[Amartya]

^^ Although I am not a fan of the Beat's looks, I appreciate GM bringing in a car that is spanking new (they did it with the Cruze too).

When I test drove it, I found it to be quite sprightly, and I loved the interior styling. Also, the engine was super quiet and refined. Like what most have already said, these USPs can never sell a car in India. Perhaps if this were priced exactly at par with the A* (it's close) then there was a chance.

Contrary to what many people believe, I think that a diesel version won't work that well, sure it'll increase the numbers, but not to a great extent. That mainly due to the small interior dimensions. The Figo has it truly beaten there.

[anmol2k4]

Originally Posted by mjothi

Thanks. Then I think I was wrong.

So, what stopped them from getting those engines for their hatches?

You know we are talking about GM.... Joke aside, with all the the debt,bankruptcy and financial reorganization I guess they couldn't afford to bring 1.3 mJTD.

[poloman]

Source :Volkswagen India sold 2,597 cars in July 2010
Volkswagen India sold 2,597 cars in July 2010
German automaker Volkswagen has come out with their sales figures for the month of July 2010.
They sold 2,597 cars in the Indian market.
Both Jetta and Passat saw improved sales compared to the same period last year. n
Volkswagen Polo has also been a success for the company. They are also selling decent number of Beetle in India in addition to their SUV model Touareg.
VW India is now scheduled to launch their Vento sedan in the coming months which should further boost their sales numbers.

More here
http://www.thehindu.com/business/com...?homepage=true

Polo might have contributed more than 2000 of these.

[xingamazon]

Originally Posted by poloman;2009880
[B

Volkswagen India sold 2,597 cars in July 2010 [/b]
German automaker Volkswagen has come out with their sales figures for the month of July 2010.
They sold 2,597 cars in the Indian market.
Both Jetta and Passat saw improved sales compared to the same period last year. n

Polo might have contributed more than 2000 of these.

I am still wondering would VW term the launch as a mega sucess or just OK success. Was it their plan to sell only 2k p.m. I mean the amount of costs that goes in to get a car into a market, I guess having a plan of just 2K would not be sufficient.

So here is the question, was 2k their target, but when they claim it overshot the target does this mean they only expected 1.5K p.m for Polo.

[SunilM]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

Beat definately took a beating this time. GM claims it to be a production issue. But whatever it may be I believe Beat is going to settle btwn 2000-2500.

There are a lot of reasons where beat went wrong. Specially Marketing the Product.

1) This is not a car where you can sit back and enjoy. As the Rear is claustrophobic. Under thigh support is minimal.
2) This is not a car with which can give you immense driving pleasure. As the acceleration is not impressive and Handling is not a strength.
3) This is not car you will buy to keep your daily fuel bills low. NO Diesel.
4) Though styling may appeal to women I dont believe they will end up buying. As the view of road is severely hampered both in front and rear. Lack of driver seat height adjustments make matters worse. Not an easy car to drive.
5) Not ideal for highway travels. No boot.
6) Over and above its not a Maruti/Hyundai where you get away with Estillo.


So why exactly will this car sell?
It sells just because its priced sensibly, looks like a concept car. I dont see any other USP. With this it is only supposed to attract a small bunch of people.


As for FIGO all the above points 1 to 5 are for it. No wonder it got a Mass market appeal.

Chill off guys, this might just be a one off thing for beat and it will be back to its usual figures (or more?) next month onwards. As quoted below, they had annual maintenance shutdown in July and hence the drop in figures.

Needless to say, it is an excellent product and will continue to do well.

Originally Posted by SILVERWOOD

General Motors India

1722 units of Chevrolet Beat
.....

Mr. P. Balendran, Vice President, GM India said, “There were some delivery constraints for certain models in July due to annual maintenance shutdown of the plant. With the operation back to normal, we should be able to clear the backlog this month.”
....

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

I am still wondering would VW term the launch as a mega sucess or just OK success. Was it their plan to sell only 2k p.m. I mean the amount of costs that goes in to get a car into a market, I guess having a plan of just 2K would not be sufficient.

So here is the question, was 2k their target, but when they claim it overshot the target does this mean they only expected 1.5K p.m for Polo.

I think 1.5k PM for the polo seems to be a decent score for a company like VW India.They are expanding dealer network and may be with the launch of Golf, you will see the numbers soaring.

[poloman]

1)VW has a dealership strength of around 47. No penetration even in Tier 2 cities. Compare this with others. Even Ford has around 160.
2)Production constraints forcing the company not to meet the true market potential. Lot of customers turning away from Polo due to atrocious waiting periods.
3) Very limited brand recall in India.
4) Premium brand image giving impression of high cost of ownership.
If you take in to account the above factors a figure of >2000 Polos will be music to VW.

