[supremeBaleno]

The Kizashi could surely have done without the front resembling the SX4. But will that alone make a customer shy away from the car ? I am not so sure. Because if that were the case, I can't see why people make a beeline for the Aria, given that it shares the same frontal looks as the Indica ? Actually all the cars in the Tata stable from Indica to Aria (barring the MUVs/SUVs) have a similar front-end, though that does not really seem to be impacting sales.

Regarding price, it sure is a tough job. For MSIL folks ie. Can't wait to see how they would price it.

I agree brand-value matters, but how much ? With the lowly Indicab/Indica forming majority of the Tata portfolio, don't Tata still manage to sell 15-lakh Arias ?

[nik_kapur]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

The Kizashi could surely have done without the front resembling the SX4. But will that alone make a customer shy away from the car ? I am not so sure. Because if that were the case, I can't see why people make a beeline for the Aria, given that it shares the same frontal looks as the Indica ? Actually all the cars in the Tata stable from Indica to Aria (barring the MUVs/SUVs) have a similar front-end, though that does not really seem to be impacting sales.

Regarding price, it sure is a tough job. For MSIL folks ie. Can't wait to see how they would price it.

I agree brand-value matters, but how much ? With the lowly Indicab/Indica forming majority of the Tata portfolio, don't Tata still manage to sell 15-lakh Arias ?

Im not too sure about the Aria and its sales. I live in Delhi and im not kidding i have never ever seen an aria on the road. I eat and sleep cars and like any bhpian im always on the lookout for hot wheels and i cant believe i havent seen an Aria.

[vineethvazhayil]

If Maruti plans to sell this at 16 lakhs, they might as well not sell it! I guess the sweet spot for this would be 13-14 L OTR.. With a lot of equipment, pretty decent interiors, a peppy engine and the MSIL service network to back it up, this car would do decent numbers. Btw, do the 800/Alto customers and the Kizashi customers get the same treatment and shopping experience as the 14 lakh car customers? MSIL will have to think about selective dealerships selling the Kizashi and not every TD&H dealership they have across the country.

[Fornax]

A 17 lac SUV can bear uncanny resemblance to a 5 lac hatch, and most folks love it. The Kizashi shares a grill with SX4 and it' suddenly suffers from identity crisis? I know its' fun to take cracks at products and launches - which is partly why I'm posting this - but comon, atleast lets wait for the real flaws to be bought to fore!

With the price factor being such a held-back detail, its' likely to be a disappointment rather than a surprise, plus given the inherent difficulties of having a marketplace 7K kms away from the place of manufacture, the nay-sayers are gonna have a field day from day-one. My point being, lets' atleast wait for that day.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

Im not too sure about the Aria and its sales. I live in Delhi and im not kidding i have never ever seen an aria on the road. I eat and sleep cars and like any bhpian im always on the lookout for hot wheels and i cant believe i havent seen an Aria.

I have!!
Just one though, its with the taxi-wala behind claridges.

Anyway, to the discussion at hand.
I have a theory.
MS wants to put the car on the road first.
though their current CBU shipment is a small one,guaranteed it is all spoken for(in fact, i wouldnt be surprised if a majority of them end up here itself).

MS are smart.
They'll put the the car on the road, albeit at a premium, and see the kind of response it generates,by way of dealer queries, walk-ins.thats diferent from showcasing it at exhib/expo etc.
An on the road car will certainly be more noticable.
"ye milti hai?where?how much?" and the perennial, "kitta deti hai?".
You see where its going?
I am sure that they have not been surviving with their heads in the sand.They have seen the fate of people who only wanted to sell their product by CBU methodology for a product that is substandard for its price.

I am certain we'll see a production base here for the kizashi, or plans for it at least, by mid 2011.
inputs?

[gharika]

I don't know whats the possibility of it, but if this car was coming in as a Suzuki without being associated with Maruti and the grill was different from the existing Maruti family, it would do better. For a premium segment, you have to setup a premium network. If the car is primarily targeted as a driver's car (like Cruze), the Maruti Network experience will be a let down. My 0.0002 cents.

