[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

but there are a few squiggly bits on their protos which for the most part will get sorted when the product hits the market.

You mean to say that "before" the car sales begin right? Or are they going to go the "fix on the fly" mode? Meaning they will launch and then correct some issues?

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

they have certainly learned from the Aria's idiotic pricing strategy as far as my information goes.

I couldn't be happier! Discount time on Aria too I guess !

Even Anand Mahindra on twitter are responding for some tweets on W201 that they will "launch it soon" or "you don't have to wait for it much", which are hinting at a Diwali launch?

[shankar.balan]

correct. Befor the product hits the marketplace.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

You mean to say that "before" the car sales begin right? Or are they going to go the "fix on the fly" mode? Meaning they will launch and then correct some issues?



I couldn't be happier! Discount time on Aria too I guess !

Even Anand Mahindra on twitter are responding for some tweets on W201 that they will "launch it soon" or "you don't have to wait for it much", which are hinting at a Diwali launch?

[swiftnfurious]

OD mag has an interior pic of the SUV. In fact a couple of exterior shots too. The interior looks nice. One thing I am happy is for the short gear lever. Looks like the car is having leather upholstery as well. Wood finished steering wheel. Anyone can spot more stuff?

Interior:

http://yfrog.com/gzcsobbj

Exterior:

http://yfrog.com/kidx1aj

[shortbread]

The interiors look very contemporary, as seen in earlier spy pics. It looks pleasant and well laid out. The only gripes I have are:

• from the images the steering wheel looks over-sized, maybe that will not be the case when one is actually in the cabin!!
• The design of the AC vents are odd, perhaps will take some getting used to
• My biggest issue is with all that faux wood coating all over the interiors. It looks like a circa 80s Cadillac dash. They have used it liberally all over the car's interiors, especially the steering wheel. Finishes like faux wood and chrome do uplift the interiors and make them look classy, especially if its subtle. An overdose will look vulgar. It is still not a huge issue as this can be rectified easily by M&M.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

OD mag has an interior pic of the SUV. In fact a couple of exterior shots too. The interior looks nice. One thing I am happy is for the short gear lever. Looks like the car is having leather upholstery as well. Wood finished steering wheel. Anyone can spot more stuff?

I am unable to access these pictures at work, can you/ someone else repost these pics?

TIA

[Equus]

Well, it does look nice but what pricing?

Will you be interested in this OR in the Duster?

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

I am unable to access these pictures at work, can you/ someone else repost these pics?

Re-posting the pics. Pics courtesy:: twitpic from Sirish, Overdrive Magazine.

Originally Posted by Equus

Well, it does look nice but what pricing?

Will you be interested in this OR in the Duster?

The pricing I guess should be in the same category as Aria with more features or may be couple of grands lesser than that. Duster and W201 are supposed to be in two different categories. Duster is more of a basic SUV and W201 is loaded with bells and whistles. But if I have the cash, I would prefer the W201 provided, the quality is top notch, no niggles and the ride is comfortable [no bounciness].

[ACM]

Didn't really like the dash look (the fact that it is a bit short) the centre console looks neat, the AC vents are a bit ackward, a lot of the stuff is rounde rather that edgy and in cars today the trend is edgy.

The multiple buttons on the centre dash and the steering raise hopes of higher feature levels.

The exterior shape is nice (but for the rounded wing mirrors), and a lot will depend on the shoes (tyres and rims)

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Re-posting the pics. Pics courtesy::
The pricing I guess should be in the same category as Aria with more features or may be couple of grands lesser than that. Duster and W201 are supposed to be in two different categories. Duster is more of a basic SUV and W201 is loaded with bells and whistles. But if I have the cash, I would prefer the W201 provided, the quality is top notch, no niggles and the ride is comfortable [no bounciness].

That's a big IF, isn't it? To me, all Mahindras till today are :

1. VFM and sensible.
2. Substandard in quality.

Its the second part that I am worried about. I will not buy any car or SUV at 13-14 lacs, if it doesn't have good levels of quality, irrespective of features provided.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

That's a big IF, isn't it?

1. VFM and sensible.
2. Substandard in quality.

Its the second part that I am worried about. I will not buy any car or SUV at 13-14 lacs, if it doesn't have good levels of quality, irrespective of features provided.

