[DKG]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

if you had decided to build your camper on a Xenon or Getaway rather than a 207, that would have been a lifestyle vehicle?

Yes considering both Getaway and Xenon are promoted as lifestyle products the camper would only reinforce that outlook

[mohan]

Well said and succinctly put Soumya.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by mohan

the meaning of life-style
A lifestyle is a means of forging a sense of self and to create cultural/social symbols that resonate with personal identity.

• This personal identity may be the real one which the individual is living with

• It could be the one which the individual wants to live as.

Not all aspects of a lifestyle are entirely voluntaristic. Surrounding social and technical systems can constrain the lifestyle choices available to the individual and the symbols she/he is able to project to others and the self.

I bought the GURKHA as an off-roader
...the TATA Safari/Xenon , 4WD Scorpio, Fortuner,Endeavour. However none could suit what I wanted excepting the "Gurkha".

• Hence for me "GURKHA IS A LIFE-STYLE VEHICLE". It reflects my taste,my hobbies and you could tell my personality form the vehicle I use.
• I also own a Mercedes and a NIssan but I hardly relate myself with these vehicles.

LIFESTYLE VEHICLES ARE THOSE VEHICLES THROUGH WHICH YOU WOULD WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW YOUR PERSONALITY.

Excellent analysis - or should I say, psychoanalysis! So now we know WHY a person chooses a vehicle which may be classified as an LSV.
And you are one person who uses a no-frills off-roader off the road in reality, and calls it an LSV (the co. never positioned this product in the market as an LSV at all IMHO).

Dumb question: Do you think all the OTR people in the various cities of India consider their Gypsys, CJs, MM5xxs etc. to be LSVs? I wonder if khan_sultan considers his super-modded Gypsy to be an LSV (khan_sultan, please respond...)

Originally Posted by v12

1. Have a good music and entertainment system ...
2. ...tables and a refrigerator so you can eat / drink anytime on the move...
3. ...to sleep ...and stand...
A DC-Designed bus would be the ultimate lifestyle vehicle for me. Anyways thats my view on a life-style vehicle.

The ultimate LSV - a motorhome, with kitchen, chemical toilet, beds, TV and music... We talked about this earlier. Right. Not one that's easily seen in India, and in all my years of road travel across the country, not a single one that I've personally seen. I'm sure there are enough folks in this country who can afford one, and want to use one. Why, then, aren't these visible at all???

Originally Posted by genesis

Bang on Mohan.

Originally Posted by genesis

Innova and a humble orange 2002 Palio lovingly brought back from almost dead. CJ3B on the way

The innova is used for all long distance/off the beaten path trips which is an integral part of my lifestyle but somehow I dont consider it a lifestyle vehicle. ... (Interestingly it also echoes sudev, dkg, hvk. I think the age group factor is also at play here. )

You mean people over 40 tend to get more practical, hang up their dreams on a hook on the bedroom door, and accept what they've got as reality? As mohan says,

the symbols she/he is able to project to others

is not an essential part of day-to-day living any more?

Originally Posted by genesis

However the CJ3B to me is clearly a lifestyle vehicle. It resonates with off the beaten path.

Can psychoanalysis reveal a mid-life crisis in your purchase decision of a CJ3B rather than the Palio? Yes, absolutely. The CJ would fit in as your LSV, since you want to pursue your new-found interest in off-roading on weekends. I guess Tejas's Classic also fits that frame equally neatly. So also (probably) would everyone else's 4WD vehicles, who only take them off-roading. Only exception yet: sudev. But he takes his to the mall too.
Samurai, which would you consider your LSV? The GV or the MM, or both? Or neither? Why?
4x4addict, where does your Scorpio 4WD fit in?

Originally Posted by genesis

The palio ...To me it is a lifestyle vehicle since (other than midlife crisis!) it 'hopefully' projects my love for autos, gives me something to tinker with occasionally and may project to people in my surroundings that I am different.

A Palio?? I thought a classic car would fit the bill more exactly? Maybe a Fiat 1100...

Originally Posted by genesis

...I dont want to be perceived as a auto freak but an enthusiast. I consider it a lifestyle vehicle for me.

