[ranc]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

That goes to show the respect Skoda has on indian customers, they won't be doing such blunders in US & UK.

So is this going to be a fortuner killer

This is going to be no fortuner killer, it is in a different class, it is the size of a grand vitara or may be smaller. I have seen it twice and let me tell you, it looks buch,as some of you have mentioned no way it can be compared to a fusion or a hatchback. This will create a whole new segment it seems but then that segment has to be below the Grand Vitara which currently sells at 14-15 Lakhs ex showroom and it is not doing too well. The crux of the story is that if Yeti is launched around 10-12 lakhs it has a chance of doing well but if they want to price it closer to the fortuner I dont think it has any chance of surviving the Indian market. Fortuner is huge so at 18.5 lakhs it doesnt seem to be overpriced but a suv which is close to foot and a half shorter than fortuner and demanding 16 - 17 lakhs is not the right way to go.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by ranc

it is the size of a grand vitara or may be smaller. I have seen it twice and let me tell you, it looks buch,as some of you have mentioned no way it can be compared to a fusion or a hatchback. This will create a whole new segment it seems but then that segment has to be below the Grand Vitara which currently sells at 14-15 Lakhs ex showroom and it is not doing too well. The crux of the story is that if Yeti is launched around 10-12 lakhs it has a chance of doing well but if they want to price it closer to the fortuner I dont think it has any chance of surviving the Indian market.

It is exactly in the class of Grand Vitara, dimensionally. The difference is that, GV has spare mounted on the rear hatch which makes it appear little longer/bigger. If I am not mistaken both have around 400 ltr of luggage space but in case of Yeti, it is with a space saver, and with a full sized wheel the luggage space may be around 350 ltrs (simillar to Fusion!)

[shankar.balan]

In bangalore at these prices ex-showroom for the top end variant in diesel its going to be very expensive by the time it gets on the road. as much as the Fortuner so doesnt look a great value proposition.

however, if they do bring in the absolute top end version at about 16 - 18L on road Bangalore, then it is possible that it will break open the segment yet untapped because there is simply nothing sitting here other than the Tucson which was at around 18 L on road and is anyway not happening at all in terms of sales.

Originally Posted by imp!

There are two variants expected, an Ambiente and an Elegance with L&K level trim. Initially only the diesel will be available, with an expected ex-show room price of 16.5-18 lacs (according to Vinayak Skoda); they are expecting a display car by the end of this month/beginning of next month. Bookings are open, the expected delivery dates in October.

If the car does indeed come in at this price, Skoda would certainly have missed a golden opportunity! Even the guy I spoke to at Vinayak sounded a bit concerned about the pricing he gave me. He did mention 3-4 times "But Sir, we do not have any certain pricing yet. This is just tentative." At this pricing, I just can't fathom how Skoda expects to sell many Yetis !

[ampere]

If as the rumors say Skoda prices on the same lines as Laura, it may work.
That should be a good price line.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

That goes to show the respect Skoda has on indian customers, they won't be doing such blunders in US & UK.

So is this going to be a fortuner killer

You have got to be kidding to take a joke posted by AlokSriva and progress it further. Have Skoda officially announced YETI in the market? No. How do you then take it for the production version and move on to associating that with Skoda's respect for Indian customers, as if they've launched it?

It is simply a show-case display vehicle. Skoda has been having these show-case vehicles at select large showrooms and their new range of Boutique showrooms [I know of 1 in Mumbai]. Simply for prospects and customers to have a Dekho. And what's wrong if it's a LHD vehicle? That's what they sell internationally, and since they still aren't probably ready [production wise, or to reveal to the public] with the RHD, they've got down a LHD version to show to interested parties. I don't see any harm with that, irrespective of the brand.

Fortune killer, it certainly won't be. Unlesss, they price it at about 14L fully loaded, which, again, is extremely doubtful.

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Have Skoda officially announced YETI in the market? No.

Wrong! Please visit ?koda Auto - India

It is simply a show-case display vehicle. Skoda has been having these show-case vehicles at select large showrooms and their new range of Boutique showrooms [I know of 1 in Mumbai]. Simply for prospects and customers to have a Dekho. And what's wrong if it's a LHD vehicle? That's what they sell internationally, and since they still aren't probably ready [production wise, or to reveal to the public] with the RHD, they've got down a LHD version to show to interested parties. I don't see any harm with that, irrespective of the brand.

Well, can M&M, in wildest of its dreams, display any of its RHD vehicles in US dealerships with the same reasoning? You really got to be kidding!
Sure Skoda has been taking Indian market and customers for a jolly good ride for a while now. In case someone disagrees to that, s/he needs to revisit various threads on this very forum on the miseries faced by Skoda's customers!
And having an LHD in Indian showrooms - totally unacceptable! Another testimony to Skoda's dumbness/disrespect of Indian market/customers is
the fact that almost all photographs on their websites are of LHD cars. Don't buy that - have a Dekho for yourself at
Skoda Superb
And it is just not about Superb, for Fabia as well they have displayed LHD pictures at a few places!
Probably the likes of Skoda need to take a lesson or two in adapting to the markets in which they sell!!!

Fortune killer, it certainly won't be. Unlesss, they price it at about 14L fully loaded, which, again, is extremely doubtful.

