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24th January 2010, 11:10 | #61 |
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| 2006: American Bow tie takes over the German lightning as GM's core brand as an Indo-Italian alliance marks the rising of Fiat from the ashes. But, a legend dies into the sunset... 2006 starts off at a promising note, the auto expo showcasing many launches in the coming year.
GM decides to phase out the opel brand and by May, all corsa varients are pulled out. Vectra is also pulled out due to dismal sales. It showcases 3 products earmarked for launch:
Dwindling sales takes its toll as Maruti phases out one of India's much loved hatchback-the ZEN, by June 2006. More than 7,50,000 are sold by then, and a large number are also exported. While the old Zen dies, the brand Zen's strength is too difficult to ignore as Maruti relaunches it in December as a completely different car. Based on the 2001 Suzuki MR wagon, it shares its chassis with the alto and the Indian Wagon R and is powered by the same motor as its tall boy cousin. Launched in funky shades of red, yellow, purple, blue, green etc, it is called as the ZEN ESTILO. Priced competitively, it immediately goes on a month's waiting. Lady buyers are also impressed and many ladies can be seen driving this car. But will it succeed in long term? Only time will tell. The Wagon R, also gets its second major facelift with new front, rear and interiors to compete with the refreshed e-rlx santro, which continues to sell strongly. 2006 also witnesses the FIFA world cup in Germany, won by Italy after defeating France in a penalty shootout. The entertainment industry was preparing foe a new wave of musical reality shows, with the commencement of Indian Idol 2 and SRGMP challenge 2005 drawing its end. 24 hour news channels were a rage, as one channel was being opened after another. Saas Bahu sagas were beginning to fizzle out, so did Jassi who underwent a makeover from a behenji to a good looking babe. Bollywood meanwhile continued to offer decent entertainment and Abhishek Bachchan's career started to rise from this year onwards. Now, as 2006 closes, 2007 promises to be even more exciting. As the empire launches a flagship product, the second sporting extravaganza will start at the Caribbean.. Itihaas is baat ka gawah hai ki cars come and cars go, but some legends remain, as a legend will make a comeback after a 5 year hiatus... While the year will witness some botox treatments, the luxury car market will witness a dramatic entry to rattle the superstar, which was just enjoying success after success. Kaun hai woh jo sitaron ko khallas karne aa raha hai? Aur kaun hai woh jo itihaas wapas rachyega? Find out soon..... Last edited by sidindica : 24th January 2010 at 11:13. |
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24th January 2010, 12:59 | #62 |
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| Sid this thread brings some of my life's fine memories.Thanks very much. |
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24th January 2010, 13:37 | #63 |
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| That was an impressive narrative! But, the real India Auto Industry displaying innovation, quick thinking, expediency works like this: "XXXXX: The Hand-crafted Car" - IndiaImpressive.Com :: Maruta ? The Handcrafted Car |
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24th January 2010, 14:20 | #64 |
BHPian | Very impressive narration again Sid. Waiting for the 'itihaas wapas rachanewala' |
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24th January 2010, 15:31 | #65 |
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| Going through Sid's write up, is like eating Butter Paneer Masala. Amazing way to revisit the past. As and along I read the narration, I feel like growing myself. Thanks Sid for the great stuff. |
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24th January 2010, 19:02 | #66 |
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| The year 2007 marks the celebration of 60 years of India's independence and also the "People's President", Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, will be succeeded by the country's first lady President, Smt. Pratibha Patil. 2007 Matiz makes a "spark"ling comeback while the ultimate driving machine wants to reach for the stars. So, Fiat decides to "stile"ise itself. The empire, meanwhile, launches a diesel blockbuster as Hyundai tells SRK to catch the I. 2007 starts on a promising note, with Tata launching its most expensive passenger car, the LWB Indigo XL grand in 1.4 16v DOHC 100 bhp petrol and 1.4 16v DOHC 75 bhp dicor CRDi diesel versions, both new motors being an evolution of current ones. The car is loaded with every first class amenities that a passenger in a 747 enjoys, including a top class on board entertainment system (first seen on Indigo SX), rear AC vents and leather seats with enormous legroom. 