Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


Reply
  Search this Thread
265,111 views
Old 8th January 2009, 15:09   #406
BANNED
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 3,282
Thanked: 4,876 Times

Even if Maruti launch an hatchback in the i20 price range, it's not going to be a hit, I'm sure. Then what will be the case of Hyundai?

It's the rebellious mind of some people against Maruti that make them think the over-priced i20 is a VFM car. Hyundai is the only other main player in the hatch segment here to satisfy their mentality, and so they go behind them.
romeomidhun is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 15:25   #407
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Pune
Posts: 125
Thanked: 57 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by romeomidhun View Post

It's the rebellious mind of some people against Maruti that make them think the over-priced i20 is a VFM car. Hyundai is the only other main player in the hatch segment here to satisfy their mentality, and so they go behind them.

Perfect ! very precise.
sanjubaba is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 15:29   #408
BHPian
 
greatpower's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 118
Thanked: 4 Times

I believe that 80 BHP will be adequate for day-to-day city driving and occassional highway runs. My Palio 1.2 is probably heavier than i-20 and at 70 odd BHPs, the engine is no way a slouch. Even after 45K, its one helluva ride.
greatpower is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 15:34   #409
Senior - BHPian
 
karanraheja's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Coimbatore
Posts: 1,961
Thanked: 436 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by reppy View Post
its a much better deal than the Fabia 1.2 Ambiente for someone who's looking for a premium hatch. And why can't Hyundai sell a premium hatch? They're giving you a car which is better built than a Swift ZXI for 40k more and with more features also. And before you comment on this, I request you to seriously check out the thickness of swift doors, sound proofing, interior space, features, plastics quality, visibility etc. In ALL of these areas, the i20 beats the Swift hands down, at a 10% premium in price with a 5-10% dip in performance versus a ZXI - that is NOT bad at all! Take it from a guy who's test driven it.
1. Nobody is saying Hyundai cant sell a premium hatch -
What i expected was a 1.4 litre for the price its being launched at. We should have atleast got to share the benefits in 1.2 l in pricing.

2. From where did Swift ZXi come into the premium hatchback. i20 might be better than Fabia 1.2 , but why pull the Swift into the pic when it doesnt bother to compete with i20????
karanraheja is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 15:46   #410
Senior - BHPian
 
Anand123's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: KL-01
Posts: 2,294
Thanked: 5,222 Times

Is there an automatic transmission on offer, or is it expected in the near future. I was about to buy a i10 asta automatic. So should I wait?
Anand123 is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 16:16   #411
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,335
Thanked: 298,732 Times

Quote:
it is not so bad that it would deter a normal city driving oriented person from booking one
Reppy, agreed that we haven't test-driven it yet. But numbers do add up and I don't need to drive an Octavia 2.0 to gauge its performance. It is safe to presume that the 1.2 Kappa ain't going to be no stonker. I am sure it just about manages on the highway, but the point is....is that enough? Should a premium car from any segment do *only* a "not so bad" job?!! A premium-positioned car should at the least have an all-round engine, which btw is the most crucial part of a car! I fail to understand what is so premium about a hatch that offers sub-par performance.
GTO is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 16:31   #412
Senior - BHPian
 
narayan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Singapore
Posts: 3,114
Thanked: 2,372 Times

I feel Hyundai is testing the waters in terms of speccing up the car with safety and other convenience features and offering a "decent" engine which would do duties under normal circumstances.

If the the i20 had come with a more powerful 1.4 engine, without many of the above features - I am sure a lot of us out here would then say that " oh this car is so short of safety features - chee no Airbags, damn - no ABS even - even the cheaper SWIFT offers this etc "

so lets see how the broader car buying market take to this strategy and we would then know how much engine power matters to a user and how much modern safety/convenience features matter

P.S. I am neither a SWIFT/MSIL/HYUNDAI/I20 hater or lover . Just hate one brand - HONDA - and I own one
narayan is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 16:44   #413
Senior - BHPian
 
aaggoswami's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Vadodara
Posts: 4,982
Thanked: 2,928 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by narayan View Post
If the the i20 had come with a more powerful 1.4 engine, without many of the above features - I am sure a lot of us out here would then say that " oh this car is so short of safety features - chee no Airbags, damn - no ABS even - even the cheaper SWIFT offers this etc "

so lets see how the broader car buying market take to this strategy and we would then know how much engine power matters to a user and how much modern safety/convenience features matter
Yes, we would. And why not. Given their offering, Santro, they must know what we want. A car reasonably priced, doing good in every department and not " enough "/"sufficient" in many of them.

