Skoda Fabia much awaited premium hatch is finally here!!!

Dippy · 29th January 2008, 12:04

Saw a light blue fabia on my way home yesterday from real close. People have already started making it a Mini wanna be. This one had a white roof. The car doesnt look all that bad and I'm sure the build quality and fit and finish will be top notch. But I agree with Amit, it looks too much like the Swift. Its a good car but only the pricing goes against it.

I guess we should wait and watch to see the market response which should be clear in a couple of months. We had passed similar judgements in the case of the Verna and the Logan but now you see lots of them on the road.

AMATMO · 29th January 2008, 12:19

and also dippy as skoda usually does..we might see the fabia comiing cheaper,or if not cheaper they might launch some varient which will be as cheap as swift..with such a launch they can also kill the swift

vkochar · 29th January 2008, 12:23

SKODA will never drop its prices here in India as there are plenty of people willing to shell out a Lac extra only because it has a Czech Badge at the rear !!!

The real true Diesel hatches at a good price is the Swift Diesel and the Palio 1.3 MJ.

Just wait for the Fiat to launch the Punto & Linea. Its going to give the entire Automobile Industry Nightmares. Trust me. Fiat's luck is going to change this time.

Skoda Fabias will sell never the less.

AMATMO · 29th January 2008, 12:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by vkochar

SKODA will never drop its prices here in India as there are plenty of people willing to shell out a Lac extra only because it has a Czech Badge at the rear !!!

The real true Diesel hatches at a good price is the Swift Diesel and the Palio 1.3 MJ.

Just wait for the Fiat to launch the Punto & Linea. Its going to give the entire Automobile Industry Nightmares. Trust me. Fiat's luck is going to change this time.

Skoda Fabias will sell never the less.

ofcourse how could i forget the fiat, being a fiat fan

totally agree with you regarding the puntocheers:

Dippy · 29th January 2008, 12:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by vkochar

SKODA will never drop its prices here in India as there are plenty of people willing to shell out a Lac extra only because it has a Czech Badge at the rear !!!

The real true Diesel hatches at a good price is the Swift Diesel and the Palio 1.3 MJ.

Just wait for the Fiat to launch the Punto & Linea. Its going to give the entire Automobile Industry Nightmares. Trust me. Fiat's luck is going to change this time.

Skoda Fabias will sell never the less.

The other point going gainst Skoda are the stratospheric service charges. They may justify it for cars like the Octy and the Laura but I dont think its justified for a hatch.

The Linea is one car to watch for and definately may change Fiat's luck. But they still need to gt their act together as far as after sales and service is concerned. There is still alot to be desired in that area even after Tata took over.

Fiat never made bad cars. The after sales support put them in the pits.

vkochar · 29th January 2008, 12:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dippy

The other point going gainst Skoda are the stratospheric service charges. They may justify it for cars like the Octy and the Laura but I dont think its justified for a hatch.

Fiat never made bad cars. The after sales support put them in the pits.

Yeah Dippy !! I agree with you completely. Their Service charges are exorbitant. And also the Fabia does nto rally look huge. In fact it looks the same size as a Getz.

Fiat - Yes they will have to get their act together real fast. I am waiting for the Linea now.

d_himan · 29th January 2008, 14:19

I'm not too sure whether

a. Order Bookings are too few OR
b. Deliveries are real slow

but except for a lone sighting of a Fabia, i've not seen any on Chennai roads. Incidentally I would've missed the car if I hadn't looked hard - didnt have the street presence a Swift has. The i10, incidentally, is becoming such a common sight, that its hard to believe its been launched less than two months ago!

raul · 29th January 2008, 16:38

I am sure Skoda marketers know what they are doing, this is niche marketing. They must have looked the demographics, segments and purchasing power of the market. They will have rough idea of the market size at a particular price with the research and forecasting tools marketers typically have at their disposal nowadays.

