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Old 14th February 2010, 20:08   #16
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A person who is late 50s does not dress like one in his early 20s. So can they drive the same cars. After all, car is an extension of your personality.


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I'm not sure if stylish is the word I'd use but a car can be too loud in terms of looks. The Beat is a prime example of a car that shouts its presence. Some may not like that and may prefer understated elegance
Loud suggests poor taste...and that's not what I'm implying. Beat is styled superbly, its cutting edge, funky and futuristic.

The type2 Scorpio..is what I call Loud! (...runs for cover)
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Old 14th February 2010, 20:36   #17
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I think that style matters alot to the indian buyer. A clear indicator of that is the commercial fate of The Mahindra Renault Logan, Peugot 309, Lancer Cedia and Opel Corsa in India.

Another thing to note is that the definition of style changes with age. So, while at the age 25-30 most people would love a racy looking car, by age 35 they would prefer elegance over outright sporty style.

Mapping that to afforability (and affordability increases with age) , you will find the the more "sporty stylish" cars are in the upto 15 lakhs segment, while anything priced more than that is more "elegant".

Im sure there are exceptions, but the theory holds good for the majority
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Old 14th February 2010, 20:37   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpower View Post

Loud suggests poor taste...and that's not what I'm implying. Beat is styled superbly, its cutting edge, funky and futuristic.
Hehe I find the Beat a bit too loud. To be honest, I really don't like its looks. To each his own I guess.
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Old 14th February 2010, 21:20   #19
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A difficult question to answer because it all comes down to personal tastes and semantics.

If you ask me for my personal opinion on a car in the market, then, No, because I either like a car's design or I don't. I might not like a car because it is outdated, too quirky, loud etc. But not because it's too stylish because style by definition is good.
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Old 14th February 2010, 22:23   #20
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Cars like the Swift and Civic cannot be termed as too stylish.They have a sweet mix of style and class,with a little bit of funkiness to boot! Most people like that,and find it quite refreshing and pleasing to the eye.So they sell like hot cakes even today!

The Beat on the other hand is all funk! While that might be stylistically good,but if most people don't digest it,that particular characteristic might just cause it to dig its own grave! I like the sharp funkiness of the Beat,but not the design.Its too front heavy and looks a tad ungainly !
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Old 15th February 2010, 01:18   #21
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To each their own taste and preference and thankfully cars too mirror the same. What i bemoan is the lack of affordable sports cars in the Indian market. Why does everything have to be practical and have four doors?.
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Old 15th February 2010, 16:50   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpower View Post
Lot of people reject buying a particular car because it looks dull..ie for 'lack of style'.

After the Civic and the Chevy Beat came out ,I see people rejecting it because it was too stylish !!!!

So, generally speaking ..can a car be too stylish for someone's tastes? (like clothes for instance). Thoughts, opinions, examples?
Actually its a matter of getting used too. I remember when Swift came along ppl used to say its like a frog and what not and crave about the looks of Getz. After a couple of years Swift grew on them and Getz became dated and plane jane.
With Beat its not the style thats putting ppl off, but its the lack of practicality, space, less glass area, low seating and average engine thats putting ppl off. Having said that, 10 k bookings in 2 months, I am sure they are many who are falling head over heels on it.
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Old 15th February 2010, 19:21   #23
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Today's hatchbacks are getting uglier day by day, with "big headlights on a small car" look.

I prefer simple no frills design light hatches with turbo engines, something like this:
Attached Thumbnails
Can a car be rejected by potential buyers for being too 'stylish, hip & futuristic'?-1984hondacityturboii.jpg  

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Old 15th February 2010, 23:19   #24
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Can't imagine that a Grande Punto can be "too Stylish" for anyone's taste!

IMO Grand Punto is the most stylish car in the Indian Market.

So is beautiful = stylish or is it something else?
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Old 16th February 2010, 00:56   #25
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Quote:
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Can't imagine that a Grande Punto can be "too Stylish" for anyone's taste!
Try to picture your doodhwala in his dhoti riding a Yamaha R1 and you will get what I mean.
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Old 16th February 2010, 02:00   #26
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From many observations, its clear that in Indian context, style is the second most important factor, next to price..., in the buying process.

Style differentiates cars one another. Take the case of Nano. Why most people refer a Nano to Maruti 800?

Any cars styled properly can be a success in India.

Last edited by sunil8089 : 16th February 2010 at 02:02.
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Old 16th February 2010, 02:53   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sidindica View Post
Today's hatchbacks are getting uglier day by day, with "big headlights on a small car" look.

I prefer simple no frills design light hatches with turbo engines, something like this:
No offence SID but that is one ugly little monstrosity. Looks like a maruti800 high on grass with a steroid overdosed body thinking it is a musclecar.

Well guys consider this . If Saif Ali Khan wore blue jeans ,red keds and a purple shirt with 2 buttons open everyone would call him trendy and stylish . If the same was worn by Rajinikant , his fans would call him stylish but most others would term him as loud and without taste . So there is more at play here than mere looks.

Taking MPOWER's example of the doodwala and an R1, no one in his right mind would call an R1 "loud" in its design but when ridden by a doodwala it becomes one. So "style" also depends on the person wearing the clothes or in other words the person driving the car. Does it mean then , no doodwala is allowed to buy a R1 even if he had the money? .
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Old 16th February 2010, 07:38   #28
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In the case of i20 , Its stylish, a real premium vehicle inside out, and having more road presence with that wider looks. Style do matter if its neatly done.
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Old 16th February 2010, 07:40   #29
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The times and the tastes of people change and the styles too in the same vein and most companies follow this trend but there are some who define this trend and they are a class apart.
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Old 16th February 2010, 09:33   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sidindica View Post
Today's hatchbacks are getting uglier day by day, with "big headlights on a small car" look.

I prefer simple no frills design light hatches with turbo engines, something like this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpower View Post
Try to picture your doodhwala in his dhoti riding a Yamaha R1 and you will get what I mean.
I did see that type of a person riding a suzuki m1800 intruder at Chattarpur, Delhi.

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Originally Posted by -NUT-case View Post
No offence SID but that is one ugly little monstrosity. Looks like a maruti800 high on grass with a steroid overdosed body thinking it is a musclecar.
OK, believe it or not, that gold car is a 1986 Honda City 1.3 105 bhp CVCC turbo, first generation model. Stock as it came out from factory.
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