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Old 5th December 2009, 13:49   #16
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thanks Dippy for the coverage of the launch event.

Nice to see old beetles lined up there.

Why is VW calling it 115 HP in their communication ? Is HP same as BHP ?
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Old 5th December 2009, 14:44   #17
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So i guess its official!

Das Auto is now Bees lakh ka auto.

[Translated: The car is now the 20-lakh car]


Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai View Post
This is a strange launch.
Indeed, but as a friend of mine commented. "It took close to a decade for the Beetle to get here? Not bad! Things in India are somewhat improving!"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai View Post
The Touareg: .... So, what is the point of the fresh launch?
I guess they figured - why not take the advantage of showing off the Touareg as well. Two birds with one stone. More publicity / awareness couldn't hurt.


Quote:
Originally Posted by gupta_chd View Post
I actually do not understand how does the brand building takes place with such models like Fiat 500 or Volkswagon beetle.
Quite simple really. If you play a game where one persons says a word, and the other has to say a corresponding word immediately after, it would probably go something like this :

Cow :: Milk / Moo

Horse :: Shoe / Cart / Ride

James :: Bond

Mclaren :: F1

VW :: Beetle!


Its a big part of what VW is, has a huge fan following and therefore is a great "vehicle" for brand awareness / familiarity / positioning etc.

Quote:
Originally Posted by S350L-E240 View Post
P.S Isn't the beetle this generation also coming to it's end of life? (Correct me if I'm wrong)
If i'm not wrong, the last 3000 Beetles from this generation are being produced. Of which, 1500 will be convertibles.

The newer one is around the corner. Wonder what that is going to look like!?

cya
R

Last edited by Rehaan : 5th December 2009 at 14:50.
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Old 5th December 2009, 14:50   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gomzi View Post
Egads! and the Polo is coming out soon. I do hope VW have a good dealer network to unveil along with the Polo launch otherwise, it'll flop bigtime. My guess is they might just tie up with existing Skoda dealers - them being a group company 'n all that.
Tie up with Skoda? Well, that will surely improve their presence, if not service quality. Skoda has two dealers in Karnataka and two in Kerala.
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Old 5th December 2009, 16:15   #19
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Excellent coverage Dippy.

The Pricing of 20+lakhs for Beetle is really surprising considering its only competition Fiat 500 is sold for considerably lesser price, but as a niche offering VW is not looking for volumes here, its more of concerned with making a brand reputation.

I think Touareg at this price is good alternative to the Toyota Prado. Also expect some good competition for Q5 and X3. The V10 TDi should have been offered even though at a higher price.

Last edited by .anshuman : 5th December 2009 at 16:18.
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Old 5th December 2009, 16:52   #20
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1) I am sorry to post this, but I have never understood the reason for having dance shows ( with pathetic clothes on dancers ) and music shows while a car is being launched.

2) Bettle. Well, if VW wanted some brand building like Fiat, it should have happened earlier, not after years advertising cars like Jetta and Passat and even Touareg. Bettle is too late to enter and in an emerging market like India, all are aware of VW.

3) Touareg. Why second launch ? Was it not available earlier also in V6 diesel ( same diesel Audi is using and now will be available in Porsche Cayenne ) ?
This is completely a show off move of reintroducing a product.

Did they talk about the new touareg that will be available in 2010 as 2011 model ?

Bettle is not a very exciting offering, VW own Passat offers more for similar amount of money. Does not make sense in any form to a general customer in Rs. 20 lakh segment.
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Old 5th December 2009, 18:43   #21
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Too expensive!

Considering the fact that Beetle starts at 8 Lakhs INR in US, it is launched 20 lakhs here. So we are paying 300% import duty. I feel its a waste of our hard earned money to pay 3 times more for a car than its actually worth. However iconic it maybe I had to pay such kind of money for a model which is pretty old...
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Old 5th December 2009, 18:45   #22
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The old Beetle always manages to bring smiles to peoples faces. On one ocassion I have actually seen two women going ga-ga over one passing by, exclaiming "cho-chweet". The so called new one with the new price tag however....
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Old 7th December 2009, 14:50   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aaggoswami View Post
Bettle is too late to enter and in an emerging market like India, all are aware of VW.
Beg to differ. In my home town in Kerala, very few people would be aware of VW. But when they see a Beetle on road, I am sure they would be amused, and then would come to know of VW. But I am not sure what impression they will be having of VW - whether they will have of the super-duper brand image that VW generates or whether they will think that this is another manufacturer who overprices the products. Don't know how many of them will think that a vehicle made in the 40s is being sold at 20+ Lakhs in India.

If the brand building is a precursor to an upcoming mass vehicle, it will be an interesting wait and watch, post Beetle.
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Old 7th December 2009, 15:07   #24
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Thanks for the pictures, Dippy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by joshguy View Post
Love the VW Beetle.

Hope to own it some day !
Simple really, book it 'in addvance' .
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Old 7th December 2009, 15:26   #25
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It was a grand affair, with song and dance aplenty. Here are some pics from my side.
Attached Thumbnails
Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-01.jpg  

Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-02.jpg  

Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-03.jpg  

Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-04.jpg  

Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-05.jpg  

Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-06.jpg  

Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-07.jpg  

Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-08.jpg  

Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-09.jpg  

Report & Pics: Volkswagen Beetle and Touareg launch in Mumbai-10.jpg  

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Old 7th December 2009, 15:26   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai View Post
Regarding Beetle price, VW absolutely doesn't want to sell it in big numbers. They have one dealer in Karnataka, one in Kerala, etc. They are not geared to sell even a C+ segment car. If they sell more, their A.S.S will be in a big soup, and will further tarnish the service reputation they have.
Samurai,
Are you implying that the A.S.S of VW is alreay bad, and will be damaged further? Can you please elaborate? The impression one got from reading ownership reports of Jetta indicates otherwise.
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Old 7th December 2009, 16:33   #27
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21 lakh for Beetle seems to be very high and I doubt whether they can sell 1-2 per month when considering 500 after the buzz is over.
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Old 7th December 2009, 16:52   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rehaan View Post

Quite simple really. If you play a game where one persons says a word, and the other has to say a corresponding word immediately after, it would probably go something like this :

Cow :: Milk / Moo

Horse :: Shoe / Cart / Ride

James :: Bond

Mclaren :: F1

VW :: Beetle!

Its a big part of what VW is, has a huge fan following and therefore is a great "vehicle" for brand awareness / familiarity / positioning etc.

R
Wont that would be really bad for volume sales (of other VW models) in market like india ? It will translate to -

VW :: Very expensive small car !

Last edited by anoopap : 7th December 2009 at 16:53.
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Old 8th December 2009, 11:01   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sudan_NFS View Post
21 lakh for Beetle seems to be very high and I doubt whether they can sell 1-2 per month when considering 500 after the buzz is over.
The engine 2.0l 116 BHP the same as in the Petrol Octavias of yore
SUCKS!!! The should hve atleast the 1.8tsi the one in the current Laura

Both the Touareg and Beetle are way overpriced and the engine in the beetle is a very old sluggish Petrol.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 20 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

Last edited by Dippy : 8th December 2009 at 11:25. Reason: See note in post.
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Old 8th December 2009, 11:58   #30
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The price of touareg with the specifications given is what one would have got earlier with an exchange rate of 49.0 INR to a USD (including 3 lakhs dealer margin) - Based on the excel sheet I have that I got when I was contemplating a touareg earlier this year. So it is not entirely out of line but as INR gets stronger you would be increasing both the VW and the dealer margins.
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