747 performance and refinement is however not part of the package. Priced closer to NHC territory, initial sales are encouraging but complaints with dicor's fuel pump and brand perception of Tata as a "cheap" car maker means that demand tapers of prematurely. While the 747 jumbo jet is long part of Air India's fleet, Maruti debuts the Multi-Jet diesel under license from Fiat under the hood of its flagship-the swift. The car is India's first CRDi powered enthusiast's diesel small car and all the positives of swift are carried over with the addition of that excellent torquey fuel efficient powerplant. The craze becomes even higher and despite the 4.7-5.25 lakh price, the car commands a huge 2-3 month wait list, a fact that remains unbeaten even today. Clearly, the swift DDIS is on the way to become another blockbuster from the Maruti stable. It coincides with the inauguration of Maruti's new diesel engine plant at its new greenfield facility, Manesar. Those who purchase the swift DDIS can't stop revving and raving about it. within months, every college, UG or PG, swift DDIS becomes a common sight. Its positioning of an enthusiast's diesel car clearly pays off. New colour-pearl metallic arctic white, becomes a rage and commands even a bigger wait list. It even sells at a premium of 30,000 at some dealerships. It is made available in LDI, VDi and VDi ABS models. The ultimate driving machine wants to make the future of the automobile a thing of the past. The year also marks an entry of the third German brand-BMW, which had just constructed a spanking new plant in the outskirts of Chennai where it begins assembling the 3 series as SKDs. While the 5 series, 7 series and X5 are imported, the 3 series is formally launched at C class price territory, with more features and engine options. The car becomes a certified hit and C class sales take a beating. This marks the beginning of the German 3 way cola war. Between Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi. Audi, meanwhile continues its role as an importer and sells cars. It will expand in the coming years. Matiz Reloaded but will it ignite a spark in the small car market? One of India's most loved cars, the matiz becomes an object of discussion when rumours start to grow that it will be relaunched in India under a new name-The CHEVROLET SPARK. The car is formally launched in April 2007, after about 18 months delay in a process to localise components and validate the car for our roads. The basic chassis and front suspension are carryover from the old matiz, whereas the body, interior and rear suspension are new, so is the improved steering geometry. On paper, at least, the car's combination of cute looks, refined performance and superb mileage, ride, handling, stability and good space in a compact footprint meant that the santro is under threat. But when the price is announced, all that hoopla would become a thing of the past. Just as Daewoo goofed up with the pricing of the matiz at launch in fall 1998, GM prices the spark out of contention, at least 20,000-30,000 rupees above competition. The price of 3,09,000 for a non ac model does not look exactly like a steal. While GM does have a limited production capacity as a new plant is still under construction at Talegaon, the response of the spark is not exactly encouraging. Rivals start even bigger discounts and cars like santro and Wagon R sell even more briskly. Unbelievable but true, come october, just after 6 months after the spark is launched, GM starts giving brutal discounts of upto Rs. 30,000 in the spark. Clearly, it is the case of wrong product pricing, though right positioning. Many ladies are seen driving the spark, highlighting its easy to drive and cheerful user friendly nature. The Zen estilo sales do drop after all that initial hoopla but the percentage drop is not that bad. The culprit-discounted wagon R. Hyundai, meanwhile, is on the verge on launching its new global kei-car, the I 10, the world debut of which is performed in India. This also marks the first time that a global MNC has chosen India as the sole exclusive production hub of the I 10, in Chennai, as a new plant is inaugrated which will also export the same to global markets. Its available in 5 models, including the one with sunroof! Despite the higher price, its combination of quality interiors, sound engineering and Hyundai's reputation as a maker of quality small cars means that after the Santro, this is another blockbuster that Hyundai desperately needed after its terracan, tucson, sonata embera, getz and elantra flopped in the market. ShahRukh Khan is appointed as the brand ambassador and Hyundai spends huge amount in marketing and PR to make the I10 a success at any cost. Powering the I10 is an evolved and a torquier version of 1.1 epsilon motor, but since it has to pull a car that is considerably heavier than the Santro, performance and mileage is just modest. But despite its small drawbacks, the well rounded nature of the I10 is a new benchmark for kei-cars in India and it goes on to win all the publications' COTY awards in 2007. Other Launches:
