[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by VinsWagen

I always feel that the reason why the Carens doesn't sell much is because of its people mover/MUV image and styling. If someone wants to buy an MUV, they will likely go to Toyota or Maruti, where service and parts are perceived to be cheaper and more readily available.

If the Carens looked more robust, at least as much as the Seltos, it would have sold a lot more

I agree with your point of view. Kia Carens sales are not bad, though it could do with better number. While Maruti Ertiga sells higher number than Carens, the Maruti XL6 sells lower number than Carens.

At around 5,300-5,500 numbers sold, Carens sells higher than Tata Safari, Renault Triber, Toyota Fortuner etc. So, Carens is somewhere in the middle of the list.

The 7 seater cars are in different price range starting from Sub Rs 10L to Fortuner at Rs 50L.

My friend booked a Kia Carens Premium Optional 7 seater Diesel Manual last week in Bangalore. The On Road price was around 15-16L.

His primary and only requirement was that the last row seat be comfortable for 2 adults, decent road handling and pliant on roads. He had a petrol 7 seater since last 10 years and wanted a diesel car this time as his daily running was on higher side.

Now for the cars, Maruti was straight away rejected as my friend was never happy with their build quality. Infact I have a few friends who never want to buy a Maruti solely for the perceived build quality. My friend was like NO MARUTI !

Tata Safari was a huge let down in terms of the 3rd row seat. We found it congested and suitable only for kids and absolutely no boot space. The interior also felt dark and not to our liking. So, Safari was dropped.

Toyota Innova Hycross was on our Radar. The reception at the Toyota showroom was a total letdown. We loitered around in the showroom for 10-15 minutes but No one was even cared to speak with us. Finally, we approached the reception and asked to see a sales advisor. She went in to get one advisor who appeared very uninterested to engage with us. Straight away he said 48 weeks waiting for Innova / Hycross. No chance of getting one in the next 3-4 months. So, Toyota was out.

Mahindra XUV700 didn't interest us much as again the 3rd row wasn't comfortable.

That left Kia Carens. Surprisingly the 3rd row on Kia Carens was quite comfortable and the features that were offered at the given price point was the deal clincher. The bright upholstery, very large windows on the 2nd row and adequate power made us book the Carens. Having said that I personally did not like the way, the Kia Carens looked as I compare it with its other competitors. It looked a tad plain or let's say, I don't like the front nor the rear of the car and also it's size. Could have been a bit larger with some aggressive look. Anyways my friend was buying and his priorities were very clear and looks were not in the top of his priority list. But again, the inner cabin space is much better laid out than it's competitors and belies it's smaller stature. It's much spacious than it looks from outside.

Fun fact: Kia Carens Wheel base is longer than Toyota Innova wheel base.

On the down side, the Kia Carens doesn't look huge or butch like it's competitors such as Safari or XUV700 or Innova looks. It's a MUV rather than the SUV.

But having seen the range of 7 seaters mentioned above, back to back I believe Kia Carens deserve to sell in much higher number.

Kia Carens reminds me of Skoda Yeti, the 4x4 which was very capable, but had a very subdued look. Yeti too didn't sell in high numbers sadly. Of course it was in a different category altogether..

[Sanjeevgogia]

In my opinion, Hyundai Tucson deserves nothing less than 1000 units a month.
Price maybe a premium but it justifies what it offers. Tons of space with futuristic looks and loaded with all possible features.
Only thing that stops is the brand perception.
Also, Audi A4 deserved a lot more sales for the power and overall package it offers 7-8L less than C Class and 3 series.
It has potential to to eat sales of all of A class Sedan and 2 series.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by aenkay91

A car like Wagon-R clocked >200k sales last year, what kind of message do you think that gives out to other car manufacturers?

Consumers send messages to manufacturers by buying or not buying their products. If they don't buy a product in sufficient numbers it means they don't perceive value in it.

If Wagon-R and Baleno sell well it means cunsumers are buying according to their budgets, and even within that budget they are rejecting certain similarly priced cars. If those two (and similar) cars are removed from the equation it will not mean more top end cars will sell. Rather car sales will decrease.

[lightfootdriver]

Originally Posted by aenkay91

A car like Wagon-R clocked >200k sales last year, what kind of message do you think that gives out to other car manufacturers?

You're discounting the ground realities of our country. We're a poor country, there's no denying that. People buy what they can afford and find VFM in. For some, it might just be a 2-3 years worth of savings to buy a wagonR. It offers them more safety than travelling with their spouse and kid(s) on a scooter.

There's a lot more to 200k wagonR being sold than someone thinking they're promoting a brand despite lack of safety. And, to me, it makes absolute sense. Travelling in a wagonR with wife and kids bring safety (compared to a scooter), peace of mind, and joy in a budget they could afford which none of the others could offer. This is likely why WagonR sells.

[Thedgarage]

MARUTI SUZUKI SX4



The SX4 was quite a well packaged product in my opinion with a good build quality, a fun diesel engine and at the end of a day it is a economical sedan which means it will deliver good mileage and since it's a Maruti its quite reliable.

CHEVROLET BEAT



The Chevrolet Beat was quite a fun hatchback( I am telling this out of an experience ), though it had a 1.0 3 cyl engine at the end of the day it is a diesel. Though, it lacked basic features that made it outstanding from its rivals it would have worked as a beater of a daily

VOLVO XC90

[karthis91]

I donot agree with the view that the market accurately reflect what the cars deserve.

Henry Ford once famously said, 'If I had asked my customers what they wanted they would have said a faster horse'

Some of the cars are plainly unlucky to be undersold. While others have a lot of reasons. If the manufacturer feels their cars deserve to sell better, they need to make the effort to position it better.