But... and it's a big but!... an auto freak/enthusiast's car cannot / should not be an LSV - it should be termed as a "passion vehicle" or "hobby vehicle". I am inclined to classify BD's Fiats as PV/HVs. So also your Palio. What do you think?

In this case the lifestyle vehicle is anti regular lifestyle statement.

Something like the gentleman wanting to buy an Omni as an LSV?

Originally Posted by genesis

Someone with any combination like below.
Money/Passion, Passion/Skill, Passion/Resources
Money/Aspiration, Money/Poser Value, Money

In India, specifically, the impression we are getting on my question (A) above seems to be that the person is usually one with <<Category 1: Money/Aspiration, Money/Poser Value, Money>> and not one with <<Category 2: Money/Passion, Passion/Skill, Passion/Resources>>. Category 1 buyers are the ones targeted by auto cos. to sell readymade LSVs - Category 2 builds LSVs on their own, and jump straight into the category that is the target of my question (D) ...

why doesn't the person who uses such a vehicle for recreational purposes heavily, declare it to be his LSV?

Correct me if I'm wrong here.

Originally Posted by DKG

Yes considering both Getaway and Xenon are promoted as lifestyle products the camper would only reinforce that outlook

So you specifically avoided buying something that might mark you as a "lifestyle product user"? In other words, is it that you did not want to be labelled as what I am going to call "a category 1 LSV user" as per the discussion above?

Or did you consider the Getaway / Xenon to not meet your requirements, as mohan explained regarding his choice of the Gurkha?

[DKG]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

So you specifically avoided buying something that might mark you as a "lifestyle product user"? In other words, is it that you did not want to be labelled as what I am going to call "a category 1 LSV user" as per the discussion above?

Or did you consider the Getaway / Xenon to not meet your requirements, as mohan explained regarding his choice of the Gurkha?

I have no issue buying something that gets promoted as a lifestyle vehicle.

Actually when I bought the 207 in June 2007 neither the Getaway nor the Xenon was out. I found the TL too underpowered and hence opted for the 207 more for its utility

I like 4x4 pickup trucks. The Xenon is a good option now should I want to replace the 207, only problem being they won't have a bed as large as the 207

[Samurai]

For me lifestyle vehicle is something that represents my lifestyle... Duh!

In other words, some marketing whizkid doesn't decide what is a lifestyle vehicle. It is us who make it, by the way we use it.

1) Originally I didn't buy GV as my lifestyle vehicle. I bought it to deal with the bad roads of my area. But then I discovered I can do lot more. When I use it to drive to places most people don't go, can't go, it becomes my lifestyle vehicle.

Is this a lifestyle vehicle or not?



2) I bought the Jeep purely for a hobby, I really didn't need it for any practical purpose. So it is a lifestyle vehicle for me. But none of the earlier owners treated it like a lifestyle vehicle, for them it was a work horse. Again it is the usage that makes it a lifestyle vehicle or not.

[sbraj]

IMHO, two categories are seen.

1. Vehicles that are marketed as LSVs, and bought by those aspiring for such lifestyle.

2. Vehicles that are used by owners for their needs, and thus blends to become their lifestyle.

First category is outward looking, and a size-able number of folks buy based such considerations.

Second category is inward looking. Such folks would not care much whether they/their vehicle is perceived as lifestyle by others.


I use my Getz for city, office, highway, hills, beaches ... wherever it, with its limitations, can take me.

My second car is going to a reachable SUV to augment my current car.

I am considering from Bolero to Scorpio to GV to Fortuner to Outlander. I would not bother much whether me/my cars are being perceived as so and so by others. Then it gets too complicated for me. All I will be looking for is my needs and the car. After all, this is my life, and my lifestyle.

[DKG]

Originally Posted by Samurai

some marketing whizkid doesn't decide what is a lifestyle vehicle. It is us who make it, by the way we use it.

By your logic then my Tata 207 should be a lifestyle product as I use it like you do your GV. It has done everything but lug commercial cargo in the three years its been with me. Its mostly used offroad lugging camping equipment or RC cars !

I doubt anyone will buy that logic Sharath.