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by poloman

1)VW has a dealership strength of around 47. No penetration even in Tier 2 cities. Compare this with others. Even Ford has around 160.
2)Production constraints forcing the company not to meet the true market potential. Lot of customers turning away from Polo due to atrocious waiting periods.
3) Very limited brand recall in India.
4) Premium brand image giving impression of high cost of ownership.
If you take in to account the above factors a figure of >2000 Polos will be music to VW.

+1 on that.

Off-late VW India has started appointing dealers in Tier 2 cities as well.Recent addition has been Vijayawada, Agra, Calicut, Nashik etc

http://www.volkswagen.co.in/in/en/to...a.metanav.html

[acidkill]

Fiat

FIAT, the 50:50 JV between Tata Motors and Fiat has recently registered a fall in its July numbers in unit sales.

While the sales in the month July fell by 6%, it is to be mentioned here that the Fiat India's total sales (including exports) of FIAT branded vehicles in July, 2010 stood at 2,489.


FIAT India registers a fall in sales | TopNews

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

So here is the question, was 2k their target, but when they claim it overshot the target does this mean they only expected 1.5K p.m for Polo.

Yes they wouldn't have expected this demand for Polo or else they would have started off with better backup for more production.

If Polo continues to sell at this price i guess it's sales will go up 2 fold once waiting period comes down. In it's segment i expect it to do what i10 did in it's segment.

[indivic]

Sorry if this post is OT !

In my view FIAT are probably where Ford where 1 year ago in terms of monthly average with just Fiesta and Ikon as the b&b models. They do not have a Figo as yet...and is not likely to happen until 2012, in which case the bigger issue for me would be this news

Tata-Fiat JV faces mounting losses

Considering that this is a JV, how long would Tata be able to pump in money considering that FIAT is not able to shore up its end in terms of generating volumes.

Even without bringing in the issues of FIAT a.s.s , marketing by Tata etc, it needs very badly a volume seller which is going to be quite hard to do as more and more models come in.

Unlike FIAT in Brazil (or for that matter VW, Ford, GM) it is dependent on global models for its India portfolio, here is where I think the top management is getting it wrong. A fully redesigned Palio will still sell here considering that it offers more space than the Punto, if Tata is not interested in selling the Vista for the cab market, maybe a redesigned Palio and Petra/Siena will do the trick.

I think FIAT needs an ugly car to get rid of evil eyes :-), may be the outgoing Multipla to be sold in China as Mutiplan.

Zotye Mutiplan (Fiat Multipla) - China Car Forums

[jaganm]

Originally Posted by indivic

Sorry if this post is OT !

In my view FIAT are probably where Ford where 1 year ago in terms of monthly average with just Fiesta and Ikon as the b&b models. They do not have a Figo as yet...and is not likely to happen until 2012, in which case the bigger issue for me would be this news

But a major - for Fiat is the negative perception of the brand among the general population. That is difficult to overcome, no matter how good the cars actually are

[rangarx]

Yes, I am one of them!!

I love FIAT for their gorgeous styling and wish that this morque diserves more than what it has got for sales in our country.. After all, it is Italian, the land of Monica Belucci!!

When it comes to Honda, no doubt it is one of the best engineering companies in the world has ever seen. But what puts me off is the premium they charge vis-a-vis in countries like US!

Eagerly expecting how VW Vento would take on the City!!

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by jaganm

But a major - for Fiat is the negative perception of the brand among the general population. That is difficult to overcome, no matter how good the cars actually are

Even ford had a similar perception of horrible a.s.s, expensive spare parts and higher maintenance. One example being my dad and his friends.

When i told them to buy a fiesta, they said its expensive and not worth the effort. same went for Fiat. It was like, you want to buy a Fiat, are you nuts.

[indivic]

Originally Posted by jaganm

But a major - for Fiat is the negative perception of the brand among the general population. That is difficult to overcome, no matter how good the cars actually are

Yes, for that, they have to come out with ads like Toyota is doing several months prior to the Etios launch and back it up with concrete actions on the ground. Every visit to the A.S.S for a Fiat owner has to be a positive experience and this will slowly translate into better sales. However I think they are getting pulled down by their dealers still.

They have a marketing arrangement with TML, but probably they should work on creating separate space inside the service centres with front desk,mechanics, S.As etc. In any case their cars are more expensive than the Tata ones, so customers would prefer to be accorded a better reception than the cab drivers.

P.S I own an Indica myself since the last 6 years