[shrinivasap]

Yes, Civic is hit and i think that had to happen as it is quite old now. And i am sure price of new CRV isn't justified.

ANHC is king in its class. Even after price hike, it is able to register pretty good sales numbers. I am curious to see impact of Honda Jazz in comping months..

[StarVegabond]

For any products that are expected to have long ownership period,
SERVICE is more important than the goodies that come with the product.
e.g. medical equipments, automobiles, enterprise software products etc.

Service Leads Sales : Better service leads to more sales.

what Honda is doing is they are promising a trouble free car that performs excellent, better service experience. ofcourse they are charging for it upfront in the cost of the car, where as others extract it slowly on a daily basis, evident from the fact that how many times the owners need to visit the servcie centers which costs money, time, peace of mind etc.

I feel, that is why the Linea sales are declining after an initial peak.

the key is the car company, dealerships and operational guys in the service centers need to work together to make this happen. PROMISE of product performance and service need to be delivered in actual sense continuously. Then sales will pick up automatically.

[oss]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

i am not sure if its the power. i think more than anything its the brand name that's keeping people away from it. Linea is a fantastic VFM already.

True; it is the A.S.S. & the associated brand perception that's hampering Fiat realise the true potential of Linea.

A good diesel engine will sure add few more number to the current sale, i guess.

[kvish]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Yeah, from 1500-1700 units Linea has come down to nearabout 1000 cars mark. It would be a pity if the nos drop to below 1000 mark for such a good car.

Its not easy to build a good name from where FIAT has started. It is going to take time. I think we (especially the souls hoping for our car's future care!) should be very happy that it is selling 1000 cars. Add another 1500-2000 of Punto to the tally and they will have a very decent start (rather restart) If they have the same response over the next year, it will start looking bright for FIAT. The fact that MJD is doing so well, should have some revenues for FIAT atleast through royalties. That will give them some time to breathe.

[devarshi84]

the launch of GP should also help sell more lineas as that will bring more customers to the store. Even today I have talked to people who dont know about linea.

[amit]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

the launch of GP should also help sell more lineas as that will bring more customers to the store. Even today I have talked to people who dont know about linea.

This means Fiat still needs to improve it's marketing. The Linea was launched with full page adverts in national newspapers and even on TV but seems like it hasn't worked as well as it should have. Fiat, also, stopped advertising when the Linea started doing about 1500-1700 monthly units initially and now when sales are tapering off we are seeing full page adverts again. This 'bits and pieces advertising' has been a Fiat speciality from a long time. It hasn't worked in the past, it's not working now and it wouldn't work in the future. They are not Honda or Maruti to progress with limited advertising.

Considering that the Linea MJD has excellent fuel economy, I don't understand why Fiat hasn't done a 'Linea owner's mileage run' or even a 'ACI mileage marathon' that has been resorted to by almost all manufacturer's in India.

They need to make a big splash right from launch. The Linea had a very sober launch. GP needs to be launched with a lot of fanfare as it's going to compete in a hugely competitive segment. Whenever I look at Fiat's Europe or even Brazil adverts on you tube, I wonder why they can't do half as good a job here as they are doing there.

[amit]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

what Honda is doing is they are promising a trouble free car that performs excellent, better service experience. ofcourse they are charging for it upfront in the cost of the car

I don't quite agree.

Look at the Civic. It has ground clearence issues. This issue is well known and even a newspaper reported on how owners are fed up with this problem.


Honda never acknowledged that the Civic has a ground clearence problem. Ultimately, the issue died and today no one talks about this problem. I don't know how Honda did it but they successfully 'settled' the matter. I don't think any other manufaturer could have done that. If it was GM, Ford, Fiat, M&M or Tata, they would have been taken to the cleaners by the people. And it's not just the Civic ground clearence issue. If you go through the forum, whenever there has been a problem with Honda's cars, (and I do agree that the problems have been rare) neither the dealers nor the company ever acknowledged the problem and yet Honda is still a renowned brand in India. Honda's customer service standards should be studied in very close detail. It's amazing how they do it .

OK. Let the fireworks begin now .

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by amit

This means Fiat still needs to improve it's marketing. The Linea was launched with full page adverts in national newspapers.

They need to make a big splash right from launch. The Linea had a very sober launch. GP needs to be launched with a lot of fanfare as it's going to compete in a hugely competitive segment. Whenever I look at Fiat's Europe or even Brazil adverts on you tube, I wonder why they can't do half as good a job here as they are doing there.