I suspect they don't have capacity at the moment and are targeting a very small demographic who are not price or value sensitive and would like something exclusive, not necessarily in performance, looks, design, value or technology of which Fabia has no particular lead, there is nothing innovative or stupendous that justifies its high price compared to the market, infact its sold at prices similar to the swift in most markets and is a value buy everywhere else, but just the fact that its expensive and thus limited to very few people who can overlook the value equation and buy it to stand out.

People keep on saying Fabia is premium but the fact is that statement doesn't stand up to the slightest scrutiny because there is nothing premium in the car, it has airbags though. This is simply premium pricing strategy with nothing in particular to back it up

Even the well heeled don't throw money away, everyone has a perception of value, everyone wants value which the Fabia doesn't deliver. However there will be a segment that value exclusivity, this is always a very niche segment and limited in every market.

For the general consumer this has little relevance, at the current prices from an auto enthusiast standpoint and people who track the industry Skoda has ruled itself out of serious consideration. This is a niche that will have very little impact on the car industry and the competition in its segment.

BUSA · 29th January 2008, 16:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dippy

Saw a light blue fabia on my way home yesterday from real close. People have already started making it a Mini wanna be. This one had a white roof

Hey Dippy, check this, was it this one?

joshdrive · 29th January 2008, 17:03

I saw a black on yesterday here in Chennai. I wasnt that appealing lookwise.

Dippy · 29th January 2008, 17:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUSA

Hey Dippy, check this, was it this one?

Yep thats the one alright. Saw it at Goregaon.

jaibir · 29th January 2008, 17:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUSA

Hey Dippy, check this, was it this one?

seems ironic that the guy who put up the picture (see link in BUSA's post) said it "could easily be mistaken for a swift"

carCrazy25 · 29th January 2008, 20:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by vkochar

SKODA will never drop its prices here in India as there are plenty of people willing to shell out a Lac extra only because it has a Czech Badge at the rear !!!

The real true Diesel hatches at a good price is the Swift Diesel and the Palio 1.3 MJ.

Just wait for the Fiat to launch the Punto & Linea. Its going to give the entire Automobile Industry Nightmares. Trust me. Fiat's luck is going to change this time.

Skoda Fabias will sell never the less.

I just hope fiat gets their act together for these launches.
Indians deserve these cars.

Mallikarjun · 30th January 2008, 08:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by raul

I am sure Skoda marketers know what they are doing, this is niche marketing. They must have looked the demographics, segments and purchasing power of the market. They will have rough idea of the market size at a particular price with the research and forecasting tools marketers typically have at their disposal nowadays.

I suspect they don't have capacity at the moment and are targeting a very small demographic who are not price or value sensitive and would like something exclusive, not necessarily in performance, looks, design, value or technology of which Fabia has no particular lead, there is nothing innovative or stupendous that justifies its high price compared to the market, infact its sold at prices similar to the swift in most markets and is a value buy everywhere else, but just the fact that its expensive and thus limited to very few people who can overlook the value equation and buy it to stand out.

People keep on saying Fabia is premium but the fact is that statement doesn't stand up to the slightest scrutiny because there is nothing premium in the car, it has airbags though. This is simply premium pricing strategy with nothing in particular to back it up

Even the well heeled don't throw money away, everyone has a perception of value, everyone wants value which the Fabia doesn't deliver. However there will be a segment that value exclusivity, this is always a very niche segment and limited in every market.

For the general consumer this has little relevance, at the current prices from an auto enthusiast standpoint and people who track the industry Skoda has ruled itself out of serious consideration. This is a niche that will have very little impact on the car industry and the competition in its segment.

I do not agree to the statement that "nothing premium in car". It does have below features which are truely premium:
1. Projector head lamps
2. Sun Roof
3. Reverse parking sensors
4. Driver side/passenger side seat hight adjustment
5. heated ORMs

Its a different thing that its priced high(considering all these frills)

partypest · 30th January 2008, 11:05

Check out the classic model, the interiors.... i mean the seat fabric is really neat dual color... also the wheel caps are pretty good... i feel if they had priced this model at 6.5 OTR then its worth buyin. but for 7.2 its way to expensive i could get a SX4 VIX for that price ...he he....

