[aaggoswami]

@rangaraj:
Good report.
Is there any news wheather VW is going to use Synthetic oil for Jetta ?
IMO, the A.S & S. is still an issue with Skoda as are the spare prices.

Now that Laura and Jetta are same cars with same diesel, is it that the cost of spares ( atleast engine related parts ) of VW Jetta are similar to Laura ? Or will they charge more ?

Skoda has definitely made the entry of VW brand a bit difficult below 20 lakks price range.

Originally Posted by GTO

There is VW's main problem : Skoda is already perceived as a luxury brand in India. Whats the difference between luxury and premium? Beats me. I can't wait to see how the Indian market treats the Laura & Passat overlap. We will lap up the Passat, no doubt on that. But will we give up our fascination with the Laura?

How come Laura and Passat are in the same range. I read in ACI that cheaper Passat is coming and it will be priced lower than the present range, but it will still be higher than even Jetta. Laura and Passat are two cars in different ranges. They are certainly not overlaping each other.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by karanraheja

Phew Man ..for one second i forgot to see the car. Jetta out only in 5-6 colors??

Do you know about the number of color options in Honda Accord?

[rangaraj]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

@rangaraj:
Good report.
Is there any news wheather VW is going to use Synthetic oil for Jetta ?
IMO, the A.S & S. is still an issue with Skoda as are the spare prices.

Now that Laura and Jetta are same cars with same diesel, is it that the cost of spares ( atleast engine related parts ) of VW Jetta are similar to Laura ? Or will they charge more ?

Skoda has definitely made the entry of VW brand a bit difficult below 20 lakks price range.

- Did not ask them about the oil..
- They did not mention common maintenance across brands - they seemed to want to put chinese walls between the brands artificially. They did talk about commonality across the brands, but i seem to harp on VW being German ( this reminds me of Opel's tag line of Opel till someone in chandigarh sued them of their engine being australian!) I wonder with some much common between the Laura and the Jetta (I wonder if it is the same between the Superb and Passat?), the outward body looks alone will not qualify for being "German engineering".. The comment of Skoda being economy was not true - it is more claimed to be fun.. I agree that Skoda has taken VW's position of being premium in that category (Audi is certainly not going to occupy or compete in that slot), so the jetta will struggle. Each will have one or max two service centers. It wil be tough for positioning the Beetle vs Fabia and so on... As long as the top down approach is done simultaneously and synchronized, it is going to be tough to position the two brands - skoda and VW in the same price brackets.

There will be the initial lot of rush towards the jetta to be seen as exclusive compared to the numerous laura's on the road, but time will catch up. In B'lore Tafe's reputation will not help Skoda either...

[amtak]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Do you know about the number of color options in Honda Accord?

Sorry for going OT, but how many?

Jetta I guess is nicely priced and should give a decent sales figure to VW.

[wanderlustindia]

Originally Posted by amtak

Sorry for going OT, but how many?

Jetta I guess is nicely priced and should give a decent sales figure to VW.

The VW group CEO in India (don't recollect his name) mentioned at the launch that they are initially looking to sell around 200 a month. Not too bad a figure to start with considering its pitted against the Laura, which is selling quite well.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

Err - You meant the Jetta right ?

Oops! Brain-dead moment. Yes, I did mean Jetta! Please infer my previous post accordingly.

[MaserQ]

The Jetta and the Laura will eat into each others pie. Honda and Toyota will be waiting and watching..

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The Jetta, in the UK market, is a bit of a nowhere car. People would much rather have the flexibility (and image) of the hatchback Golf, a car which is almost as much of a legend as the Beetle and has a huge following.

I suppose India's reaction to the Golf would be to walk away, saying, but it's a hatchback.

Yup. The Golf is a great car, but there would be no takers at that price point. Like they say..horses for courses..

[GTO]

So we were discussing last night (Me and Dad) as to what VW could do, to differentiate itself from Skoda. Voila : SERVICE!!!. Skoda has damaged its after-sales service reputation pretty severely; this has proven a reason for many to avoid buying a Skoda altogether.

