressive pricing strategy straddling a wide price band for the Slavia and it's VW twin. Today the group is able to operate in the 5.5-11 lakh ex-showroom price bracket only due to the Polo, Vento and Rapid. Although they will want to exit the lower end of the band, they cannot afford to leave the 7.5-10.5 lakh band without a major drop in volumes that make market share goals all but unachievable.

Skoda will have to look at a base Slavia 'Active' variant around the same price as the Rapid Rider, i.e., 7.99 lakhs. And an Ambition variant around 9 lakhs and an Ambition AT at 9.99 lakhs. These could be relatively barebones variants that promise good underlying engineering, safety and driving pleasure without all the bells and whistles. There are good volumes to be had with this positioning. Not launching these with some good promotion and volume push will lead to a massive drop in market share beyond the initial launch period in the market and guarantee that Skoda/VW become fringe players in the Indian market by 2025.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

If the Polo, Vento and Rapid are indeed going out of production, that would mean Skoda and VW will need an aggressive pricing strategy straddling a wide price band for the Slavia and it's VW twin.

Aggressive pricing not going to help them.

After having so many discussions in all these years with my relatives or friends who are looking for new cars, I found that most people tend to be less careful while choosing cars or government than choosing cloths or shoes.

Its also a worrying fact that most people these days pay less attention on the road while driving than paying more attention on the mobile phones or in-car gadgets. You can't expect them to consider safety and security while buying new car which is the USP of VAG cars.

So I feel that even aggressive marketing not going to help them in getting more sales.

This is something else. There is some mysterious element in the Indian buyer's mindset which contributes in low or high sell of some particular product. Its a subject which deserves some serious study, someone should do a PHD on it.

For example take the Polo, it costs same or less than the likes of Baleno or i20 and everyone knows the quality difference. Even those who buy the competitor cars praise the Polo but they don't buy it.

About the perception of high maintenance cost, it also has been proven just a myth in last decade with all those long term ownerships of VAG cars everyone can find in their neighborhood.

With the day by day increasing modern sophisticated engineering, maintenance of all cars in the same segment costs almost similar. Rather VAG cars survive gracefully for much longer period compared to the competitors, still nobody dares to leave the line and take the call on them.

[nma83]

Had been my trusty ride for 6 years before the Octavia replaced it. One of the most graceful diesel cars.

[real_koolkrish]

One of the best cars I have ever owned and my favourite too! After driving the 1.5 TDi and the newer 1.0 TSi , driving other cars never felt the same. The way it handles, the punchy engine and the rock solid stability puts all other cars in the price bracket to shame .Contrary to popular beliefs, my car has run 95000 kms in 3 years and never had a single issue - it has always been reliable and no major parts have been changed ( except the brake pads of course ! ) Despite being driven by 3 different drivers, it always gives excellent mileage on highways - I get 21 - 24.5 average on MID depending on traffic, and an excellent range - 1050+ easily when driven on highways . I don't think any other car in the market right now would be as fun to drive , safe and cost efficient as this for long distance travelers like me.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by Old_Salt

I have booked the Polo Highline AT to replace the Eon which my wife drives.

Reading all the news, would it be wise to still plonk 10 big ones in a soon to be discontinued model?

You should definitely go ahead with that. It’s still the most competent hatchback in the market now. And even if Polo is replacing this with a new Gen model it will definitely be expensive, can be even more than current i20.
Once you are out of warranty the mod options for Polo are unlimited and it will keep your 10 years ownership exciting
Also good thing is 1 TSI is a fairly new engine for Polo and don’t think they will change it for next few years, so you really have the latest engine too.

[padmrajravi]

Originally Posted by Old_Salt

Reading all the news, would it be wise to still plonk 10 big ones in a soon to be discontinued model?

If I were you, I will proceed with it only if there are serious discounts. Nothing against Polo and Rapid. They are good cars. But this is a good chance to negotiate. And your current plan may be to keep it for 10 years. But you don't know what future has in store. In the event that you need to sell it with in 3 years, your resale will be lower than any other 10L hatchback you can purchase now. You should factor that in the buying price now.

[anuragbagur]

The diesel Rapid was just legendary and no other car in its segment came close to it in terms of ride and handling. While the first gen Rapid looked 'lame' IMHO, the facelift looked sharp and modern - it will age gracefully and still looks a class apart. I almost bought the 1.0 TSI Monte Carlo a few months back but ended up going for the Polo GT considering most of my driving will be in city. I do wish they bring back the Fabia.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Old_Salt

Request guidance from fellow members.

I have booked the Polo Highline AT to replace the Eon which my wife drives.

P.S - Monthly running of the car will be around 600kms and we plan to keep the vehicle for at least 10yrs

You have spent perhaps a good amount of time zeroing down to which vehicle to buy, perhaps may as well go ahead with it.

From Eon to Polo is an upgrade but it is an old looking vehicle to keep for 10 years if looks are important to your better half.

[KPR]

Yet another loss of a gem (or stone as majority in India think) in India. Rapid follows Ecosport, Punto/Linea. These cars have no easy replacement as well.