Take Tata for example - they could have let their brand down the slippery slope. They made conscious effort to make safer cars. They took on Suzuki and Hyundai with the safety ratings, educated buyers on safety over features and mileage and today they are in a dominant position. If they had gone by the market, they would have made a feature rich car or a high mileage car. This is despite their service being a hit or miss. Often time, the markets want more than what is available.

Many here feel Sedans are cool, great to drive. I haven't seen one strong marketing push to make people fall in love with Sedans again - even if it doesn't sway the market, it can help people on the fence go with Sedans over Compact SUV.

Markets are a good indicator of what people are buying today, not that is not the full picture.

[autobahnjpr]

If there is an opinion and general feeling that there are cars that deserver to sell more, would there be an interesting thread on the opposite - cars that deserve to sell less. Food for thought..

[harikrishnansp]

Originally Posted by ringsoftime

Although this feels like it is the truth, I do have another take on it. Particularly related to Maruti, the market leader. Our subpar crash safety requirements are exploited and it is able to undercut competition by a huge margin. The latest swift is an example for it. It is safer now, but it is pricier, and lost on the 4 cylinder engine. Also the lobbying power it has because of the nature of its inception and the market position. In my opinion, car companies should be able to stay afloat and offer different models, even without having a huge chunk to its own. That is not happening now. Its either volume or very high margin game. The market is not a free market, but a skewed one in favour of a few players.

Yet, Hyundais and Tatas sell in huge numbers. What about the Scorpios,XUV 700s and Thars selling in huge numbers..? If you get the combination right for the segment, your car will sell, simple as that. The kushaq and taigun doesn't sell because of cramped space and poor after sales experience. Not everybody buying a car is an enthusiast.

Maruti have only been losing its ground to Hyundai, TATA and Mahindra in recent times. They are good at making cheap cars because of Suzuki. They haven't cracked the premium segment yet, even though the grand vitara and brezza are successes. The way the market is going forward and the way they are lagging behind in catching up, it is just a matter of time. The highest selling car in India have been a TATA for the past few months..!

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by NiInJa

Carens deserves more, but the higher model's prices go in the territory of the Seltos/Creta which are much better looking.

People buy a 6/7 seater only when the need arises, for a small family or a newly married couple a 6/7 seater makes no sense. I didn't look at a MUV until recently since my family size has increased. So I went in for Carens 7 seater. The reason why XL6 doesn't sell as much is due to sudden increase in price (not so VFM, nowadays), no 2nd row bench seat and the engine perhaps that lacks grunt and more tuned for fuel efficiency. I've no regrets getting the Carens it's VFM and brimming with thoughtful touches and excellent interior space management, very refined, silent and smooth ride and acceptable fuel efficiency and the Luxury Plus Trim is a lot cheaper than even the base Innova Crysta (which is the segment bench mark).

[aniketi]

I will add 2 cars here -

Ciaz - It's a wonderful car for sure. It's big, looks classy and has many advantages like big boot, big rear space, Maruti peace of mind, great A.S.S., very good price to start with and many more. It is not the fastest here but does it's job without any fuzz. It's a perfect family car and I will anyday prefer it over cars like Venue or Sonet which actually costs more.

Ignis - Pocket rocket. It's a beautiful car at a great price. It offers more than what it sell for. It's better than many cars available in the market for the price one can get it.

Both cars doesn't sell to their potential.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

I've no regrets getting the Carens it's VFM and brimming with thoughtful touches and excellent interior space management, very refined, silent and smooth ride and acceptable fuel efficiency and the Luxury Plus Trim is a lot cheaper than even the base Innova Crysta (which is the segment bench mark).

Sir, don't say "I've no regrets, Instead say, I am extremely glad that I got myself a Kia Carens". It's truly a well made car and a good VFM in the 6/7 seater segment. I don't think any other car in that segment offers or even come close to what Carens offers in the given price range.

[AJ56]

I’ll add every compact and midsize sedan to this list from Civic/Jetta/Elantra to Accord/Passat/Sueprb, with a special mention of Nissan Teana, it never sold well in India but was a brilliant car given its super quiet cabin and rear seat experience.

Our market is very difficult to get right, as most buyers value fuel efficiency and perceived low cost of maintenance over safety, build quality and performance. Often missing the overall value a car has to offer, although value is subjective so it’ll vary widely person to person.

Originally Posted by aniketi

I will add 2 cars here -

Ciaz - It's a wonderful car for sure. It's big, looks classy and has many advantages

Interesting observation, Ciaz is a subcompact objectively speaking. A full 3 sizes smaller than a full size car/sedan.

[Centauri]

I will add the Mahindra Marrazo. Yes the looks were not its greatest strength, but otherwise is a very comfortable people mover. The ride is good , has a robust build quality and good space inside, decent interiors and a efficient engine. Maybe more effective marketing from Mahindra , could have helped in some higher sales..

[sheelRP]

I would add Fiat linea and t-jet as special cars for our market. Good build quality, excellent ride quality , sufficient power, features and of course looks. It deserved to sell more but for Fiat fiasco in sales and service and its bad strategy to tie up with Tata’s . It could have given city and Verna a run for its money and was a much better engineered car.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Interesting observation, Ciaz is a subcompact objectively speaking. A full 3 sizes smaller than a full size car/sedan.

Not sure which car you are understanding as Ciaz. It's a proper, lengthy and spacious sedan. Though it has 1.5 Lit NA engine, it is quite capable car. It does all things a normal family man is looking for. Also it's very fuel efficient and has a very attractive pricing when compared to others. Currently great discounts are on which makes deal more sweet.