[arnabchak]

1)Manza is Tata's product after a lot of R&D that happened in simultaneous sync with the $2000 Nano project.
It is heartening to see that the sales of this car seems on the run.

2) Jazz as expected bombed. I personally checked out the car a couple of days back and still could not figure why this should have a Rs 8+ lacs price tag. Honda image north withstanding.

3) If Punto doesn't make it in the first two quarters, it wouldn't make it later. Agree with GTO completely for this point. But sad to see that the car didnt make it the way it should have. FIAT should have seriously done a good QC on this car and its success for the company was imperative.

4) Was surprised to see that Hyundai loses out its No. 2 spot.

5) Cruze is selling well. Contrary to many, it outsells the Civic.

6) Honda now just has the City as its segment leader. Civic, Accord and even the capable CRV are all laggards now.

7) Inspite of the negative feedback of customers, Skoda continues its run positively. The Superb is an extremely well built and capable car. the good run shows that.

8) Mitsubushi should now be kicked out with a " Quit India" movement. Are they any serious for this market? No show at the Auto Expo and the high handedness of its Senior Executives stating " Mitsubishi does nit need expos to sell" have clearly backfired.

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Money is objective but value is subjective. Value incl. not only the hard cash but also the intangibles. A Rs. 300 watch also gives the time as a super-expensive Rs. 1 cr+ watch.

Although Jazz may look expensive to many, for many it is VFM.
I think I read in my management school that high price+high quality is as value for money as low price+lesser quality. Low quality+high price is a rip off, and the reverse is a steal.

I consider VFM to be subjective.

Bang on, I have always said VFM is highly subjective.

What VFM for me could be cheap for some & expensive for some other.

But yes in cars we can roughly categorize a car VFM or non VFM for a section of society.

[_raviShankar_]

Great report.
Good to see the TATAs do good with the MANZA. GM will get better thanks to Beat and Cruze (two good ones) with the foundation laid by Spark.

[nishant_242]

It is good to see the manza do very well. It really is the best car in its class and price range. It has already been recoganised by all major car magazines, and good to see the customers are recoganising the same.
The cruze is also doing good but can do much better. It is really very good car and much better than the civic any day, which has now become old and needs a major facelift/replacement.

[misquitas]

Going by the figures provided by GTO/Vasudeva, shouldn't Tata be claiming -- and advertising -- that it is now the second largest car manufacturer in the country? Hitherto, this claim was being made by Hyundai.

By the way, what were the sales of the Alto for the month of January? Being an Alto owner, I'm keen to know the sales figures.

[Amartya]

Thank you GTO and Vasudeva, the sales figures thread was waiting for the detailed numbers.

It is heartening to see that Tata Motors has risen to the 2nd spot, more so because it is not purely because of the Nano, the Manza seems to have struck a chord. The Indica Vista is doing fine in my opinion, it's responsibility was to create an image of Tata being more than a cheap diesel powered car manufacturer. It also paved the way for the Manza to be taken seriously by the private car buyer. I think the marketing folks did their jobs well, the Indigo XL has catered to the Taxi segment.

I am also very happy about the Fiat's results. Although the numbers might seem very low, specially for the Punto, I believe that a change in customer perception can happen slowly and only by putting more cars on the road and backing it up by good service. Since it seems that Fiat is in it for the long run, when the market starts accepting Fiat as an option (that is yet to happen), the sales are bound to go up. Constant product upgrades are also imperative and they seem to have it lined up (Interior updates, T-jet and the Punto VGT).


Again, I would like to point out that we should look at the Tata-Fiat venture as a whole, and that does seem to paint a rosy picture.

[SunilM]

Excellent Report GTO and Vasudeva!

Great to see Manza selling in good numbers. This car deserves it. Chevy Cruize was also a pleasant surprise, if only they can launch their petrol version with an auto tranny, their sales will definately zoom IMO. There is a large population like me who drive too little to justify a diesel and would go with hassle free petrol instead!

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Money is objective but value is subjective. Value incl. not only the hard cash but also the intangibles. A Rs. 300 watch also gives the time as a super-expensive Rs. 1 cr+ watch.

Although Jazz may look expensive to many, for many it is VFM.
I think I read in my management school that high price+high quality is as value for money as low price+lesser quality. Low quality+high price is a rip off, and the reverse is a steal.

I consider VFM to be subjective.

+1 to that, Vasudeva.

I was praying for Jazz to succeed. It is an well made quality car and if it fails, India's image as a cheap car dumping ground for the world will be re-affirmed. Honda needs to be applauded for at least trying to offer us this car - I can only hope India is ready for it one day. At least Honda did not play a joke like Etios with India in the name of VFM

[FlyingSpur]

I assume the 3's numbers over the C are due to the Corporate edition. Still, this way or that, it's refreshing news.