The year 2007 also witnesses Cricket's biggest sporting event-the ICC world cup 2007 in the Caribbean, with Australia Defeating Sri Lanka to claim their 3rd consecutive world cup title. The entertainment industry continued its usual overdose of daily soaps without any sops, and musical shows now included kids as participants (SRGMP Lil Champs VS SVOI Chotte Ustad) and news channels continued to go berserk with new "jyotish vidya and grahan stuff etc." Kya kisi channel pe us samay grahan lag gaya kya? The DTH market witnessed the entry of new players. Food prices began to rise. Bollywood meanwhile continued to entertain us with hits like:
June 2007 witnessed an anonymous member joining team bhp. So, as 2007 draws to a close, 2008 will be one of the biggest years in the Indian auto industry as new segments will be created and multiple launches will take place, all fighting it out for an even bigger share of the pie. A company will perform a pentagonal launch whereas a new legend will be re-incarnated, as the year will also prove to be a landmark for Indian sports as history will be created, so will be for team bhp with a world exclusive. Kisi ne sach hi kaha hai: The winner takes it all, the loser's standing small. Besides the victory, that's a destiny.... Who will win? And whose destiny will change? Find out soon....... Last edited by sidindica : 24th January 2010 at 19:11. |
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24th January 2010, 21:19 | #67 |
BHPian | This may sound stupid (and irrelevant), but I could not figure what bollywood or sports had anything to do with the evolution of "hatchback wars" in India. Same goes for the tsunami, floods, earthquakes (maybe you forgot this one), plane hijackings/bombings, decline of the "Gandhi family" or presidents of India. But really, Sanjay Gandhi's GF was called Maruti? Either you or him have got to be joking! |
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24th January 2010, 21:53 | #68 |
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| Take a bow my friend! I didn't want to disrupt the flow of the thread but still! Can I request the mods to arrange Sid's posts in order and move the rest to the end once Sid has finished. It will be an all-time classic. |
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24th January 2010, 22:03 | #69 | |
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| Quote:
She was one time GF of Mr. Sanjay Gandhi. In 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's Cabinet proposed the production of a 'People's car' - a cheap, affordable and efficient indigenous machine that middle-class citizens could afford. While Sanjay had no experience, design proposal or tie-ins with any corporation, he was awarded the contract and the exclusive production license. Maruti, today India's premier automobile manufacturing corporation, was founded by Sanjay Gandhi, but the company did not produce any vehicles during his lifetime. A test model put out as a showpiece of progress was criticized. (PIC OF THE SAME CAR POSTED BELOW FROM TEAM-BHP ARCHIVES) Public perception turned against Sanjay Gandhi, and many began to speculate of growing corruption. Sanjay Gandhi then contacted Volkswagen AG from West Germany for a possible collaboration, transfer of technology and joint production of the Indian version of the People's Car (Maruti) since VW had previously built and sold 'People's car' in Germany under the name 'VW Beetle' which was a big hit worldwide. Also Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan was contacted to present their design and feasibility of their car to be manufactured in India. Suzuki came to know that the Government of India had contacted Volkswagen AG from West Germany as a possible supplier, it did everything to oust VW from the race to produce India's first People's Car (Maruti 800). It provided the Government a feasible Design of their 'Model 796' (another big hit in Japan and East Asian countries). (excerpts in italics from wikpedia) Hope this clears your doubts. And I always like to write in a "hatke" manner, my friend. Last edited by sidindica : 24th January 2010 at 22:12. | |
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24th January 2010, 22:33 | #70 |
BHPian | [quote=sidindica;1697990]Its not a joke, its a fact. Maruti's full name was Maruti Mohan, she belonged to the family of Mohan nagar, Ghaziabad based Mohan Meakins, makers of Mohans Cornflakes. She was one time GF of Mr. Sanjay Gandhi. Well, then it's Mr Gandhi then! I wonder what the poor girl had done to her parents to deserve that name! I also cannot fathom why a company like TATA could not generate the kind of trust in the minds of their customers regarding reliability of after sales service as SUZUKI managed with MSIL. I agree there are many "political" issues here, but TATA should have not allowed themselves to be "pushed over". |
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25th January 2010, 13:51 | #71 |
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| 2008 The year of launches, scoops, controversies and milestones Tata is in cloud 9 as it exhibits its biggest display of products ever.