If the Swift did not have the fantastic range of engines, I am sure the success rate would be very less compared to what it is having right now.
Given the price, we do expect it to do highway duties properly atleast as good as Swift.

Just think that if the car would come with 1.4 petrol with all the features at the same price, then I think we would not be so much against the deal. The manufacturer that the asking price is going into " premium " band, and here we expect more that what it ready to offer.
aaggoswami is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 17:03   #414
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,286
Thanked: 1,011 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by karanraheja View Post
1
2. From where did Swift ZXi come into the premium hatchback. i20 might be better than Fabia 1.2 , but why pull the Swift into the pic when it doesnt bother to compete with i20????
I guess Swift is in fact a premium hatch. It is the only successful premium hatch so far.

What people are saying today about i20, exactly was what was said about Swift when it was launched. Who will buy 5+ lac hatch/small car and all that. but it just created history and now sells almost 10k per month. Who knows, after 5 years we'll say the same about i20. At the end of the day all people bother with is economy and reliability (for sub 10 lakh cars). there is a huge market for cars like i20 in our over-crowded cities as sedans mean driving and parking problems. If i20 can deliver as good a mileage (nobody knows if it can or it cant as of now) it will sell. Hyundai has a fantastic brand value (may not match the Hondas but still they are 2nd biggest carmaker here) and people do trust them.
joslicx is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 17:40   #415
BANNED
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 3,282
Thanked: 4,876 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by joslicx View Post
What people are saying today about i20, exactly was what was said about Swift when it was launched. Who will buy 5+ lac hatch/small car and all that. but it just created history and now sells almost 10k per month. Who knows, after 5 years we'll say the same about i20. At the end of the day all people bother with is economy and reliability (for sub 10 lakh cars). there is a huge market for cars like i20 in our over-crowded cities as sedans mean driving and parking problems. If i20 can deliver as good a mileage (nobody knows if it can or it cant as of now) it will sell. Hyundai has a fantastic brand value (may not match the Hondas but still they are 2nd biggest carmaker here) and people do trust them.
The success of Swift owes a lot to its crisp and still-refreshing looks also, along with its engines. Even after 5 years of launch, Swift still attracts the attention of people. i20 can never enjoy such a position. Its looks are only just above ordinary.
romeomidhun is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 18:03   #416
Senior - BHPian
 
karanraheja's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Coimbatore
Posts: 1,961
Thanked: 436 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by joslicx View Post
I guess Swift is in fact a premium hatch. It is the only successful premium hatch so far.

What people are saying today about i20, exactly was what was said about Swift when it was launched. Who will buy 5+ lac hatch/small car and all that. but it just created history and now sells almost 10k per month. Who knows, after 5 years we'll say the same about i20. At the end of the day all people bother with is economy and reliability (for sub 10 lakh cars). there is a huge market for cars like i20 in our over-crowded cities as sedans mean driving and parking problems. If i20 can deliver as good a mileage (nobody knows if it can or it cant as of now) it will sell. Hyundai has a fantastic brand value (may not match the Hondas but still they are 2nd biggest carmaker here) and people do trust them.
Buddy i20 is pitted above the Swift . i20 will compete with Jazz, Punto and Fabia. There is no doubt these cars have good scope in near future. Right now lets compare i20 with Fabia . We can surely expect mileage of i20 to be tad lower than i10's 1. Kappa , cos of its weight. So dont expect i20 to boast great F.E. i20 will face real competition when Jazz and Punto are launched. I frankly feel those two will kill the i20.
karanraheja is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 19:23   #417
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,286
Thanked: 1,011 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by karanraheja View Post
Buddy i20 is pitted above the Swift . i20 will compete with Jazz, Punto and Fabia. There is no doubt these cars have good scope in near future. Right now lets compare i20 with Fabia . We can surely expect mileage of i20 to be tad lower than i10's 1. Kappa , cos of its weight. So dont expect i20 to boast great F.E. i20 will face real competition when Jazz and Punto are launched. I frankly feel those two will kill the i20.
Alright let Jazz and Punto be launched first!!! We can only talk about them when they are here in flesh. Why count those chickens that arent even hatched (pun intended)