Phew, at last something on which both of us are on the same page

[GTO]

If the Superb's positioning is anything to go by, the Yeti will be priced well & offer good kit too. I feel its going to click bigtime with the yuppie / urban crowd. The Fortuner & Endeavour are targetting an entirely different class of customer; they are big, brash and very basic. The Yeti, on the other hand, is soft, plush and like a car to drive. It's got a diesel and Euro build quality too. I have a feeling it'll appeal to the same buyer who wants a 15 lakh rupee Laura. The SUV'ish looks are a bonus.

Skoda's shoddy after-sales remains the single largest deterrent.

[kapss]

Originally Posted by GTO

If the Superb's positioning is anything to go by, the Yeti will be priced well & offer good kit too.

If Fabia's positioning is taken into consideration, then you will end up with a different conclusion. In Superb's case, Skoda was fighting off premium brands and hence the pricing. This is a different territory where Skoda is seen as a premium brand. So the pricing might follow the Fabia example rather then Superb's.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by kapss

In Superb's case, Skoda was fighting off premium brands and hence the pricing.

The Superb competes with cars from Honda, Toyota, VW and Hyundai. The Yeti, also, will compete (directly / indirectly) with the same brands...brands that account for a mega chunk of the 10 - 17 lakh segment. Plus, its easier to price a premium car well than a small car.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Yeti, also, will compete (directly / indirectly) with the same brands...brands that account for a mega chunk of the 10 - 17 lakh segment.

General perception is that Yeti is going to open up a new segment of SUVs (priced at around 15 Lakhs or so). Only M&M and Tata are seen to be targeting this segment at the moment. Endeavour and Fortuner are one step above, and may not be direct competitors. Hyundai and Honda are still taking the CBU route. (Assuming that a buyer interested in a sedan's executive look may not consider a SUV.)

Given the above, it is possible that Skoda lures itself into thinking that they are the premium manufacturer vis-a-vis Mahindra/Tata. An arrogant pricing can still result from such thinking.

In case of Superb, competition was more direct, and Skoda was the underdog. Hence the aggressive pricing?

I have a feeling that pricing of Yeti is going to be extremely crucial for Skoda India. If they make a mistake here, Skoda India may take a severe beating considering a diesel Altis is in the pipeline.

[Axe77]

I think only time will tell what the final pricing is but (at least for me personally) a top of the line well kitted 4x4 with 2 ltr 140 bhp engine should not cost more than 16L on road for it to be considered well priced. A base version could perhaps be in the region of 12 - 13 lakhs on road. I hope they have suitable A/T options as well - it would be useful in their target customer profile.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sbraj

Given the above, it is possible that Skoda lures itself into thinking that they are the premium manufacturer vis-a-vis Mahindra/Tata. An arrogant pricing can still result from such thinking.

I have a feeling that pricing of Yeti is going to be extremely crucial for Skoda India. If they make a mistake here, Skoda India may take a severe beating considering a diesel Altis is in the pipeline.

==========
I think that Skoda certainly enjoys some amount of premium over Mahindra and Tata. Skoda certainly scores in terms of Fit, finish, quality, badge value, trims and accessories and technology.

Yes this is a fair point in ref pricing strategy being crucial for Skoda India.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by GTO

If the Superb's positioning is anything to go by, the Yeti will be priced well & offer good kit too. I feel its going to click bigtime with the yuppie / urban crowd. The Fortuner & Endeavour are targetting an entirely different class of customer; they are big, brash and very basic. The Yeti, on the other hand, is soft, plush and like a car to drive. It's got a diesel and Euro build quality too. I have a feeling it'll appeal to the same buyer who wants a 15 lakh rupee Laura. The SUV'ish looks are a bonus.

Skoda's shoddy after-sales remains the single largest deterrent.

The Yeti will be a wonderful option for those opting for CRV, GV, Captiva. It has all what it requires for repeating Superb's story in this segment. But, it needs good support from Skoda A.S.S. in the long run.

And yes Fortuner & Endeavour are totally different vehicles & there would be little impact, at the most.

[ampere]

Not sure when we will see India manufactured Yetis/Captive etc. Thats when prices come down. Again having said before 16L OTR would be really good, but Skoda may not price it that way.

Considering the Wow factor, the vehicle has already generated, Skoda may get carried away to think that even if they price it high, it will find takers.

[kapss]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Superb competes with cars from Honda, Toyota, VW and Hyundai

It competes with Honda/Hyundai/Toyota brigade because of the pricing. Feature wise it competes with the E Class and the 5 series. Are you not getting confused with the chicken and egg problem. Skoda knows that it cannot compete with the beemers and the mercs and hence it priced the car so. Anyone going for a full luxury car would not consider a Skoda without the pricing that Superb carries.
With Yeti the segment is a different one with no premium ness to the car. Its a modern practical crossover, like others from Honda, Chervolet and Hyundai. Amongst these, Skoda trails no one in the premium ness of the brand (here in India). Hence, if it undercuts Hondas and Toyotas by a couple of lakhs, Skoda might be tempted to think that it can still upturn the current order.
This and past history gives me no reason to believe that Yeti will be priced competitively.
Not unless the pseudo SUVs from Honda and Chevrolet see a price correction.
Though the day maybe near when X Trail goes the CKD route (as announced by Carlos Ghosn).