[Daewood]

Originally Posted by vnk77

If they price polo below 5.5L I am sure the interior quality is going to be bad. They will use cheap plastics for interior, probably low cost and low quality spares. If it costs 5.5L+ and the ensure very good interiors, plastics, spares then I would prefer to pay a little higher for the car than to start replacing every possible spares after 3 years of usage. I guess that's why Honda Jazz costs so much.

Higher cost doesn't necessarily mean better quality.
If so then why did so many customers who paid 7.5 lakhs for a
Fabia face so many quality issues..
Apart from slightly cheaper looking plastics not many have faced quality issues with maruti.
I know people who haven't spent even 10000rs on maintenance and spares for their marutis over a period of 5 years.
And a new Maruti doesnt cost you a bomb because it has quality..

If Volkswagen or any other manufacturer has to succeed in a price sensitive market like India
it needs to follow what the leader(maruti) does.
GM learnt it and now it's tasting success like never before..

[vnk77]

I am an owner of Maruti since more than 5 years, done nearly 80K Kms. Few of my friends also have Maruti for equally long time but a little less on the odo. I am spending a lot on repairs off late. The locks are not working properly, lot of rattling, replaced clutch parts couple of times, break pads couple of times, had problems with steering. Its just not a car which would hold up well for 80K+ Kms. As soon as the odo crosses 50K you will start seeing lot of problems.

On the other hand I agree with you that not all expensive stuff are of great quality. What I really meant was excellent quality doesn't come cheap. For me a quality car means it should take at least some amount of abuse for long run. Most of us are not kind of guys who take care of their cars like their girl friend/wife.

As some one has already pointed out Volkswagen is supposed to be a premium brand than Skoda, I am sure they are going to price it more than Skoda equivalents.

[joshdrive]

Originally Posted by vnk77

I am an owner of Maruti since more than 5 years, done nearly 80K Kms. Few of my friends also have Maruti for equally long time but a little less on the odo. I am spending a lot on repairs off late. The locks are not working properly, lot of rattling, replaced clutch parts couple of times, break pads couple of times, had problems with steering. Its just not a car which would hold up well for 80K+ Kms. As soon as the odo crosses 50K you will start seeing lot of problems.

Its very frank opinion from you. In todays scenario, I feel there is not much of difference between manufacturers on service/spare costs. Its just that there is a wrong perception that other than Maruti and Hundai, everyone else are expensive.

[vnk77]

Originally Posted by joshdrive

Its very frank opinion from you. In todays scenario, I feel there is not much of difference between manufacturers on service/spare costs. Its just that there is a wrong perception that other than Maruti and Hundai, everyone else are expensive.

I may not be concerned if parts are a bit expensive, but what I am concerned about is how many KMs does a spare last? A maruthi's clutch parts has lasted only about 35K KMs for me. A lot of people dont event complete 30K KMs even after 5 years, so they may not know at all. Maruthi spares are not that cheap, same I guess goes for Hyundai. IIRC sidindica has done some research and found out that Hyundai service cost is higher than Hondas! There is even a thread discussing about Honda's service cost and I guess the indication is that its very economical to maintain a Honda, even though you pay that extra amount when buying.

My guess is that even Volkswagen spares and services are going to be on higher side, if not because of quality at least for its European tag. But if they come out with great quality stuff then I don't mind paying a little extra.

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by Daewood

Punto base version (1.2) sells at 4 lakh..then why not polo base version at the same price. Figo is being launched at 3.7 Lac!!!

Fabia base version already sells at 4.4 lakh on road for past 3 months, which means ex-showroom price is effectively only 3.9Lakh!!!!

If Punto 1.2 then why not polo?? Well IMO, overall Polo 1.2 has much more to offer then Punto 1.2, e.g. interior fit & finish, VW's A.S.S and resale value.

Fabia @ 4.4 Lakh On-Road . I though they are giving 50,000/- discount on Ex-Show. which is Rs.4.9 Lakh (Delhi).

Can anyone confirm if Fabia is indeed available @ 4.4 Lakh On-Road?

Originally Posted by chncar

Not with a 1.2 liter 3-cylinder engine, it wont.