When you are talking generically across a market a lifestyle product or brand is one which is promoted so by its manufacturer. So marketing whizkids "do" decide what gets plugged as a lifestyle brand not the general public. BTW its another story that the general public may not buy the marketing spiel and dump the product like what happened to the Ford Fusion in India

A classis example of how a well thought out marketing program has turned a product into a lifestyle product is Nike. Their consistent positioning of the product as closely related to leading an athletic life style has paid off for them. Now people associate Nike shoes with a athletic lifestyle and using the shoes is more of a statement for many.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by DKG

By your logic then my Tata 207 should be a lifestyle product as I use it like you do your GV. It has done everything but lug commercial cargo in the three years its been with me. Its mostly used offroad lugging camping equipment or RC cars !

I doubt anyone will buy that logic Sharath.

In India, it is the market that decides which is a lifestyle vehicle. None of the car makers have been able to create a lifestyle vehicle by design. It always happened by accident. Did M&M ever think Scorpio will become the dadagiri/power vehicle favoured by politicians? No, they didn't. While the by-design lifestyle vehicles like Getaway and Xenon have failed to take off.

In the 80s, a Maruti 800 could have been considered a lifestyle vehicle because so few had it and used flaunt it. And they didn't have to leave the road.

Originally Posted by DKG

When you are talking generically across a market a lifestyle product or brand is one which is promoted so by its manufacturer. So marketing whizkids "do" decide what gets plugged as a lifestyle brand not the general public.

The so called marketing whizkids in India get it right only when their hunch is based on numbers, that is mass market cars. In segments where people prefer FE, diesel, low-cost, snob value, etc., the marketing whizkids can depends on numbers and excel sheets and make decisions with better odds. But when it comes to designing a lifestyle vehicle, the whizkids start wheezing and start throwing dices or toss coins to make their decision. I mean, how would they know what people want in segments that don't have any significant numbers? Not unless they have lived life in that lifestyle.

Originally Posted by DKG

A classis example of how a well thought out marketing program has turned a product into a lifestyle product is Nike. Their consistent positioning of the product as closely related to leading an athletic life style has paid off for them. Now people associate Nike shoes with a athletic lifestyle and using the shoes is more of a statement for many.

When the marketing whizkids of Indian car makers start living the lifestyle of the segment they target, then they will have better luck.

[DKG]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Did M&M ever think Scorpio will become the dadagiri/power vehicle favoured by politicians? No, they didn't.

Their ads launching the vehicle had helicopters being set aside for a drive in a Scorpio ! The hint was that this was a vehicle for Suave, successful, beautiful people who prefer it over a sedan. Ofcourse they wanted the vehicle to have a high aspirational value. From day one the Scorpio was sold as a lifestyle product and it worked for them.

[BurningHeart]

Originally Posted by clevermax

Scorpio Getaway

This is the lifestyle of the lone Scorpio Getaway in ITPL, Bangalore. Ferrying rice bags!!

BH.

[RajaTaurus]

After reading 4 pages of posts, I am as confused as I was when I read the title. What is a Life Style Vehicle and What is a Status Vehicle?

Let me try my hand in defining these two terms:
A vehicle that reflects the lifestyle of the person who owns it / drives it / rides it.?
Ok, then what is Status vehicle?

Well Let me give a phoren example here:
In Saudi Arabia, as you all know people wear dish-dashas in same color and with the same red/white headgear cloth on their head. Not much one can make out from the way they dress about their 'lifestyle' or 'status.

So, when a Saudi mid-aged man comes in
- a Mecedez Benz, He is a business man.
- a BMW - He is a professional (Engineer / doctor / others)
- a Lexus - a Government Official
Well, in general, that is how the car they drive reflects their lifestyle.

Now, If he comes in a BMW 3 series, perhaps he is not as rich as a man drives BMW 7 Series. So, among the same group of people, it becomes as a Status symbol, while among common people it is Life Style Vehicle.
Now, in India too someone can classify the cars being driven based on the makes?

Scorpio: Mid size dadas
Pajero: Politician (Now being replaced by Fortuner)
Honda City: Self driving salaried executive
Ford Fiesta: Self driving sports car enthu.
Tata Indica: Cab or private cab.
Innova: Cab operator or owned by person with big family.
Cedia: Self driving Sports car maniac.
Swift: Self driving young executive's first car.
SX4: Self driving slightly aged executive's second car.

