[phamilyman]

umm, that being said if in delhi LT+Option is today available for 3.84 ex showroom complete with alloys, air bag/ABS, it is a steal of the highest order. Even the LT is 3.6 - very good value. WR/Santro don't come close. (WR ABS/airbags 4.2 without alloys)

[BomBatt]

Believe me guys. Spark is an excellent car in its segment. I bought it last October when there was 50 k discount. It cost me 4.2 L OTR for high-end LT model. That was actually some 5 - 10 k cheaper than Santro and Wagon R at that time.

If only they had entered with this price, I am sure it would have been a success. GM lost a golden opportunity to be a competent manufaturer at par with Hyundai, if not with Maruti.

Moreover they have a serious image problem in India. Many of my friends and relatives have TD'd my Sparky and have appreciated it very much. But they just don't trust GM.

I bought it from Garuda Autocraft. I was extreamely happy with the dealer right from day one - from booking up to delivery. But within a week from delivery, I was disappointed to know that Garuda has cancelled dealership with GM and moved on to Maruti.

Moreover GM/Chevrolet is known only in metros and big cities. In tier II and tier III cities, it is almost nonexistent. Even today in metros like Bangalore, people can't properly pronounce Chevrolet !

[bkm]

hold on ,let more spark be on the road , it would match the sale of santro, wagon R

[simonkayar]

I don't think Spark will take off ever and even come near to the sales of Wagon R and Santro. GM lost it when they launched it and more so after all those high discounts which just keeps adding. People might have lost faith in their brand and worry on resale value of Spark if this happens. What Maruti is good at and what GM keeps failing is to do with 'Customer Confidence'.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by windsurfer

Well, guys let's not be so harsh. I think they are learning from their mistakes. But i hope they do not repeat any mistakes like this. It might prove too expensive for them.
Hope Hyundai also learns from this and starts pricing their products more realistically.

They are learning. How. They have done the same thing with all their cars since the Astra. It is rent seeking and profit maximising in the short run, but ultimately kills existing customer loyalty, which goes down anyway in direct proportion to the duration of ownership.

It is like: build hype and expectations, translate hype into extra cash thru premium pricing, hype dies down and sales too (GM does not have a pull factor), cut prices, some people buy for some time, and the cycle goes on with limited editions and price cuts, till GM can't price it any lower. Then kill the product. Existing customers run away and new customers are scared. As any auto expert will tell you, an existing customer lost to the competition is the hardest to win back.

GM/Ford/Chrysler philosphy: you can fool most of the people some of the time (so that there would be always be some new customers ready to be fooled).
European philosophy: you can fool some people (European patriots and nationalists) most of the time.
Japanese philosophy: you cannot fool all the people all the time.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by BomBatt

Believe me guys. Spark is an excellent car in its segment. I bought it last October when there was 50 k discount. It cost me 4.2 L OTR for high-end LT model. That was actually some 5 - 10 k cheaper than Santro and Wagon R at that time.

If only they had entered with this price, I am sure it would have been a success. GM lost a golden opportunity to be a competent manufaturer at par with Hyundai, if not with Maruti.

Moreover they have a serious image problem in India. Many of my friends and relatives have TD'd my Sparky and have appreciated it very much. But they just don't trust GM.

I bought it from Garuda Autocraft. I was extreamely happy with the dealer right from day one - from booking up to delivery. But within a week from delivery, I was disappointed to know that Garuda has cancelled dealership with GM and moved on to Maruti.

Moreover GM/Chevrolet is known only in metros and big cities. In tier II and tier III cities, it is almost nonexistent. Even today in metros like Bangalore, people can't properly pronounce Chevrolet !

I have the same experience and you can substitute Spark with Opel Corsa. Ride and comfort is good, period. Rest is enough to make you swear off GM forever. Try selling a Corsa/Aveo/Astra/... (write existing and new GM products) in the used car market. It is a total buyers market, provided you do get a buyer in a short period of time.

