Team-BHP - Maruti Suzuki manages to sell one lakh Swift Dzires

I think the Dzire is just an average sedan. It doesn't really have great backseat comfort, not a handler, not the best build and that rear design :Shockked:

But man, it SELLS! Look up our sales analysis each month. The best selling sedan in India without doubt. Obviously, the masses see tremendous value in the Dzire, Maruti's badge and the diesel engine. As they say, the right product is the one that sells.

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Originally Posted by greenhorn (Post 1478088)

I bet the crappiest diesel sedan would sell big numbers if they put a maruti badge on it.

Not really, Greenhorn. Remember the Esteem DI? Was a flop as good (umm, bad) as they come.

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The simple reason is that this car is VFM. All cars have some +ves and some -ves. The Dzire has managed to get the best compromise for the customers in this price range.

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but it cant be denied that it is a very practical car.

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Someone who is looking for a 6 to 7 lakh sedan and gets the economy of diesel along with Maruti's peace of mind will care two hoots about looks.

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The point is, DZire is a highly practical car. Got everything an average Indian buyer wants - FE, performance, space, A.S.S. Only question mark is the looks, but even that is compensated to an extent considering Indian buyer's fixation with Sedans.

I feel if you want practicality and space, Logan is simply the best you can buy today. What I see is many people saying that give a practical, spacious, diesel sedan and people will overlook style and looks. Logan's story is a bit different isnt it?

What does the Dzire have that the Logan doesnt? Maruti badge and good After sales service. And of course, the MJD engine. Is that the reason why Dzire does 8,000 units while Logan languishes at 400 units?

Car for car, Logan beats Dzire in every area and yet is crushed in sales.

An average buyer with a family of 3-4 and a budget of 6-7 lakhs is looking for a car with a boot, reasonable fuel efficiency, peace of mind A.S.S, good resale value in 4-5 years time. The Dzire checks all these boxes and how! Looks are low down the priority list, though I would personally want the build quality to be much better.

I for one, is among the recent converts. I have been looking at various cars I should consider when I return to India and currently it seems only the Dzire checks all the boxes (if you discount looks, build quality).

Any idea when the K series engine is going to find its way in here?

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Originally Posted by Spitfire (Post 1479090)

One thing is for sure - If it works no one cares if its Butt Ugly.

It's not just about being butt ugly. The Logan is far more practical and spacious then the Dzire yet it's being annhilated on the sales charts.

I think Mahindra-Renault mishandled the marketing of the Logan. They hyped the market by talking about a cheap sedan which it is - in Europe, but India already had a cheap sedan - Indigo with decent interiors! Stuff like same LH and RH ORVM, same dial's for speedo and tacho to save costs were radical in EU but Indian's are expert's in value engineering compared to Europeans who are experts in over engineering :D. Anyway, I feel if the Logan was marketed as a decent sedan with extremely good practicality, space and mileage then it would have done much better then what it's doing now.

What the Logan offers over the Dzire:

- Practicality.
- Space.
- Better and more robust build.
- Far better suspension with very good ride quality.
- Bigger boot(?)

I feel it's only because of Maruti's better service network and the MJD engine that the Dzire is a sales champion. I wonder how many Dzire's would sell if Maruti didn't have access to Fiat's MJD engines.

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Originally Posted by amit (Post 1479444)

It's not just about being butt ugly. The Logan is far more practical and spacious then the Dzire yet it's being annhilated on the sales charts.

What the Logan offers over the Dzire:

- Practicality.
- Space.
- Better and more robust build.
- Far better suspension with very good ride quality.
- Bigger boot(?)

I feel it's only because of Maruti's better service network and the MJD engine that the Dzire is a sales champion. I wonder how many Dzire's would sell if Maruti didn't have access to Fiat's MJD engines.

You seem prejudiced against Dzire, which is a much more practical car compared to Logan - good VFM, loaded with features & great to drive in normal Indian conditions.

Well, the sales figures itself speak the truth.

Doubt whether Dzire bashing is a major criteria to be an 'enthusiast'.

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Originally Posted by KITE RUNNER (Post 1480303)

You seem prejudiced against Dzire, which is a much more practical car compared to Logan - good VFM, loaded with features & great to drive in normal Indian conditions.

I don't agree that Dzire is more practical and spacious then Logan. If you think I am prejudiced then it's sad. Among the list of reasons for Dzire's sales, praticality and space were being mentioned. All I am saying is that if that's the reason for good sales, then Logan should sell much more then that. Apart from the Fiat sourced Multijet engine and better service network, car for car Logan beats Dzire hollow.

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Originally Posted by amit (Post 1480377)

IApart from the Fiat sourced Multijet engine and better service network, car for car Logan beats Dzire hollow.

The heart of the Dzire IS the ENGINE. and the extensive after sales service is the strong point of brand Maruti. so if you take out the engine and the *** Logan is definitly better, but better that what?

The way maruti has put together the car with a fiat engine and gearbox has presented a package that is bieng lapped up by the customers. Sales figures speak.

Amit, absolutely agreed. The logan beats the Dzire in space and ride quality, especially so.

However, the reason that the Dzire sells 10 times more than the Logan, and has a long waiting list is:

1. It is CHEAPER! The base Dzire starts at 5.48 L while the base logan starts at 5.92L. That's a 10% price difference right there. The mid variants : Dzire @ 5.92 vs Logan 6.35.

2. The Dzire does not feel cheap, something that is the Logan's base to start with. The Dzire may not be the best built sedan out there, but it feels substantially better than the cut-price-everywhere Logan. The Logan feels cheap inside out.

3. Features : The Dzire has a lot more features than the Logan. The Logan doesn't even have dedicated door handles.

4. Looks : I don't like the Dzires rear end, but many people so obviously do. Plus, the front & side profile of the Dzire are way more modern than the boxy Logan.

5. Brand : But of course, and why not? Maruti has toiled for 25 years to enjoy the position they do today. Fact is, the Indian buyer is far more comfortable buying a Jap Maruti-Suzuki than a Euro-Indian Mahindra Renault.

6. Service network & peace of the mind : Maruti's network would be 10X that of Mahindra-Renaults. And the market takes Maruti's low cost of ownership & class-leading service standards for granted.

I'd say the Logans real competitor is the Indigo. Both are cheap, and built to a price. But even the Indigo feels more modern than the 80's Logan. Doesn't help that the Logan costs substantially more than the Indigo. There are solid reasons why the Logan sells a dismal 400 - 500 cars a month.