Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


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Old 25th March 2009, 23:12   #16
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Say another 15-20 years, enough for old generations to phase out only then will this mindset change.
OT - Man!! there definitely ought to be a politer way of putting across one's thoughts than this!
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Old 25th March 2009, 23:32   #17
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If we leave aside prestige I guess small powerful hatch makes sense in Indian context. lack of parking spaces, maneuvering in small streets etc. I would say bring on more... give options other than Swift and i20 (Fabia - fear of skoda)
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Old 25th March 2009, 23:39   #18
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I believe that the market is definately maturing.
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Old 25th March 2009, 23:46   #19
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India has not stopped being sedan crazy, but it certainly getting there.

Over time, our market would look more and more like the developed ones. For example, 8-10 years ago, we called the Astra, the Cielo and their ilk 'luxury cars'. Today, the Accord may qualify for that tag. Tomorrow, it would only be the S-Class and above.

So as the luxury tag becomes less applicable to all-and-sundry sedans, we would begin to see small sedans for what they really are and stop placing them on an altar

Last edited by vipul_singh : 25th March 2009 at 23:49.
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Old 25th March 2009, 23:48   #20
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i dont think the fit/jazz can be compared to other hatchbacks ,so far the pics i have seen and the reviews i read its boot is actually large for a hatch and could pull people going for sedans into it.it could do really well but knowing Honda they will prize it like crazy and the sad part is that they will get away with it
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Old 25th March 2009, 23:58   #21
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Originally Posted by AyAn! View Post
Theres a whole new breed of cars in the market today! premium hatches...a term alien to the sedan-crazy indian market a few years back.I think the market is showing signs of maturity(except estates),more on the lines of Europe.Ikon and Accent should be laid to rest.Period.

Your views...??
What is your obsession with Hatch backs? Why is sedan buying consumer considered immature while a premium hatchback buying consumer is Mature? Why is a Wagon preferrable over a sedan for you?
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Old 26th March 2009, 00:17   #22
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i think the Indian market has always been evolving. we now actually care for the looks. and we demand more safety from our cars.

i don't think the sedan craze has blown away. for example the xylo ads mentions does your sedan has this-that! so we can fairly say. the hatchback renaissance period has just begun in the Indian auto industry.

things have started to improve. people now understand they don't need a boot always and big hatchbacks have decent boots like the skoda fabia. 300lts i think is enough. parking is not that big of a prob with hatchbacks. and they are nimble and easy to drive. plus they give more gas mileage than the big sedans.

i like the example of i20 it has everything going for it. except maybe the engine. i mean 6 airbags. power mirrors. climate control. etc all the goodies at the right price.

one more thing i noticed that if you cross 7 lac's ex showroom for a hot hatch people get put off as they go for a sedan than a hot hatchback. so pricing is very key to Indians.

i look forward to cars like the honda jazz, the polo, how about golf GTI vw!! or the Renault Megane. who knows we could see the ford focus in the coming years. yay!!

Last edited by Caramelo : 26th March 2009 at 00:19.
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Old 26th March 2009, 00:21   #23
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A simple poll on "has team-bhp finally stopped being sedan-crazy" would answer that. Not to offend anyone but haven't we seen swift dezires being purchased on this very forum who calls themselves well informed and what not!!!
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Old 26th March 2009, 01:48   #24
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Originally Posted by Mayavi View Post
What is your obsession with Hatch backs? Why is sedan buying consumer considered immature while a premium hatchback buying consumer is Mature? Why is a Wagon preferrable over a sedan for you?
I think what is meant here is not that people who buy sedans are immature. Its the market being mature enough to appreciate the value of a premium expensive hatchback v/s a cheaper sedan option. A regular sedan is certainly a sensible option for someone looking for an utility vehicle. However there used to be a mindset in India of big being better. Which is why a person owning a 'big' sedan was supposed to have done 'better' in life than one with a 'small' hatchback.
Imagine being told to choose between the VW Jetta and the Golf GTI. An immature market would assume that someone buying a GTI is not smart enough since they are paying a premium for a smaller car. However, a mature market understands why a GTI is special to a person looking for a pure driving experience rather than just utility value.
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Old 26th March 2009, 04:05   #25
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Originally Posted by equinox22 View Post
I think what is meant here is not that people who buy sedans are immature. Its the market being mature enough to appreciate the value of a premium expensive hatchback v/s a cheaper sedan option...used to be a mindset in India of big being better. Which is why a person owning a 'big' sedan was supposed to have done 'better'..
Imagine being told to choose between the VW Jetta and the Golf GTI.
Well, market is nothing but people, this includes people who buy cars based on others perception. It is still not clear to me why and how a Hatchback and Sedan are the same. Why is a Premium hatch back better than a Sedan? How is acceptance of a hatchback by the market become a measure of maturity of the market?
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Old 26th March 2009, 04:29   #26
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I think that rather than the market being mature or not, sedans are preferred over hatches due to the demographics and culture. India is a country where family values are given priorities over one self.
If someone buys a car out here, they prefer a sedan as more often than not, the sedan is the only car in a family consisting of 4-5 people. If a family is lucky enough to have more than one car, then they consider hatchbacks as a second or third or..x car. We are fortunate to have more than one car in the family, and as a person who prefers to drive, I like to drive the smallest car in the house.
However, in the States, I could have only one car and I chose a sedan simply because it being the only car between me and my friends, I needed a bigger car for weekend getaways, shopping etc.
I personally feel that the market is mature as there are single people who would buy a small car for themselves and families do buy sedans over small car.
It really depends on their needs.