Why not?? Look at Fabia which belongs to the same manufacturer, same engine & same platform. Same 3 pot petrol @ Rs. 4.9 Lakhs (with 50K offer).

[Mpower]

THe Polo 1.6 liter...does it have the same engne as the Indian Jetta P?

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by vnk77

If they price polo below 5.5L I am sure the interior quality is going to be bad. They will use cheap plastics for interior, probably low cost and low quality spares. If it costs 5.5L+ and the ensure very good interiors, plastics, spares then I would prefer to pay a little higher for the car than to start replacing every possible spares after 3 years of usage. I guess that's why Honda Jazz costs so much.

Arent we too gullible? If a Honda Accord @ 9 Lakhs in US doesnt compromise on quality... why would a VW Polo at 5 lakhs when its being built in India?

[harishnair]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

Fabia @ 4.4 Lakh On-Road . I though they are giving 50,000/- discount on Ex-Show. which is Rs.4.9 Lakh (Delhi).

Can anyone confirm if Fabia is indeed available @ 4.4 Lakh On-Road?

AFAIK Fabia costs 4.39 lacs(ex-showroom after discount) both in Kerala and TN, atleast that's what the billboards and adverts say.

[vnk77]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Arent we too gullible? If a Honda Accord @ 9 Lakhs in US doesnt compromise on quality... why would a VW Polo at 5 lakhs when its being built in India?

Well, I guess there is something called 'duty' and taxes? Which magically pushes up a car's price in India. That is why most of the hatches hit a dead end at 1.2L. I guess initially the Polo engine will be imported. It will be interesting to see what happens when they start localizing the engine also.

[nickatnite]

I'm surprised that it will take till March before the Polo is available for sale!. I thought that the new VW plant had started production a few months back. Why the long wait?.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by nickatnite

I'm surprised that it will take till March before the Polo is available for sale!. I thought that the new VW plant had started production a few months back. Why the long wait?.

They are expecting large number of bookings (in-fact elite in Bangalore has already booked a good number of Polos, considering that people haven't had a chance to see the car or test drive it yet); they basically do not wish to be in a situation where there is a long waiting period for the car.
Also it takes some time to iron out all production issues, so it stands to reason that they would have started manufacturing a few months before the release date.

[goacom]

Originally Posted by vnk77

Well, I guess there is something called 'duty' and taxes? Which magically pushes up a car's price in India. That is why most of the hatches hit a dead end at 1.2L. I guess initially the Polo engine will be imported. It will be interesting to see what happens when they start localizing the engine also.

Very true! One cannot compare prices in the US with those in India or even Europe. In some instances, European cars are actually cheaper in the US than they are in their home countries! My reasonably well equipped Passat Wagon in the US with the 2.0TSI engine and 6 speed automatic, cost me around 13 Lakhs. When I see the prices most of you guys are paying for your cars in India, I don't know if I should cry or laugh!

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by harishnair

AFAIK Fabia costs 4.39 lacs(ex-showroom after discount) both in Kerala and TN, atleast that's what the billboards and adverts say.

That is the new price of Fabia 1.2 Active. The 50K discount is apart from this. And the on-road price comes to around 4.45 lakh here in Chennai.

But this discounted price is only on the Active model.

This carwale link gives you the on road prices
- CarWale.com
Don't know if this price applies only if you buy through carwale,
beacuse they have an exclusive agreement with Skoda to sell their cars online.

[harishnair]

Originally Posted by Daewood

That is the new price of Fabia 1.2 Active. The 50K discount is apart from this. And the on-road price comes to around 4.45 lakh here in Chennai.

Apparently it is true,the Fabia 1.2 Active costs only 4.45 lacs(on-road) aacording to CarWale.com.

[theEnd]

Looks like VW is repositioning the Fabia to a lower price point so that the Polo can occupy a higher niche. It makes sense because there no way the VW Polo could take on Maruti in the cheap hatchback segment. Not for another 5 years at least.

The Polo will probably compete with the I20, but with inferior engines, lesser equipment and no automatic, the Polo is bound to lose. Unless VW has plans to release this car with either the 1.2 TSI, or a DSG gearbox, or both, they might as well pack their bags and go back to Germany.