[serious_maniac]

Originally Posted by islero

I totally agree. It is common of us Indians to go for the cheapest option and then complain about the quality. If we wernt so money minded, we wouldnt have complained!!!

I do not quiet agree here.. there are different factors which work in every country. In India car is the second biggest investment after home... then why shouldn't people be concerned about money and look for VFM package..

In US a car is a bestseller if it sells 300-400K cars an year - that is they make money .. in India cars like Santro, Zen, Indica etc. sell more than 100k a year.. so the market is not small mind you. If these "phoren" companies introduce new products at a good price they can make money. Its just that carmakers are overcautious / lack the will or rather due to lack of competition in the Indian market they pass on all the dated products that they can.

~maniac

[CaliAtenza]

^yeah i tend to agree with that...maybe the indian govt should lower its tarrifs on car and car production, then india can get more choices. I think the indian govt should encourage foriegn car makers to set up more manufacturing facilities in india, so costs can be lower. Here in teh US, they are even offering CASH BACK on some cars u buy..if u lease or finance. I just saw an ad on the tv; Hyundai is doing $2000 cash back on certain models (accent, santa fe, and i think there was another one). A lot of manufacturers are doing this..to drive people in to at least look at the cars and buy them. I dunno, maybe car buying in india is still in its infancy, but hopefully, the market can become big enough that incentives liek these are offered. Main problem in india..the tarrifs..those really need to be lowered, so more people can buy nicer vehicles at lower prices.

[Azzkikr]

Anything for that new Astra people...thats one hell of a Good looker ! But then Opel definitely needs a revamp of their line-up if they gotta start impressing.. and lookin at the new Astra, AM IMPRESSED !!! Any from OPel Heard that ???

[hemlock]

One of my friends back in cochin is planning to buy an opel corsa. The dealer at cochin gave him a quote of 5.49 L ex-showroom for a model they called 1.4 Gsi Advantage (complete with beige interiors, mp3 player, keyless entry, the works), He wanted me to check up what the situation was in bangalore.

I just called up both Opel dealers in bangalore.

Garuda Autocraft Gave me a quote for 5.16L ex showroom for 1.4 Gsi, and say that this is the only 1.4l variant they have. They say that the new look corsa hasn't been launched, when it is launched it will be available in shimmering black (supposed to be different from the black that we've all seen) .

Sundaram Motors Gave me a quote for 5.13L ex-showroom for 1.4Gsi , they say that there is no new look corsa thats being launched. And insist that Advantage was a model they had for the Astra 4 yrs back.

Has anyone got any news about the new corsa ?
I don't think even GM does. take a look at thier website, it's a sad story, pathetic to say the least.

Worlds largest carmaker ????????

[Mpower]

I heard that GM is planning to launch the Daewoo Kalos in India badged as the Chevy Aveo. They are not going to have 2 B-segment cars....which means the current Corsa will drag on until it dies a slow death.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Mpower

I heard that GM is planning to launch the Daewoo Kalos in India badged as the Chevy Aveo. They are not going to have 2 B-segment cars....which means the current Corsa will drag on until it dies a slow death.

Chevy Aveo is a sensible small car - it does decent numbers in a lot of countries after the GM rebadge. Its a lot like the Toyota Echo, Suzuki Liana, types of which the Honda City (Jazz with a boot) is the only version sold in India.

Question is, what price will they bring it at? Given the economy image that GM has given Chevy in India, it will have to be substantially cheaper than the current City, which would put it within reach of Indigo territory... Does GM have a small diesel to plonk into the Aveo which wont make it cost as much as a City?

I think we're in for a C Segment shakedown somewhere down the line...that would be interesting.

[acedj]

I Agree to you John Jacob. To add to wht u wrote, even toyota's launched the Corolla without the ALTIS edition. They are very smart. The moment Diwali season hits or Corolla sales go down, they'll pop an ad saying ALL NEW TOYOTA COROLLA ALTIS available with blah, blah, blah, blah features ( & an increased price tag ofcourse). ALTIS is doin the rounds of US market since more than a year now.

Take a sneak peak at the car - http://www.esodraggers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=153

Originally Posted by johnjacob

Just saw this in the Economic Times
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NEW DELHI: General Motors India on Wednesday launched the new look Opel Corsa and said the company was working on new programmes to introduce more special editions of its cars in 2005 to boost sales.

GM India increased sales by 74 per cent to 26,000 units in the year 2004. "To make 2005 an even more eventful year, the company is working on several programmes that will enable the launch of special editions and exciting marketing events," GM India said in a press release.

The new Opel has been launched across all the Corsa variants with prices ranging from Rs 4,47,468 (ex showroom Delhi) for Corsa Sail to Rs 5,60,924 for Corsa 1.6 GLS.

"The New Look Opel Corsa represents an extension of GM's commitment to exceed customer expectations in our products and services. Our new offering raises the bar in terms of value for money in its segment," said Aditya Vij, president and managing director of GM India.

GM India is a wholly owned subsidiary of world's largest car maker General Motors Corporation. Besides the Chevrolet Tavera and Optra, GM India manufactures the Opel Corsa, Corsa Sail and Swing at its facility in Halol, Gujarat.

GM India also sells the imported Opel Vectra in addition to the Chevrolet Forester.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If this is the facelifted Corsa currently sold in the European markets and in Australia (as the Holden Barina) then GM is offering us too little, too late. The all-new Corsa is due internationally in 2006 (this will share the platform with the next-gen Fiat Punto). What is GM thinking by offering us Indians the previous generation model just before the new one is to be released?

RANT: ALL car manufacturers in India (except Hyundai, Honda, maybe Toyota) treat India as a second-rung market and do not introduce their latest models until they are out of date, or at the least, no longer new. Why do they do this?

[man23ish]

Originally Posted by typeOnegative

Thats is because we buy them. And the 'phoren' car manufacturers know our craze for the foreign badged stuff.

Uh-oh, hold on, its not only the phoren brands, our own TATA has been selling better indicas in the UK, and they haven't even launched their best-selling truck "Telcoline" in India yet.. Why blame phoren companies, when our very own TATA gives us step-brotherly treatment..

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by man23ish

Uh-oh, hold on, its not only the phoren brands, our own TATA has been selling better indicas in the UK, and they haven't even launched their best-selling truck "Telcoline" in India yet.. Why blame phoren companies, when our very own TATA gives us step-brotherly treatment..

I think they got more cash per car from Rover than they would get from the local market here. Plus, the car was built to Rover's specs which would obviously be different from the basic car sold here.

As for the Telcoline, I wonder how many they would sell here in India. They're selling enough numbers of the Tatamobile with the 3 litre 407 engine (the one that will oblige you with a wheelie in 2nd gear without a lot of coaxing) to think of a sophisticated pickup. This is not the market for a fancy pickup since pickups here are expected to do real work and earn money for the owners....besides, how many desi chicks would agree to join you in one?

[sAP]

Originally Posted by freakr

hey..corsa sail is supposed to be 1.6 with 92 bhp..wonder why anyone is nt moding the car...is int it compatible for performance mods..i think with a 1.6 engine..it should run better...i have no idea of power to weight ratio of it..could some one tell me about the car..

Here is some info on the 1.4 version, freakr. Don't forget to check out the controversial comments section in there.
http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Opel...4-69695-1.html
sap

[paharino1]

guys...

All the talk about new models & strategy is fine...But is GM going to survive...
It has been given a "Junk" Status by many bankers..

Read this article

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...ow/1298144.cms