Guys, please don't come after me on the authority of this classification, as this is purely my personal observation. I am only trying to understand better the topic's essence. May be I am completely tangential to the topic starters thoughts. Please feel free to rip it off as you like.

[sbraj]

I think these are two fundamentally different view points, as I said in my post earlier.

One view point is looking at the product from how it is being marketed while the other is looking at it from how it is being used. Not sure whether these view points can converge. Because marketing ends when the vehicle is bought and starts getting used.

Originally Posted by DKG

Their ads launching the vehicle had helicopters being set aside for a drive in a Scorpio ! The hint was that this was a vehicle for Suave, successful, beautiful people who prefer it over a sedan. Ofcourse they wanted the vehicle to have a high aspirational value. From day one the Scorpio was sold as a lifestyle product and it worked for them.

Originally Posted by BurningHeart

This is the lifestyle of the lone Scorpio Getaway in ITPL, Bangalore. Ferrying rice bags!!.

Scorpio is marketed as a lifestyle product with aspirational value. May be, by some stretch of imagination, ferrying rice bags may be aspirational(?). But I see scores of Scorpios being run as taxis. That to me is neither aspirational nor lifestyle.

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

What is a Life Style Vehicle and What is a Status Vehicle?
...
So, when a Saudi mid-aged man comes in
- a Mecedez Benz, He is a business man.
- a BMW - He is a professional (Engineer / doctor / others)
- a Lexus - a Government Official
Well, in general, that is how the car they drive reflects their lifestyle.

I think this classification is purely based on status and purchasing power, and not entirely reflecting the lifestyle.

Lifestyle is the way a person lives.

Vehicles marketed as LSVs are those vehicles through which one would want people to know the projected lives. Like owning a vehicle advertised as off-roader. People may (not) be using the vehicle for off-roading, but would project an image of off-roader to others. When the same vehicle starts getting used for ferrying rice, the projection blurs. Hence I think it is the usage of the vehicle that decides whether it is LSV or not.

Originally Posted by Samurai

it is the market that decides which is a lifestyle vehicle.

[SS-Traveller]

Great! The confusion continues...

Originally Posted by DKG

I like 4x4 pickup trucks. The Xenon is a good option now should I want to replace the 207, only problem being they won't have a bed as large as the 207

We are gradually coming to one small conclusion: Among the many types of LSVs that we can talk about, a 4x4 pickup truck, preferably with dual cabin, can definitely be considered an LSV. Unless...

Originally Posted by BurningHeart

This is the lifestyle of the lone Scorpio Getaway in ITPL, Bangalore. Ferrying rice bags!!

Originally Posted by Samurai

For me lifestyle vehicle is something that represents my lifestyle... Duh!

In other words, some marketing whizkid doesn't decide what is a lifestyle vehicle. It is us who make it, by the way we use it.

1) Originally I didn't buy GV as my lifestyle vehicle. I bought it to deal with the bad roads of my area. But then I discovered I can do lot more. When I use it to drive to places most people don't go, can't go, it becomes my lifestyle vehicle.

Is this a lifestyle vehicle or not?



2) I bought the Jeep purely for a hobby, I really didn't need it for any practical purpose. So it is a lifestyle vehicle for me. ... Again it is the usage that makes it a lifestyle vehicle or not.

OT, but wow! Whatta pic! Would you mind taking me to this track - I presume it's around Manipal - when we meet?

One more conclusion: 4x4 vehicles, from GVs to CJs, are usually LSVs, unless...

Originally Posted by Samurai

...owners treated it like ...a work horse.

Originally Posted by sbraj

I use my Getz for city, office, highway, hills, beaches ... wherever it, with its limitations, can take me.

My second car is going to a reachable SUV to augment my current car.

I am considering from Bolero to Scorpio to GV to Fortuner to Outlander.

Right. So LSVs have their limitations - the budget (affordability), for example, which compromises how much the car can deliver vis-a-vis the lifestyle demands of its owner. And SUVs - pretty much all of them, except maybe a Sumo , are possibly considered as LSVs.

Originally Posted by DKG

By your logic then my Tata 207 should be a lifestyle product as I use it like you do your GV.
I doubt anyone will buy that logic Sharath.

When you are talking generically across a market a lifestyle product or brand is one which is promoted so by its manufacturer. So marketing whizkids "do" decide what gets plugged as a lifestyle brand not the general public. BTW its another story that the general public may not buy the marketing spiel and dump the product like what happened to the Ford Fusion in India.