As of now the only choices people have going for a hatch are Swift, i20, Fabia and non-existant ones like Fusion,UVA,Getz etc. i20 is quite well placed AS OF NOW!

And I'll really really really be surprised if Jazz gets launched this year!
joslicx is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 20:27   #418
BHPian
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Gurgaon
Posts: 520
Thanked: 609 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by karanraheja View Post
i20 will face real competition when Jazz and Punto are launched. I frankly feel those two will kill the i20.
I think so too but currently the i20 kills the Fabia 1.2 Ambiente. Its a much better buy.

As far as Swift vs i20 is concerned, the ZXI and the Asta are within 50k of each other. People will definitely compare both (and maybe the Fabia) before buying a car in the 5.5-6.5 range.

Bottomline is - the i20 could have come without auto-folding & electric mirrors, 60:40 split config, cooled glovebox, battery saver, clutch footrest, rear AC cooling, USB/Ipod connectors & extra seat-belt reminders etc to come to Swift-like levels and then priced at maybe 30-40k less than where they are. Wouldn't it then be called just-another-Swift-clone with lesser power and not much except interior space to offer over the ZXI? How would that make it a segment shaker? Atleast right now its got people to take notice - they're offering stuff that even 1-segment-up sedans don't have.

I'm not a die-hard Hyundai fan (I own 2 Honda's but I love the Verna CRDI!) and I know that there are all kinds of people with all kinds of priorities when they choose a car - but I think hyundai's done a decent job.

@GTO: The i20 develops similar torque to the Swift at lower RPMs (112Nm@4000 vs 113@4500 for Swift). Won't that help despite the bhp disadvantage?
reppy is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 21:59   #419
BHPian
 
Gangsta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 624
Thanked: 20 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by reppy View Post
I think so too but currently the i20 kills the Fabia 1.2 Ambiente. Its a much better buy.

As far as Swift vs i20 is concerned, the ZXI and the Asta are within 50k of each other. People will definitely compare both (and maybe the Fabia) before buying a car in the 5.5-6.5 range.

Bottomline is - the i20 could have come without auto-folding & electric mirrors, 60:40 split config, cooled glovebox, battery saver, clutch footrest, rear AC cooling, USB/Ipod connectors & extra seat-belt reminders etc to come to Swift-like levels and then priced at maybe 30-40k less than where they are. Wouldn't it then be called just-another-Swift-clone with lesser power and not much except interior space to offer over the ZXI? How would that make it a segment shaker? Atleast right now its got people to take notice - they're offering stuff that even 1-segment-up sedans don't have.


I'm not a die-hard Hyundai fan (I own 2 Honda's but I love the Verna CRDI!) and I know that there are all kinds of people with all kinds of priorities when they choose a car - but I think hyundai's done a decent job.

@GTO: The i20 develops similar torque to the Swift at lower RPMs (112Nm@4000 vs 113@4500 for Swift). Won't that help despite the bhp disadvantage?
well you are spot on target mate. also we don't know the exact mileage for i20 in the cities. Similar torque figures with less hp, so it may get better mileage than swift in the cities. correct me if i'm wrong on the mileage part.
Gangsta is offline  
Old 8th January 2009, 22:14   #420
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,286
Thanked: 1,011 Times

Just saw a brand new White i20 parked in Sector 40, Noida. Got a glimpse of side profile and rear. It really looks good. Much much better than Swift for those angles.

So finally i20 deliveries have started!
joslicx is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks