[faridsahmed]

Originally Posted by MihirC

Dont worry mate,The new palio should be showcased in Auto expo 2010hats 2 months away and should be launched by April 10

Since the TATA-FIAT JV, there are 3 hatchbacks which are positioned in a single showroom - Palio, Vista & Punto. All three having similar engines "FIRE" and Multijet. Out of these 3, Palio seems to be a bit outdated. On the price front - Palio and Vista are at same levels with Vista offering more features. When I went to the showroom I was open for both Palio & Vista but ended up buying Vista.
Of course here I am not talking about performance of Palio 1.6

[MihirC]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

I've had bad experiences when I asked for a TD of the swift VDI with a reputed Bangalore dealer. I fixed for an appointment at 3pm with the executive, then I visited the showroom myself, driving for about 15 kms on a weekend.

When I reached the showroom at 3 pm, the executive was not there, neither was the car ! On calling him, he said that he had taken the TD car to another customer, and he did not even bother to cancel the appoinment with me ! On asking him why he did so in spite of having a prior appointment - he started giving flimsy excuses.

So much for Maruti "customer service".

Very well said SDP, what very few people understand that the mind set and requirements of those buying a Fiat are very different from those buying a Maruti. Is *** the only factor after buying a car? Does anyone think why is the *** required in the first place. Grow up people, yes A** makes a difference but thats not what buying car is all about nor is it about the average. When I go for a Fiat i have an asurance about the sturdiness and well built of the car whereas if i go for a Maruti I have the assurance of the avearge and A** 2 completely different requirements.

[windiesel]

I am yet to see one single Manza on Delhi roads, anyone any luck?

[aparth]

Originally Posted by windiesel

I am yet to see one single Manza on Delhi roads, anyone any luck?

Nope. Havent seen a single one yet.

[akj53]

I have seen one Manza in Noida. I hope it is selling well but will come to know the true picture when November Sales figures are out.

[woof]

Originally Posted by windiesel

I am yet to see one single Manza on Delhi roads, anyone any luck?

Saw one near the domestic airport. It had a HR26 (gurgaon) number plate.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by kiku007

The Punto must need quality interiors befitting it's premium tag. But IMHO brand building is essential to demand a premium in the first place.

Brands are not built by advertising, they are built in the first place by consistently giving customers an experience that is so good that it is burnt ( = brennt in German = branded) into their minds, and then this is reinforced and expanded by good marketing communications. And for cars, it is the entire package of the offering that does that, including dealership experiences. From what I read here over the last few months, I do not get a sense that much as changed in terms of the median experience of Fiat for Indian users.
On the other hand, the i 20 has the benefit of a great product being launched on to a super platform of Hyundai India A.S.S. And slowly Hyundai can start building a brand for itself around these successes, but ironically, I don't see them doing that quite as well! The company still cannot claim to have a distinct identity, which is what brand building is about.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Gilead

It looks to me that the market was ripe for a hot/premium hatch. When the i20 was launched, people might have been a little hesitant to embrace it as it's a brand new segment.

People then saw the Punto. Potential customers who were too scared of Fiat or were turned off by Punto's interiors made a quick comparo and jumped onto the i20.

Many still held out for the Jazz. After all, it's a Honda. Then the Jazz launches at an obscene price shutting out most of the potential customers. i20 suddenly starts looking deliciously VFM in comparison. Hence, the jump to nearly 5K levels last month.

I know many who are holding out for a driver's hatch with good interiors, space and at a reasonable price. Most are hoping Figo would answer their prayers. Now if the Figo launch is mishandled by Ford, I expect i20 sales to rise even further.

On the button, this comment, and I can say this from personal experience, from someone that had used the Fiat Uno and the Palio for a total of more than ten years! I was in the market for a premium hatch to replace my 8 year old 1.6 GTX, which was a superb car when I bought it in 2001, being almost a fully imported car at that time. But after 8 years it was time for a change, and I was fed up with the prima donna nature of Fiat after sales where it was knowing people rather than reliable processes that got the car what it needed, though, of late, even that was getting to be a problem.
When the i 20 was released at the end of 2008, I thought I will still wait to see what the GP looks like. Took one look at it in June, and the general dealer ambience and went across to Hyundai and bought the i 20 right away, that has run flawlessly since the time it came home early in July. I test drove a Jazz as well, and more than the price, I preferred the i 20 for its more car like feel and styling, as opposed to the Jazz styling.
For those that are still holding out, even more than the Figo, the Polo will probably the one to take a very good look at, if time is on hand for the decision. I think it will be a brilliant well built package for 2 people, with 2 smaller people at the back at the most, like kids. It looks cramped there for space.
At the same time I also bought the Spark for a different application, and that is a brilliant performer too, even better than the i 20 in places such as congested city streets for maneuvering and ride. And it runs just as flawlessly, with very decent process driven service, to the extent I have seen this in the first routine service. I would have zero hesitation in repeating both purchases even today, and I personally prefer the Spark look/feel to the new Beat!

[faridsahmed]

The consumer are well aware nowadays. they know what they want and are looking for every worth of their hard earned money. The success of i20 despite being highly priced proves this point. In the 4L+ segment, all this should serve a wake up alarm for Maruti Suzuki which is not adding anything worth the money. They are still living in their past laurels and are giving customers what they want and not the other way round !

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Mitsu Pajero 2.8 is still struggling from the Fortuner Effect. I suspect this model will be put to death once the waiting period for the Fortuner is no more.

That would be a pity. As an ex SFX owner, who admittedly only knows of the Fortuner via others, I get a sense that in every way except the engine, the Pajero is still a car that is better and deeper engineered than the Toyota for off road and bad road applications. It has brilliant ride and handling, and one always gets a sense of exactly where the four corners are. So while its bulk cannot be done away with, it is still very easy to drive in the city. And I suspect that even the engine, although older in tech, is inherently under stressed, which is good for longevity. Interiors are old fashioned, but made with first class materials.
What HM needs to do is revisit the pricing and do something about the atrocious paint scheme, and this is a car that still has a lot to offer the Indian customer that can see beyond the Fortuner bling.

[twinblades]

Originally Posted by faridsahmed

The consumer are well aware nowadays. they know what they want and are looking for every worth of their hard earned money. The success of i20 despite being highly priced proves this point. In the 4L+ segment, all this should serve a wake up alarm for Maruti Suzuki which is not adding anything worth the money. They are still living in their past laurels and are giving customers what they want and not the other way round !

When I look at the sales chart of the swift I find that Maruti might still push the swift around for while longer until they see a alarming drop in sales. This would probably happen only if the punto and Jazz start selling like the i20.

[amit162]

I had TD the Honda Jazz when it was launched. The dealer however did not agree to extend the hefty discount he was giving to a particular group of 8-9 persons here, so the deal fell through. Last week I thought of going ahead with whatever discount he would extend. Meanwhile, since I had read in Team-BHP that some new owners felt the rear seats were not very comfortable I requested the Honda dealer, for a test drive so that my family could try the rear seats and we could also check on the ground clearance. The dealer returned my call confirming appointment for test drive on last Friday (13.11.2009) when he would get the car and also confirm the discount amount. However, come Friday there was no news from Honda - no cancellation of appointment etc. After waiting for the entire week, I and my family could finally go to the dealer’s showroom on the weekend today.
The sales person was very nonchalant about the entire affair. He said I had already seen the car earlier and on the appointment day the car was not available - it had to go out of town for a demo. When I mentioned that at least I should have been extended the courtesy of being informed about the non-availablility of the car and repeated that we would need a TD to check rear seat comfort and clearance - the sales person did not respond. There was no effort at offering another date for test drive - nothing ! Still we tried the showroom parked car. My family found the rear seats stiff and bench like - on the whole reasonably OK - probably would be better with seat covers.
We left the showroom disappointed - wondering whyHonda dealers were not keen on pushing the sales of Honda Jazz ! http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images...rustration.gif
On the way back we passed the TATA showroom. We stepped in to see the new Manza and also saw the Indigo CS. Surprisingly both had very comfortable seats! The Indigo CS Limited Edition even had electronic seat height, incline, forward backward movement control !

[bj96]

Originally Posted by amit162

The sales person was very nonchalant about the entire affair... There was no effort at offering another date for test drive - nothing..
We left the showroom disappointed - wondering whyHonda dealers were not keen on pushing the sales of Honda

Circa 2008 December, I was hunting for a new car when I stepped into Bafna Honda at Pune for a test ride of Civic MT. They didn't have one in the showroom on D P Road, hence, took my number/office address and said will get back next day. Looks like salesman noticed my working class demeanor and my little WagonR more than my bulging wallet hence, didn't bother to call back ever.

Who knows, a test drive of Civic might have drifted my decision? The snob salesman, potentially dented Honda's turnover by ~14L while TML reported one more Safari sale in February . Looks like Honda dealers continue to disappoint all over !

-BJ

[twinblades]

Its funny that I keep reading about Honda sales people showing would be customers attitude, whereas the people from Mercedes seems to be happy to show you around even if your just admiring their vehicles.

[vijaythacker]

Originally Posted by twinblades

Its funny that I keep reading about Honda sales people showing would be customers attitude, whereas the people from Mercedes seems to be happy to show you around even if your just admiring their vehicles.

absolutely, may be honda dealers looks down to your current set of affordibility where as merc wants people to enjoy and feel and know their products better,even if you dont want to buy them.