I am surprised as to why even the website for Grande Punto is not up when there are just 11 days left for the launch. Atleast the website should have come up by now if not TV advertisements. There are still people who know nothing about Linea
Fiat would have to spend some funds and change their marketing strategies now, 1000 sales + some 2000 of punto would be good for them as their MJD is doing very good nos. FIAT, some teasers should have come by now

[RX135]

Originally Posted by amit

This means Fiat still needs to improve it's marketing. The Linea was launched with full page adverts in national newspapers and even on TV but seems like it hasn't worked as well as it should have. Fiat, also, stopped advertising when the Linea started doing about 1500-1700 monthly units initially and now when sales are tapering off we are seeing full page adverts again. This 'bits and pieces advertising' has been a Fiat speciality from a long time. It hasn't worked in the past, it's not working now and it wouldn't work in the future.

I don't agree with it. Fiat is doing fairly well with its marketing of Linea. The reason why so many people, totally oblivious to Fiat brand other than Premier Fiats, know about Linea now, is the marketing. Linea advt is superbly made and they did a clever thing by advertising it during IPL and other prime time spots on TV.

Ground reality is that, Fiat is not Maruti to have huge budget for advertising, especially considering number of cars they sell as opposed to Maruti. So, they need to make judicious of available budget and I feel, they are just doing that.

I agree with the mileage run publicity though. Even Tata is doing that for Vista (claiming average of 25.xx for Quadrajet).

One good way to advertise for Fiat is to let everyone know that, irrespective of which car they buy (Palio, Indica Vista, Swift, Dezire) it runs on a Fiat engine. That would send a very strong message.

[avishar]

BMW beats Mercedes Benz in sales. Source economic times.

German luxury car major BMW continues to maintain its lead after overtaking arch rival Mercedes Benz as the number one luxury car in

Audi Q5
BMW Roadster Z4 sports car
Mercedes M-Class
India through aggressive launches and dealer network expansions. In April-May 2009, BMW India sold 466 cars as compared to Mercedes, which sold 371 units.

The third luxury brand Audi, which entered the market later sold 233 units in the same period. Incidentally, while BMW and Audi report retails sales figures, Mercedes Benz reports wholesale figures. BMW overtook Mercedes for the first time in January 2009 as reported by ET.

BMW hopes to retain the momentum for the rest of the year. "We are bullish about the luxury car segment and expect a growth of 15-20% this year," said a senior BMW official. In 2008, BMW sold a total of 2,908 units as compared to 1,293 units in 2007. For the first five months BMW has sold a total of 1,458 units and Audi has sold a total of 617 units. Mercedes sold 1,141 units in the first five months.

Currently, BMW manufactures the 3 and 5 series at its Chennai facility, which account for more than 80% of BMW sales in India. The X3, X5, and 7 series are imported as completely built units. BMW has launched 4 new products this year, and is expected to expand dealer networks to around 20 cities by 2010.

Audi plans to launch 4 new models in the next two years. Currently, Audi's portfolio of products for the Indian market include the A6, A8, Q7, A4, TT and the sports car R8 available at 11 dealerships across the country. The A4 and A6 are manufactured in the country and the rest of the Audi models are brought in as completely built units (CBU). The Q7 and A6 account for the maximum of Audi sales.

BMW and Audi have kept pace with more sportier features and new launches, encouraging younger buyers. Discounts offered by Mercedes and fewer launches have eroded the brand value, said an analyst of a Mumbai-based brokerage. Mercedes dealerships are also understood to be stuck with inventory, making the German car maker to despatch fewer cars to the dealerships.

The luxury car market continues to show growth trends despite recessionary trends in the car market. Zero per cent schemes and loyalty programmes, coupled with exchange schemes, have helped the luxury car maker post better sales.

source economic times.


German luxury car major BMW continues to maintain its lead after overtaking arch rival Mercedes Benz as the number one luxury car in

Audi Q5
BMW Roadster Z4 sports car
Mercedes M-Class
India through aggressive launches and dealer network expansions. In April-May 2009, BMW India sold 466 cars as compared to Mercedes, which sold 371 units.

The third luxury brand Audi, which entered the market later sold 233 units in the same period. Incidentally, while BMW and Audi report retails sales figures, Mercedes Benz reports wholesale figures. BMW overtook Mercedes for the first time in January 2009 as reported by ET.