Also given how we have drivers, it doesn't make a difference if we have a small car or a big car, as in the end, it is the drivers headache to get parking and to drive and not the owners.

Similarly, different places have different scenarios. In the states, people prefer sedans and SUVs because each person generally has their own car. Out here it isn't like we have a family car which anyone can drive. Generally they have a family car which is driven by the father or the mother while the kids drive around in sedans/SUVs depending on their need.
Even in Europe, people prefer Station Wagons there as they are more practical.
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Old 26th March 2009, 05:31   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mayavi View Post
Well, market is nothing but people, this includes people who buy cars based on others perception. It is still not clear to me why and how a Hatchback and Sedan are the same. Why is a Premium hatch back better than a Sedan? How is acceptance of a hatchback by the market become a measure of maturity of the market?
Don't you think a Golf GTI is better than a Jetta? A hatchback and sedan are not the same. It's not just the acceptance of a hatchback, but that of performance cars which may not have as much of a utility value as a regular car.
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Old 26th March 2009, 07:13   #28
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AyAn! : .. premium hatches...a term alien to the sedan-crazy indian market a few years back.Anything with a boot at a good price used to sell here.But now with cars like the Fabia,i20 and Swift the C segment is witnessing a change..and a good one at that.
... these premium hatches .. offer everything more than a small VFM sedan.But only without a boot/prestige/status...
So Swift is a premium hatch ?
& the i20 too ?

* If your definition of over-priced is called 'premium', well ...

* What 'more' do these 'premium hatch'es offer over the sedan ?

* What is 'small' about these sedans, compare to those premium hatches ?

The i20 is just a 'current' spec hatch at a high price - priced in a way that it does not affect the sales of it's accepted siblings.

No matter how much features these 'premium' hatches offer, there will always be takers for the practicality of a sedan. Cars like the Ikon, Accent, Indigo, DZire' will continue to sell as well as they have been doing.
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Old 26th March 2009, 08:01   #29
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Go to any average Joe and ask him which is better car, a hatch or sedan. The answer will be sedan. The words will be " it looks so rich and good to have a loooong car ".
This mentality will take more than a century to go away from India. The craze hasn't died down. Look at the success of Dzire, G3HC, Linea ( that is selling way more than what many thought ), Verna diesel. The social value associated with sedan is what makes people buy them. In major cities like Delhi, Bangalore, etc. this trend might not be popular, but in other regions, sedan craziness is increasing.

The new trend is people movers, but sedans are going to more loved by Indians, its a different thing that they are not at the top of selling charts.
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Old 26th March 2009, 09:27   #30
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Originally Posted by aaggoswami View Post
Go to any average Joe and ask him which is better car, a hatch or sedan. The answer will be sedan. The words will be " it looks so rich and good to have a loooong car ".
This mentality will take more than a century to go away from India. The craze hasn't died down. Look at the success of Dzire, G3HC, Linea ( that is selling way more than what many thought ), Verna diesel. The social value associated with sedan is what makes people buy them. In major cities like Delhi, Bangalore, etc. this trend might not be popular, but in other regions, sedan craziness is increasing.

The new trend is people movers, but sedans are going to more loved by Indians, its a different thing that they are not at the top of selling charts.
I agree in small cities/towns,sedans are referred to as Badi\lambi (Read,Badi=big and Lambi=Long) cars.talking of an example,my younger brother's friends wanted to be driven in a dickey wali car for their 12th class farewell party,this mindset wont change.I am single and drive a sedan,and within city i find it too impractical,and i dont think its boot will ever be used other than a odd Sub in future.this one was a kind of surprise gift,so have to live with it.

Last edited by akshay4587 : 26th March 2009 at 09:32.
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