Team-BHP - Has India finally stopped being sedan-crazy??

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.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.People are plonking for these premium hatches coz they offer everything more than a small VFM sedan.But only without a boot/prestige/status:)...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...??

Thats why Fiat found it fit to get their 500 here at this time :)

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Originally Posted by AyAn! (Post 1230683)

Theres a whole new breed of cars in the market today! premium hatches...

Hatches is Maturity? In what way?
Why compare Europe? Lets compare to US and say market will even more mature when pickups start selling.

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I think the market is showing signs of maturity(except estates),more on the lines of Europe.

What if somebody wants 300~400 litre boot and his budget is 5L~6L? Which hatch will suit him?

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Ikon and Accent should be laid to rest.

Yes and no. More powerful hatchbacks are available to buyers in the last couple of years, and the number of new sedans introduced has not kept pace. But going by the waiting list for a Swift DZire vis a vis the Swift, the 'dzire' for the boot is higher than the desire for the hatch.

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Originally Posted by diabloo (Post 1230706)

What if somebody wants 300~400 litre boot and his budget is 5L~6L? Which hatch will suit him?

Jazz? Assuming its around 6L, of course :D

I would not necessarily call this 'maturing'. While I am happy with the available options today, the need for a sedan (with boot space) is more to do with the demographics and culture. We still have one car per family in many families where everyone travels together. While countries like the US have to enforce carpooling, here it is a taken one.

I still feel the value proposition for an Accent or Ikon (after the recent engine upgrade especially) is not lost yet. If I were to look for a practical car within a 6L budget and if that is my only car, then it WILL be a sedan.

What if somebody wants 300~400 litre boot and his budget is 5L~6L? Which hatch will suit him?[/quote]

Why? Have they stopped making the Indigo Marina? that was the perfect wagon suited to india..dzire sells coz its a Maruti and its not a lower C segment sedan..

Forget Accent or Ikon, I wonder why people who bought Indigo, didn't buy Marina.

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Originally Posted by AyAn! (Post 1230731)

Why? Have they stopped making the Indigo Marina? that was the perfect wagon suited to india..

The only premium hatch right now is the fabia, whose numbers one can count on fingers!

Just because the cars are launched doesn't mean people want them. Wait to see how many Indian families are going to buy Jazz and GP for like 6-7L(if you go by skoda pricing, add a honda premium)

And about swift, it's not a super hatch or anything, ~5L OTR so it's not really into sedan territory.

Indian families are never going to change, sedan will always be first choice over a super hatch. Snob value is too great in our community, heck my own dad is refusing to buy anything less than a honda, because "his juniors and co workers use hondas and toyotas so he cant buy a maruti sx4 blah blah" so he is looking at new city.

Say another 15-20 years, enough for old generations to phase out only then will this mindset change.

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Originally Posted by AyAn! (Post 1230778)

The Marina was India's best selling estate:)..even baleno altura by Maruti did'nt make it.Why did'nt the Marina sell baffles me. It was indeed a good all round VFM car

2 reasons i guess-
1.- Tata badge and A.S.S
2.- Peoples obsession with Sedans.
Never driven marina so no idea about drive.

I dont think people have matured so much regarding sedans and hatchbacks. Its more a case of convenience now.
Like people find driving a i10 or a swift easier in NCR traffic then say a ANHC or Linea.

But trust me 90% of car buying population is still obsessed with sedans due to status quotient. Ask anyone around and most will say if they have moolah in pocket they gonna buy a sedan and not a hatch.

Does jazz qualifies as a sedan?
I mean its a hatchback as per my knowledge.

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Originally Posted by harry10 (Post 1230800)

2 reasons i guess-

I dont think people have matured so much regarding sedans and hatchbacks. Its more a case of convenience now.
Like people find driving a i10 or a swift easier in NCR traffic then say a ANHC or Linea.

But trust me 90% of car buying population is still obsessed with sedans due to status quotient. Ask anyone around and most will say if they have moolah in pocket the gonna buy a sedan and not a hatch.

Agree with you 100% in fact I believe that the Indigo CS has cannibalized the
Indica Vista to a large extent, due to same price.
People go around checking out for the Indica Vista and they find the Indigo cs in the pricelist and see that the price is same, also looks wise its not bad at all. So they give a quick thought "Why not go for a sedan at the same price?"

I am matured though :) , I don't need the boot and very clear about it and went for the newer platform indica vista instead.

For any market to mature people need to start looking at cars as engineering achievements and not as just utility. And I think the Indian market is getting there steadily. More and more Indians are buying cars not just because they are big or expensive but because they are good. Of course there are people who buy for the brand image. But as long as the number of enthusiasts go up steadily we are doing good!