[ram_hyundai]

all GM products are very good ,but the only hindrant is the production capacity.i dont understand why they are giving such discounts which will encourage huge bookings as well as cancellations too,and thats not good for the reputation.we could see more violent people at the showrooms during the last stint of discounts by GM.anyways lets hope we have a competitor in the segment.
alto sales are not effected at all considering the volume the model is churning out every month.
ram

[shineshine]

This time GM is on the right track. The new price for the base model+AC seems to be indeed competitive. Add a couple of thousands to get the bumper body colored and you have a very cute, reliable car.

[Mr Bansal]

No offence to anyone but i think GM will never be on the right track. (I own a 98 Astra, best car i have driven, and a 03 corsa, great car but worst when it comes to maintanence)

They are offering a daewoo car which now the MASSES know too.
there was a time when only people who were into/read about cars knew the optra was a daewoo model rebadged. Regardless if the car is good or not, we all know the indian mindset follows different protocols.

Now with the matiz = spark, the public is not as easily fooled even if you change a thing here or there. Price or no price you cant beat the negative critizim daewoo followed in its last yrs and opel as well.

Leaving the price cuts (which in IMHO in delhi still isnt helping), there is no real reason to buy one (personal opinion - still rather buy a maruti esteem even though the product is dead than buy a heavily discounted equivalent production GM car). Now a question - with no volumes (compared to others in same segment) how long will the end product survive?

Mr Bansal

[Xehaust]

Hey Mr Bansal, could i know the average you get from the Astra?

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Mr Bansal

Leaving the price cuts (which in IMHO in delhi still isnt helping), there is no real reason to buy one (personal opinion - still rather buy a maruti esteem even though the product is dead than buy a heavily discounted equivalent production GM car). Now a question - with no volumes (compared to others in same segment) how long will the end product survive?

Mr Bansal

Umm, I don't know which part of Delhi you are in, but I see MANY sparks on the road everyday (MG Road, onwards to airport, and often expressway).

As for spark, less volume compared to WR/Alto/Indica, but I daresay, nowadays it is similar numbers as a Zen estilo. I personally believe that like the Matiz survives the most (mostly on the back of sheer numbers and hence support) of Daewoo cars (excepting CNG Cielo), so will the Spark, even if GM were to discontinue tomorrow.

I believe the critical mass has been reached.

[GTO]

They are offering a daewoo car which now the MASSES know too.

True. But the Daewoo models are far more apt for the Indian market than their expensive European counterparts. Opel created such a nasty reputation for itself that GM India was forced to quietly phase it out. Korean cars (Optra, Spark etc.) are easier on the pocket.

[Vid6639]

They are offering a daewoo car which now the MASSES know too.

Almost all chevy car's are daewoo so it really doesnt matter. The daewoo products are much better than some of their european/japanese counterparts.

The Aveo, U-VA, optra, Spark, Captiva area all daewoo based.

[gowda79]

Originally Posted by vid6639

Almost all chevy car's are daewoo so it really doesnt matter. The daewoo products are much better than some of their european/japanese counterparts.

The Aveo, U-VA, optra, Spark, Captiva area all daewoo based.

The Cielo and Matiz was doing very good in Indian Market if Daewoo had not gone Bankrupt, they would have bought in other good models to India.

[sunil8089]

Yes, the Spark population in Chennai is gradually growing. After ten months of its launch, now I can see the changes in roads. We know it’s a slow start, but I foresee a steady growth. The product is technically and functionally strong. No Maruti can even come near its perfection. The only problem is the poor image of General Motor’s and some of their stupid dealer’s (like Sundaram Motors, Chennai - Notorious for their poor customer service).

What I understand is GM is not aggressively promoting this product. Along with advertisements, they need to do some road shows or some public demonstration / test drive in shopping malls / apartment complexes / corporate companies. Also they should do some corporate tie ups (for sales and leasing). I think GM should provide the feel / experiance of the car to the target customers.

But the best thing is whoever bought this car is really happy. I interacted with at least five spark owners, surprisingly all of them are advocating for the product. In my opinion this is the best car in its segment.