2008 will also be remembered as the year of milestones.
2008 saw the world's biggest sporting extravaganza-the Beiging Summer Olympics.
So, while 2008 ends, a major crisis is looming over the horizon, even as the year 2009 will be a one man show... Wanna know more about it? Find out soon.. |
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25th January 2010, 19:51 | #72 |
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| 2009: Fiat wants to make a comeback by drawing a line of fire powered by multijet across 2 points, even as global economic crisis looms over the horizon. Meanwhile, some unexpected blockbusters are created... The collapse of US economy started with the Lehmann Brothers fiasco was bad news to start with, adding nails to the coffin were declaration of bankruptcy by two giant corporations, GM and Chrysler. Consumers were skeptical, and around the world, plant closings, drastic job cuts, mergers, acquisitions and above all, bailouts ruled the roost. As India went into new Lok Sabha Polls, we looked forward to a stable economy and as we elected UPA to power again, the steps taken by the government including the economic stimulus package meant that India was not that affected by recession, even though finding new jobs was difficult that time. B-school placements were heavily affected. GM had to cut its brands to half, Chrysler merged with Fiat SPA, and Tata, which bought JLR last year also faced heavy losses in the beginning. All in all, it was a pretty dull year to begin with. Our automobile industry was noe focusing in luxury segment with multiple launches in the past few months, to be carried over this year also. Common man's launches will be covered later. In the luxury segment:
Skoda launches new laura and superb at superb price tag....
Pissed off by Fortuner grabbing all the headlines, how can segment leader Ford be left behind ?
Will Fiat be third time lucky? The public gave a cautious answer.
2009 is theyear that Honda will want to forget, as a result of its pricing and equipment mix goof ups and blunders.
became one of 2009's biggest hits and a rage amongst the national youth. Some other movies which provided wholesome entertainment were:
New talent in music rises, so does India's first musical show, Sa re ga ma pa,which scored a milestone as the first musical show in the world to complete 1,000 episodes since its inception in 1995. It is also currently the longest running musical reality show in the world. Another show, CID, aired on Sony, reached another milestone when completed its 12th year running. Now, as 2009 draws to a close, 2010 will be a year full of actions and reactions. The competition will hot up like never show as the country will see record launches. Because the story is just the beginning... How will 2010 shape up? And what will be the market dynamics? And what about that promised "big hatchback mayhem"? Find out soon, in the penultimate post, coming up next... Last edited by sidindica : 25th January 2010 at 19:57. |
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25th January 2010, 20:08 | #73 |
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| Totally rocking writeup there Sid. Your language coupled with style and the abundance of information presented makes this thread an immense pleasure to read and come back to. Waiting anxiously for the penultimate post !!!! |
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25th January 2010, 20:11 | #74 |
BANNED | One thing i wanted to tell you, It started of very well justifying the title and later its looking like a typical Hindi News channel - with all masalas and deviating from the headline/given title. |
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25th January 2010, 21:36 | #75 | |
BHPian | Quote:
Sure it's well researched (maybe too well?) and we appreciate the effort (Happy birthday and all that), but couldn't the mods make sure that the content aligns with the title and purpose? The last thing I want to see is an analogy to 3 idiots, or IPL3! | |
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