If VW can provide class-leading service and truly take care of their customers with a customer-centric attitude and genuinely high quality work, I see a strong reason for choosing a Jetta over the Laura.

[rangaraj]

Originally Posted by GTO

So we were discussing last night (Me and Dad) as to what VW could do, to differentiate itself from Skoda. Voila : SERVICE!!!. Skoda has damaged its after-sales service reputation pretty severely; this has proven a reason for many to avoid buying a Skoda altogether.

If VW can provide class-leading service and truly take care of their customers with a customer-centric attitude and genuinely high quality work, I see a strong reason for choosing a Jetta over the Laura.

Worth checking in with any Passat owners on their experience thus far - i guess the gold standard for that personalized service (from what i hear) is Toyota. If they can get there, you are right, folks like me who avoided Skoda because of TAFE could consider VW.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by GTO

If VW can provide class-leading service and truly take care of their customers with a customer-centric attitude and genuinely high quality work, I see a strong reason for choosing a Jetta over the Laura.

Attitude and quality of work are important. But cost of spares is an important factor too.

Skoda spares are pretty high priced already, i wonder what VW spare price list looks like. My hunch is (and i hope they prove me wrong) that its going to be pretty high.

[CBlazer]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Attitude and quality of work are important. But cost of spares is an important factor too.

Skoda spares are pretty high priced already, i wonder what VW spare price list looks like. My hunch is (and i hope they prove me wrong) that its going to be pretty high.

Anybody's guess given the high import content the Jetta has been launched with.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Attitude and quality of work are important. But cost of spares is an important factor too.

I am sure that they will be able to provide quality of work. But as you have mentioned, the cost of spares will be very important factor. Skoda already has an image of high cost spares under the pretext of quality. I dont mean to say that the spares are not high quality.

VW will have to work very hard in this department. IMO, the Indian conditions would lead to more wear and tear on the car.

[abhinav.gupta88]

Hi Guys

Me and Sumit( T-Bhp Member Berry) went for the Jetta Launch in Delhi Today ( Courtesy Sumit)
Held at Taj Palace.
7.30 ( Indian Stretchable Time)

The show was presented by Simone Singh
the show had 2 items
1. A Jugglery act by 2 jugglers
2. A Laser Show ( Which was quite amazing - took a video as well will upload)

Followed were a few videos of the Jetta and all

We had Champagne and dinner.

Now the most important part of it all
The Jetta

1.6 Petrol Highline 13 lakh ex-showroom
1.9 Diesel M/T Highline 14.5 lakh ex-showroom
1.9 Diesel A/T Comfortline 16/16.5 lakh ex-showroom

Dash - Amazing
Front Seat Nice ( with electronic lumbar support ) - Manual Seat Adjustment though
No Xenons
No Headlamp Washers
Rear Seat. Bloody Copied the Skoda Octavia ( Cramped )
Boot Space ( Same as Octavia 527 litres)
Interiors ( Blue ) AMAZING . ROCKING
Front Chrome Finish ( Nice but not suitable for Indian Conditions)
Rear A/c Vents
8 Airbags
10 Speaker 6 CD Changer with AUX In
Almost the same size as laura
Same key as the Laura/ Fabia /Superb
Dual Zone A/C
VW logo on the bulb ( in the headlamp )
Rear Parking sensor ( no front ones )
No Sunroof
DSG Version has Paddle Shifts too ( like in the Passat, Civic, Accord )

THE BIGGEST PLUS POINT
IT has Extendable Warranty For 2 Years for Rs. 6000 Only ( Grr Skoda )

Verdict :
Good Car , good buy only the Diesel one
( But with many features absent )
If i were given an option between Laura and Jetta. I would go in for Laura

[jesal]

1.6 has auto option. loooks good in white but i bet they wont give beige interiors with white. cheap germans.,

[abhinav.gupta88]

No Jesal. 1.6 doesnt come with Auto Transmission