You know what, Deepak? I'm buying Sharath's argument... Your camper is a regular vehicle underneath - the public looks at it in its original form as a goods carrier. But the minute you bring it out as a modded version to suit your purposes, I think it graduates into becoming an LSV. It is not a readymade LSv, but a custom-made one. Much like a DC-designed motorhome on a Leyland chassis. Except, yours isn't a DC design, it's a DKG design.

Originally Posted by Samurai

In India, it is the market that decides which is a lifestyle vehicle. None of the car makers have been able to create a lifestyle vehicle by design. It always happened by accident.

In the 80s, a Maruti 800 could have been considered a lifestyle vehicle because so few had it and used flaunt it. And they didn't have to leave the road.

I think we can safely conclude, then, that a vehicle with flaunt value (what I've been calling an SOV or "ishtyle" vehicle till now) is again considered an LSV - at least by its owner.

Originally Posted by Samurai

...when it comes to designing a lifestyle vehicle, the whizkids start wheezing and start throwing dices or toss coins to make their decision. I mean, how would they know what people want in segments that don't have any significant numbers? Not unless they have lived life in that lifestyle.
When the marketing whizkids of Indian car makers start living the lifestyle of the segment they target, then they will have better luck.

LOL... They just might brush up their act on reading this thread! Here's hoping someone out there reads this and gives us in India the LSVs we need, not the ones they want us to buy!

Originally Posted by DKG

...Scorpio...
they wanted the vehicle to have a high aspirational value. From day one the Scorpio was sold as a lifestyle product...

I think the Scorpio has two kinds of LSV user / buyer as its target, and sbraj managed to define them both... (I am editing his post a little to make the two categories easier to understand)...

Originally Posted by sbraj

IMHO, two categories are seen.
1. ...those aspiring for such lifestyle.
2. ... (those) that are (bought) by owners for their needs, and thus blends to become their lifestyle.

Originally Posted by sbraj

One view point is looking at the product from how it is being marketed while the other is looking at it from how it is being used. Not sure whether these view points can converge. Because marketing ends when the vehicle is bought and starts getting used.

...ferrying rice bags may be aspirational(?). ...I see scores of Scorpios being run as taxis.

Take the Qualis for example. Toyota was so fed up of this vehicle being branded a taxi by potential private-use customers who refused to touch a Qualis (it almost became a stigma), that the Innova was introduced instead - and because it was a lot more expensive, Toyota thought it won't come into the taxi segment. But the taxi-wallahs didn't read Toyota's thoughts anywhere...

Or take the Nano. The market feared that Nanos would replace auto-rickshaws as the staple public transport vehicle across India - until Ratan Tata put those fears to rest by declaring that Nanos won't be sold for commercial use. Still, fearing that Nanos can overrun the roads and create chaos, Bhutan has point-blank refused to allow their import into that country. So what is the Nano if not an LSV (of the SOV class)?

Originally Posted by sbraj

I think this classification is purely based on status and purchasing power, and not entirely reflecting the lifestyle.
When the same vehicle starts getting used for ferrying rice, the projection blurs. Hence I think it is the usage of the vehicle that decides whether it is LSV or not.

So there you are... I think two separate classes of LSVs need to be defined for India: One based on status and purchasing power (or even aspirational value); and another based on usage of the vehicle to cater to an owner's needs.

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

After reading 4 pages of posts, I am as confused as I was when I read the title. What is a Life Style Vehicle and What is a Status Vehicle?

By the time this thread runs out of steam, we hope to have defined what we set out to...

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

Let me try my hand in defining these two terms:
A vehicle that reflects the lifestyle of the person who owns it / drives it / rides it.?
Ok, then what is Status vehicle?

A status vehicle, we hope, will be defined as a particular classification of LSV.

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

...when a Saudi mid-aged man comes in
- a Mecedez Benz, He is a business man.
- a BMW - He is a professional (Engineer / doctor / others)
- a Lexus - a Government Official
Well, in general, that is how the car they drive reflects their lifestyle.