BMW hopes to retain the momentum for the rest of the year. "We are bullish about the luxury car segment and expect a growth of 15-20% this year," said a senior BMW official. In 2008, BMW sold a total of 2,908 units as compared to 1,293 units in 2007. For the first five months BMW has sold a total of 1,458 units and Audi has sold a total of 617 units. Mercedes sold 1,141 units in the first five months.

Currently, BMW manufactures the 3 and 5 series at its Chennai facility, which account for more than 80% of BMW sales in India. The X3, X5, and 7 series are imported as completely built units. BMW has launched 4 new products this year, and is expected to expand dealer networks to around 20 cities by 2010.

Audi plans to launch 4 new models in the next two years. Currently, Audi's portfolio of products for the Indian market include the A6, A8, Q7, A4, TT and the sports car R8 available at 11 dealerships across the country. The A4 and A6 are manufactured in the country and the rest of the Audi models are brought in as completely built units (CBU). The Q7 and A6 account for the maximum of Audi sales.

BMW and Audi have kept pace with more sportier features and new launches, encouraging younger buyers. Discounts offered by Mercedes and fewer launches have eroded the brand value, said an analyst of a Mumbai-based brokerage. Mercedes dealerships are also understood to be stuck with inventory, making the German car maker to despatch fewer cars to the dealerships.

The luxury car market continues to show growth trends despite recessionary trends in the car market. Zero per cent schemes and loyalty programmes, coupled with exchange schemes, have helped the luxury car maker post better sales.

[devarshi84]

Originally Posted by amit

I don't quite agree.

Look at the Civic. It has ground clearence issues. This issue is well known and even a newspaper reported on how owners are fed up with this problem.
Attachment 144822

Honda never acknowledged that the Civic has a ground clearence problem. Ultimately, the issue died and today no one talks about this problem. I don't know how Honda did it but they successfully 'settled' the matter. I don't think any other manufaturer could have done that. If it was GM, Ford, Fiat, M&M or Tata, they would have been taken to the cleaners by the people. And it's not just the Civic ground clearence issue. If you go through the forum, whenever there has been a problem with Honda's cars, (and I do agree that the problems have been rare) neither the dealers nor the company ever acknowledged the problem and yet Honda is still a renowned brand in India. Honda's customer service standards should be studied in very close detail. It's amazing how they do it .

OK. Let the fireworks begin now .

Dude. Honda and India are like twins joined at birth. Honda is now the new Bajaj and Maruti of India (pun intended). this wont bring any fireworks here.

[shrinivasap]

Well, none is perfect. But in my case, i have been more than happy with the service i have been getting from Magnum Honda. It is been close to 3 months and 7000 KMs, i haven't seen any minor issues in my ANHC. That makes my life easy

[devarshi84]

My friend's Civic has maintainence and dealer issues. Also FE is only about 7-8 kmpl. How do I know? I am his friend and most of the times the person to pick him up from the dealership. Also I have driven the car extensively to know these intricate details.

He swears by his Honda for reliability and quality. He is not the only one.

I am looking for a car and posted my requirements here on t-bhp. Even though not in my budget, numerous people recommended me Honda City without even looking at my budget and requirements.

Back to the topic, Logan has dropped badly and is still sliding. Mahindra should either really work something up or pull the plug.

[Samurai]

The GV number is understandable, they haven't imported the GV in last few months, they were just clearing the stock. When the 3.2L V6 is launched, that should make some splash.

Originally Posted by beejay

Even I fail to understand why they badged the Estilo Zen, I would never want to be seen even in the passenger side of that one.

Ah, you don't have to be worrried about that. It is a built-in feature. Remember the initial Zen Estilo Ad, where the girl elopes in a Zen Estilo and the dad can't see her in passenger seat.

[diffsoft]

I read this piece in BS today Hatch me if you can!.

It goes on to say that i20 sold 2850 units in May! Now that's amazing in comparison to Fabia, its nearest competitor, selling 300 - 500 odd units with a wider range of options.

I do not see that many i20s on the road here (maybe as many as Fabias) in Bangalore - but I am curious to know what is it that makes it sell. It's got an under powered engine, ride and handling are better in a Fabia, not sure if Skoda's A*S*S makes such an impact. Why wouldn't one spend less money and go for a better value with Getz or pay some more and upgrade to a sedan!

More importantly, did Skoda create a market for premium hatchbacks that will now taken over by the Hyundai's and maybe by Jazz and GP?

Any pointers?

Cheers,