Chevrolet Beat - 10,000 bookings in just 24 days!

1-Testosterone · 7th February 2010, 22:59

Is it too good to be true?

If it's true, GM might have cracked the code in this segment!
They have done all the things right and can really call the shots by launching Beat Diesel (which I confirmed with a dealer, it's coming within next 6 months) and pricing it aggressively.

viper_711 · 7th February 2010, 23:07

10,000 cars seems to be too good to be true! Good for GM if it is. I am not sure how the production would be geared to clear this kind of a booking number. Any idea about the waiting period committed to customers?
Before I narrowed down to my recent purchase of the Fiesta, I had visited the Chevy dealer and test driven the Beat. Casual conversation indicated a 3 week delivery by the dealer.

vasanthn21 · 7th February 2010, 23:28

thats good news! More success of different manufacturers means less monopoly, more competitive prices, better deals.

MAS · 7th February 2010, 23:48

Wow... That is great going.

Does General Motors offer the same 3 years maintenance free plan for Beat as they have been offering for Spark?

viper_711 · 7th February 2010, 23:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAS

Wow... That is great going.

Does General Motors offer the same 3 years maintenance free plan for Beat as they have been offering for Spark?

Sadly not! I had specifically asked Sundaram GM @ BLR and they said that the scheme does not apply for the Beat.

harishnair · 8th February 2010, 00:31

If the numbers are true, then I suppose GM has done it at last and its no surprise because everything about the Beat was just right be it the styling,equipment or price.

Johnny_ · 8th February 2010, 00:38

Good for General Motors.

FlyingSpur · 8th February 2010, 00:40

...and well deserved, too. I've been a Chevy fan for a while now, and according to me they deserve some success. Especially with the Beat and Cruze. The Beat is my fav hatch right now, especially after years and years of getting SICK of car manufacturers who seduce with concepts and then dole out production versions which look like crap.

Johnny_ · 8th February 2010, 02:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyingspur

...and well deserved, too. I've been a Chevy fan for a while now, and according to me they deserve some success. Especially with the Beat and Cruze. The Beat is my fav hatch right now, especially after years and years of getting SICK of car manufacturers who seduce with concepts and then dole out production versions which look like crap.

Quite true, have to agree with you. Many manufacturers showcase the concepts in the Autoshows, and bring in bland looking cars when they actually launch it. The Beat looks good, seen it in flesh; the interiors are just great. But i personally didn't like the rear end. It looked tiny. Didn't do justice with the macho-looking front.

Mpower · 8th February 2010, 06:36

The flipside is that they could have priced it a little higher and shown a better ROI.

dude131 · 8th February 2010, 08:31

The only bad thing IMO is that GM India's operations are now 50% owned by Chinese firm SIAC. Hope this does not entice them to bring a whole load of cheap Chinese cars with poor safety records.
It surprises me why GM would sell 50% of their shares in the company. They should have rather setup a separate company which partner with the Chinese to bring in the commercial vehicles to rival cars like the Ecko & Ace.

mjothi · 8th February 2010, 09:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by viper_711

Sadly not! I had specifically asked Sundaram GM @ BLR and they said that the scheme does not apply for the Beat.

Surprising. I remember reading in paper that the 3 yrs cashless offer is across all Chevy brands.

Did they went back their statement after seeing the good response of Beat? if so, not a good sign.

aseem · 8th February 2010, 09:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

The flipside is that they could have priced it a little higher and shown a better ROI.

You are *assuming* that they would have been able to sell 10k Beat's in 24 days at a higher price.

Imho the pricing is the factor for this gold rush that Beat has generated. Had GM pricecd the car at 4 lakhs, it wouldnt have many takers. After having driven the car, I find it best car at its price, but price it 20k upwards and it becomes dangerously close to Ritz/Swift and likes. And it would find it tough to survive in that segment given the fact that the K-Series is miles ahead of GM's 1.2 doing rounds in Beat and that Beat is very small boot wise/clausterphobic at the back.

quadmaniac · 8th February 2010, 09:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjothi

Surprising. I remember reading in paper that the 3 yrs cashless offer is across all Chevy brands.

Did they went back their statement after seeing the good response of Beat? if so, not a good sign.

There are apparently two offers. The 3 yrs/100000kms warranty package - this is across all Chevy cars- and is there for the BEAT as well.

The second is the maintenance free program - where your maintenance expense for 3yrs is guaranteed to be Rs 12k or something - and this was there only for the Spark and isn't there for the BEAT.

And yes, the news of 10000 bookings in 24 days is true - I've seen this in Times of India, and Deccan Chronicle here at Hyderabad

_raviShankar_ · 8th February 2010, 09:50

Good for the hatchback wars !
If this trend continues the different car manufacturing companies will have to keep bringing in new deals to keep up with the market. Good signs for the customer.

7th February 2010, 22:59	#1
1-Testosterone BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Amritsar Posts: 388 Thanked: 43 Times View My Garage	Chevrolet Beat - 10,000 bookings in just 24 days! Is it too good to be true? If it's true, GM might have cracked the code in this segment! They have done all the things right and can really call the shots by launching Beat Diesel (which I confirmed with a dealer, it's coming within next 6 months) and pricing it aggressively.
	() Thanks

7th February 2010, 23:07	#2
viper_711 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 366 Thanked: 93 Times View My Garage	10,000 cars seems to be too good to be true! Good for GM if it is. I am not sure how the production would be geared to clear this kind of a booking number. Any idea about the waiting period committed to customers? Before I narrowed down to my recent purchase of the Fiesta, I had visited the Chevy dealer and test driven the Beat. Casual conversation indicated a 3 week delivery by the dealer.
	() Thanks

7th February 2010, 23:28	#3
vasanthn21 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 811 Thanked: 521 Times View My Garage	thats good news! More success of different manufacturers means less monopoly, more competitive prices, better deals.
	() Thanks

7th February 2010, 23:48	#4
MAS Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,940 Thanked: 1,614 Times	Wow... That is great going. Does General Motors offer the same 3 years maintenance free plan for Beat as they have been offering for Spark?
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 00:31	#6
harishnair BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Quilon/ Sharjah Posts: 511 Thanked: 5 Times	If the numbers are true, then I suppose GM has done it at last and its no surprise because everything about the Beat was just right be it the styling,equipment or price.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 00:38	#7
Johnny_ BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surat/Mumbai Posts: 199 Thanked: Once	Good for General Motors.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 00:40	#8
FlyingSpur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 3,934 Thanked: 1,422 Times View My Garage	...and well deserved, too. I've been a Chevy fan for a while now, and according to me they deserve some success. Especially with the Beat and Cruze. The Beat is my fav hatch right now, especially after years and years of getting SICK of car manufacturers who seduce with concepts and then dole out production versions which look like crap.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 06:36	#10
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,409 Thanked: 1,730 Times View My Garage	The flipside is that they could have priced it a little higher and shown a better ROI.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 08:31	#11
dude131 BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Goa / Melbourne Posts: 125 Thanked: Once	The only bad thing IMO is that GM India's operations are now 50% owned by Chinese firm SIAC. Hope this does not entice them to bring a whole load of cheap Chinese cars with poor safety records. It surprises me why GM would sell 50% of their shares in the company. They should have rather setup a separate company which partner with the Chinese to bring in the commercial vehicles to rival cars like the Ecko & Ace.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 09:50	#15
_raviShankar_ BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 149 Thanked: 75 Times	Good for the hatchback wars ! If this trend continues the different car manufacturing companies will have to keep bringing in new deals to keep up with the market. Good signs for the customer.
	() Thanks