Now, If he comes in a BMW 3 series, perhaps he is not as rich as a man drives BMW 7 Series. So, among the same group of people, it becomes as a Status symbol, while among common people it is Life Style Vehicle.
Now, in India too someone can classify the cars being driven based on the makes?
Guys, please don't come after me on the authority of this classification, as this is purely my personal observation. I am only trying to understand better the topic's essence. May be I am completely tangential to the topic starters thoughts. Please feel free to rip it off as you like.

I think your thought process is interesting. What works in Saudi Arabia doesn't necessarily work in India. Let's quickly post (in bold) my own observations of your list.
Scorpio: Mid size dadas
HVK / 4x4addict is no dada, nor am I (at least not the type you mean, otherwise all Bongs are... LOL). We certainly do not want to project ourselves as one. However, the Scorpio neatly fits our purposes of a reliable SUV with some degree of rough-road / off-road capability. As Mpower said earlier, maybe you can consider that

Only 4x4 Scorp is LSV. 4x2 is not.

Pajero: Politician (Now being replaced by Fortuner)
A friend who needs to travel into no-road areas on business, drives a Pajero. In his books, a Pajero is also his LSV, because he wouldn't be caught dead in a Scorpio in front of his clients. Not a politician though, but his definition of LSV fits both the SOV (show-off vehicle) and SUV (severe use vehicle).

Honda City: Self driving salaried executive
Also the Corolla
More like the brand-conscious executive. Doesn't like Korean or Indian, prefers Jap (Honda or Toyota)

Ford Fiesta: Self driving sports car enthu.
Ok. Someone who dreams that he's at the wheel of a sports car. Include the Cedia here too. He isn't likely to take it on to a race-track though.

Tata Indica: Cab or private cab.
Though Ratan Tata made his money on the Indica by mass sale to the taxi trade, he doesn't want the Nano to go the same way.

Innova: Cab operator or owned by person with big family.
Or someone who loves travelling long distances in big-car comfort at not such a big price.

Cedia: Self driving Sports car maniac.
Considered earlier with the Fiesta.

Swift: Self driving young executive's first car.
Hardly an LSV now, but it had tremendous aspirational value at the time of its launch. I think the unusual looks helped. Today, I think the Beat is starting to take on that mantle a little (the funky car look, a great talking point).

SX4: Self driving slightly aged executive's second car.
Why a second car? The ads project it as a gentleman's car who lacks basic decency in his interactions with the opposite gender. The ads practically killed its aspirational value IMHO.

Now that we have decided that an LSV is many things to many people, let's think up a classification of those many things. Based on what was discussed earlier...

<<Category 1: Money/Aspiration, Money/Poser Value, Money>> and not one with <<Category 2: Money/Passion, Passion/Skill, Passion/Resources>>

...the two broadest categories that come up would be -

Category 1: The Stylish / Status Lifestyle Vehicle (sLSV)
and
Category 2: The Practical Lifestyle Vehicle (pLSV).

Do we agree on this? Your inputs please.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

OT, but wow! Whatta pic! Would you mind taking me to this track - I presume it's around Manipal - when we meet?

Thanks, it is about 135Kms away from Manipal. More details here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-e...-otr-meet.html (Muthodi Forest Drive: The post-OTR meet that became part-OTR meet)

[MCR]

Lifestyle vehicle : A personal means of transport which can get you to work and back home. Also fulfill your family needs.
But the definition of a Lifestyle vehicle is a bit skewed in India. One will never Buy a Tata Winger just because his hobby is Adventure sports / Fishing / Music or has an extended family. Similarly the well to do would never buy a Tata Nano for use in Cities. Cars in India express the staus symbol and people with 3-box cars think they are in the higher circle in the social ladder. When I bougt my Punto, somebody told me that I was buying a "small" car for hell lot of money and it was a unwise decision. That person even went on to tell me that Swift Dzire Lxi was available for one Lakh rupees less than the Punto and it would give me a higher status being a 3-box car. So tomorrow if I would buy a Diesel Nano for my office commute, people would say I have bought Nano just because its cheap, and since I could not afford to buy a Swift Vdi. So "nobody" in India would like to take this chance especially when it comes to status symbol. I distinctly remember a Peson in Mid level position wanting nothing less than a BMW 3 series taxi, just to show his status. This is what I feel. In India cars are more of 'social style" then lifestyle.