Yep, spot on. I never have a problem with the Mahindra vehicles on the VFM part, its the quality that I am doubtful of. Probably I don't mind living with a Scorpio at the price it offers, since the competition also doesn't offer anything exceptional. But at 16-17L, we have better products [may be a slight budget stretch required] and personally, I would choose a Captiva if this car doesn't have that quality I want.

Edit:: Since it is assumed to be the world car from Mahindra, I seriously hope they treat the customers with the same car in India and abroad, the same quality and that should ensure they car doesnt have any quality issues as such.

[Equus]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

The pricing I guess should be in the same category as Aria with more features or may be couple of grands lesser than that. Duster and W201 are supposed to be in two different categories. Duster is more of a basic SUV and W201 is loaded with bells and whistles. But if I have the cash, I would prefer the W201 provided, the quality is top notch, no niggles and the ride is comfortable [no bounciness].

Wonder how big is the market in India for a Aria size vehicle. I believe most folks who are in it, are for a 7/8 seats, as the current 5 seats do undercut some need/convenience.

A sweetspot seems to be lining up for a reasonably comfortable 7/8 seater around the 10L mark. Thats why the Bolero/Scorpio (& even Innova for the higher end) are so popular. These will give in if there is an SUV (not MUV) with 7/8 seats.

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by Equus

Wonder how big is the market in India for a Aria size vehicle. I believe most folks who are in it, are for a 7/8 seats, as the current 5 seats do undercut some need/convenience.

A sweetspot seems to be lining up for a reasonably comfortable 7/8 seater around the 10L mark. Thats why the Bolero/Scorpio (& even Innova for the higher end) are so popular. These will give in if there is an SUV (not MUV) with 7/8 seats.

It's not just about 7/8 seats actually. If that were the case, it woudn't explain the runaway success of Innova with Urban families.

For many people the important factor is space. In fact I can bet on the fact that a significant percentage of families that purchased and Innova didn't intend to seat more than 5 people, but they still ended up buying the vehicle because of lack of better options, and the steller reliability the Innova provides. That, and the inherent negative bias towards Tata/Mahindra vehicles, is going to limit the sales of Aria and the lot, more than anything else.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Equus

Wonder how big is the market in India for a Aria size vehicle.

I would say the market is not bad for those vehicles. A good brand + a good vehicle in that spot will be successful and can take a good share from the 20L+ SUVs. I dont find whats so different offered by Captiva / X-Trail / Santa Fe / Fortuner from Aria. I believe Aria has a lot more equipment than any of these vehicles and probably better comfort as well [at least better than some of the options listed, if not all], but still lost the game. I suspect the brand + price to have played havoc + a Cross over image. If Mahindra could crack this [its not a cross over, so that point is taken care of], I am sure it will definitely have a good sales.

Originally Posted by avisidhu

For many people the important factor is space. In fact I can bet on the fact that a significant percentage of families that purchased and Innova didn't intend to seat more than 5 people, but they still ended up buying the vehicle because of lack of better options, and the steller reliability the Innova provides.

You discounted the comfort factor with the Innova. I guess that was one of the reasons why even Xylo could not shake Innova despite better equipment levels / price.

[shankar.balan]

Quality, Fit, finish, general perception of unreliability, overall look and feel of interiors in comparison to "phoren" plus the inordinately high pricing and lack of real brand value - all these together conspired to murder the Aria for TATA.
Hope M&M learn from this debacle and do things more sensibly. can only wait and see.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I would say the market is not bad for those vehicles. A good brand + a good vehicle in that spot will be successful and can take a good share from the 20L+ SUVs. I dont find whats so different offered by Captiva / X-Trail / Santa Fe / Fortuner from Aria. I believe Aria has a lot more equipment than any of these vehicles and probably better comfort as well [at least better than some of the options listed, if not all], but still lost the game. I suspect the brand + price to have played havoc + a Cross over image. If Mahindra could crack this [its not a cross over, so that point is taken care of], I am sure it will definitely have a good sales.



You discounted the comfort factor with the Innova. I guess that was one of the reasons why even Xylo could not shake Innova despite better equipment levels / price.

[shortbread]

@ Shankar Balan,

The Aria does not have any quality or fit and finish issues, but I agree with the points regarding pricing and brand perception. I also think there was no use equipping Aria with 4WD etc...as most customers will struggle to find any value in this.