29th January 2008, 12:04	#646
Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,557 Thanked: 2,459 Times	Saw a light blue fabia on my way home yesterday from real close. People have already started making it a Mini wanna be. This one had a white roof. The car doesnt look all that bad and I'm sure the build quality and fit and finish will be top notch. But I agree with Amit, it looks too much like the Swift. Its a good car but only the pricing goes against it. I guess we should wait and watch to see the market response which should be clear in a couple of months. We had passed similar judgements in the case of the Verna and the Logan but now you see lots of them on the road.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 12:19	#647
AMATMO Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bangalore\GOA Posts: 1,456 Thanked: 7 Times	and also dippy as skoda usually does..we might see the fabia comiing cheaper,or if not cheaper they might launch some varient which will be as cheap as swift..with such a launch they can also kill the swift
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 12:23	#648
vkochar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Delhi / Agra / London Posts: 2,146 Thanked: 819 Times View My Garage	SKODA will never drop its prices here in India as there are plenty of people willing to shell out a Lac extra only because it has a Czech Badge at the rear !!! The real true Diesel hatches at a good price is the Swift Diesel and the Palio 1.3 MJ. Just wait for the Fiat to launch the Punto & Linea. Its going to give the entire Automobile Industry Nightmares. Trust me. Fiat's luck is going to change this time. Skoda Fabias will sell never the less.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 14:19	#652
d_himan BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 862 Thanked: 947 Times	I'm not too sure whether a. Order Bookings are too few OR b. Deliveries are real slow but except for a lone sighting of a Fabia, i've not seen any on Chennai roads. Incidentally I would've missed the car if I hadn't looked hard - didnt have the street presence a Swift has. The i10, incidentally, is becoming such a common sight, that its hard to believe its been launched less than two months ago!
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 16:38	#653
raul BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pune Posts: 920 Thanked: 372 Times	I am sure Skoda marketers know what they are doing, this is niche marketing. They must have looked the demographics, segments and purchasing power of the market. They will have rough idea of the market size at a particular price with the research and forecasting tools marketers typically have at their disposal nowadays. I suspect they don't have capacity at the moment and are targeting a very small demographic who are not price or value sensitive and would like something exclusive, not necessarily in performance, looks, design, value or technology of which Fabia has no particular lead, there is nothing innovative or stupendous that justifies its high price compared to the market, infact its sold at prices similar to the swift in most markets and is a value buy everywhere else, but just the fact that its expensive and thus limited to very few people who can overlook the value equation and buy it to stand out. People keep on saying Fabia is premium but the fact is that statement doesn't stand up to the slightest scrutiny because there is nothing premium in the car, it has airbags though. This is simply premium pricing strategy with nothing in particular to back it up Even the well heeled don't throw money away, everyone has a perception of value, everyone wants value which the Fabia doesn't deliver. However there will be a segment that value exclusivity, this is always a very niche segment and limited in every market. For the general consumer this has little relevance, at the current prices from an auto enthusiast standpoint and people who track the industry Skoda has ruled itself out of serious consideration. This is a niche that will have very little impact on the car industry and the competition in its segment. Last edited by raul : 29th January 2008 at 16:41.
	() Thanks

29th January 2008, 17:03	#655
joshdrive BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 205 Thanked: 0 Times	I saw a black on yesterday here in Chennai. I wasnt that appealing lookwise.
	() Thanks

30th January 2008, 11:05	#660
partypest BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pune/NaviMumbai Posts: 62 Thanked: 0 Times	Check out the classic model, the interiors.... i mean the seat fabric is really neat dual color... also the wheel caps are pretty good... i feel if they had priced this model at 6.5 OTR then its worth buyin. but for 7.2 its way to expensive i could get a SX4 VIX for that price ...he he....
	() Thanks