[SmartCat]

I have personal interest in Tata Motors and GM doing well. Tata Motors - because I admire that company. And GM - because I own a Chevrolet.

I'm hoping that higher sales numbers will increase the count of number of GM dealers. That's the only way I can escape from the tyranny of Sundaram Motors, Bangalore.

Ford's problem is - they have a bunch of idiots running the show. No car in their lineup has steering mounted audio controls (not even the Endeavour). Fiesta, Ikon, Fusion - none of them have airbags.

[nickatnite]

GM is the sure winner in January and they deserve the boost. I only hope they bring in the Malibu to compete against the Accord , Camry etc. Hyundai needs to introduce a new model this year and FIAT should redesign the Punto interior if it wants to see a spurt in sales. One look at the dreary dash and there goes the sale out the showroom window. Nice report and review. For a country India's size monthly sale should average 250,000 or more and i'm sure we shall see these sales numbers in the coming months.

[mkh]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

Manza is just amazing. T this rate i wont be surprised if it overtakes Dzire as the top selling Sedan. And it deserves to be too!

Lineas are back to 1000 per month after a 2 month gap.

There were talks of 10000 Beats - why is that not reflected in GM's sales? I must say with 6K= in hatchback segment, and Cruze - GM is doing pretty good in India now.

Superb's continuing to outsell Accords.

100% correct- i wish and had predicted the same, Manza will most likely be a big hit for 2010!!! Dezire is really a overhyped car- has literally no competition hence njoying a dream run...if 1-2 more offerings come in the sub 7 lacs price bracket as sedans, the waiting periods of dezire may reduce to zippo in a jiffy...the consumer needs to get more choices in this price bracket..
GM is a lesson for many to learn from...they are truly a never say die company!!! congrats to the CEO and the entire team..

[shortbread]

The Manza has done really well for Tata, especially considering the forgettable last few months. But one has to judge its sales performance over the long run after the 'new car' factor runs out.
Once the Nano production goes full swing and new introductions like the Aria and Venture, volumes should see a major jump for the premier Indian car maker.
But they are quickly loosing footing in the small car segments. The Vista deserves to sell a lot more than it presently does, Tata needs to package and market it better, perhaps slowly removing the 'Indica' tag and a strong marketing campaign to improve its image.
The classic Indica can do with a good face lift,Tata needs a lesson from Maruti's school of thought as to how to juice out sales from ageing cars.

[swiftnfurious]

Thanks GTO & Vasudeva! I was dying for this report for the last 2 months! I was eagerly looking forward to know how Cruze, Punto & Manza have been doing. and this extends to beat now! I am really happy for Tata & GM. They learnt the market and are doing the right things. Hope they really turn around the market with new products and set new benchmarks!

[safari_lover]

Thanks for the analysis GTO & Vasudeva.

Good to see TaMo back at 2nd spot. The difference between TaMo and Hyundai will only increase with the increased production numbers for Nano. With the impending launch of Aria and Venture, I see TaMo doing 50K plus units by 2010 end.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

There were talks of 10000 Beats - why is that not reflected in GM's sales?

10K only booked and, I believe, the number includes some February dates.

Originally Posted by vasudeva

I think I read in my management school that high price+high quality is as value for money

Well said. However, for the Jazz:

1. The i20 is equally high quality and cheaper too.

2. The Jazz doesn't even have a parcel tray or alloy wheels! Compare that to the 1.25 lakh rupee cheaper i20 that has amenities to match a 20 lakh sedan.

Originally Posted by arnabchak

6) Honda now just has the City as its segment leader. Civic, Accord and even the capable CRV are all laggards now.

While the Civic & Accord may not be segment leaders, they certainly aren't "laggards". The Accord sold 280 cars, and the Civic 600 odd. An Optra can be termed as a laggard, but certainly not a car that is selling in respectable numbers (irrespective of whether its a segment leader or not).

Originally Posted by misquitas

Going by the figures provided by GTO/Vasudeva, shouldn't Tata be claiming -- and advertising -- that it is now the second largest car manufacturer in the country? Hitherto, this claim was being made by Hyundai.

Me thinks Tata wouldn't celebrate being No. 2. If you ask me, the only number that's worth celebrating is No.1

Originally Posted by flyingspur

I assume the 3's numbers over the C are due to the Corporate edition. Still, this way or that, it's refreshing news.

Good point, flyingspur. It is indeed the corporate ed that has taken the 3 series to leadership in the segment.