[skjlives]

Credit where it is due. Suzuki have created a beauty ground up and are looking to offer it at a reasonable price. For all those who want a 2.4 lt, ~180 bhp, 8 second 0-100 car loaded with features to the brim for a price like 11-12 L, you should look at shifting to the US, coz Indian duty structure ain't going to let it happen!
I have pre booked my Kizashi and am waiting for the launch as eagerly as most. My only real alternative was Laura Tsi, which I have pretty much dropped because I'm scared Skoda will give me sleepless nights. Maruti won't.

My take on pricing - The car is NOT a competitor to Civic (a dog) or Altis (Not for any self-respecting petrolhead). It is right up there with Accord in terms with performance and features, give or take a few inches of leg space, and features are much richer. Why pray would it then be priced at 12-14 lakhs OTR when 4 cylinder Accord comes for 23+ (OTR Bangalore)? I think 17-18 L (OTR Bangalore) for the manual and an additional lakh for the auto is a very reasonable price that Suzuki can ask (discounting for the weaker than Honda/Toyota branding and snob(?) value) and I'm certainly prepared to pay that sticker.

Skj

[harishnair]

I agree with skjlives. How do you expect a car with 2.4L engine and which is an Accord/Camry competitor in the International market to be priced on par with the Civic/Corolla. The best price range for the Kizashi is between 16-18L and anything more than that is asking for too much.

@gharika - I dont think any of the new Suzukis have the Maruti logo.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by skjlives

Credit where it is due. Suzuki have created a beauty ground up and are looking to offer it at a reasonable price. For all those who want a 2.4 lt, ~180 bhp, 8 second 0-100 car loaded with features to the brim for a price like 11-12 L, you should look at shifting to the US, coz Indian duty structure ain't going to let it happen!

My take on pricing - The car is NOT a competitor to Civic (a dog) or Altis (Not for any self-respecting petrolhead). It is right up there with Accord in terms with performance and features, give or take a few inches of leg space, and features are much richer. Why pray would it then be priced at 12-14 lakhs OTR when 4 cylinder Accord comes for 23+ (OTR Bangalore)? I think 17-18 L (OTR Bangalore) for the manual and an additional lakh for the auto is a very reasonable price that Suzuki can ask (discounting for the weaker than Honda/Toyota branding and snob(?) value) and I'm certainly prepared to pay that sticker.

Skj

Rightly said.

And while at it, if we wish for a sub- 12L pricing, why not and go and ask for a 9-10L price since Maruti's current priciest sedan is below that range?

Again, the Accord's current pricetag is downright ridiculous.

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

...With a lot of equipment, pretty decent interiors, a peppy engine and the MSIL service network to back it up, this car would do decent numbers. Btw, do the 800/Alto customers and the Kizashi customers get the same treatment and shopping experience as the 14 lakh car customers? MSIL will have to think about selective dealerships selling the Kizashi and not every TD&H dealership they have across the country.

Originally Posted by gharika

...For a premium segment, you have to setup a premium network. If the car is primarily targeted as a driver's car (like Cruze), the Maruti Network experience will be a let down. My 0.0002 cents.

Why do they need a different or special dealer network to sell a high end car? What about Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Honda etc.? Do they have specialized dealers to sell their high end models? Then why expect it from Maruti, especially when they have a lot of satisfied customers?

[swiftnfurious]

So OverDrive TDs the Kizashi.

Snapshot:

Expected price 14-16 ex showroom
6 Airbags, traction control, ABS with EBD
0-100 - around 9s
Not incredibly spacious, but comfortable
Gear shift not as precise as swift / ritz
Handling also not the BEST, but still good as the suspension is raised for India.

Video is here.

YouTube - Maruti Suzuki Kizashi

[Surviving Brain]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

Why do they need a different or special dealer network to sell a high end car? What about Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Honda etc.? Do they have specialized dealers to sell their high end models? Then why expect it from Maruti, especially when they have a lot of satisfied customers?

The reason is very simple - Maruti Kizashi, which is rumored to be priced somewhere between 12-16 lakhs, resemble Maruti SX4 when viewed from front.

[itszain]

exorbitant price.... Why can't they avoid the CBU route and position this around 8-9 lacs price tag ?? whats wrong with maruti mgmt ???

[MAS]

MSIL have never been successful in selling a car which has a boot, other than the Dzire. Yes SX4 sells a 1000 odd numbers a month, but not a segment leader. Why MS, even Hyundai is struggling to do the same.

IMO, I don't think MS will be able to sell Kizaski in decent numbers. They have to work on building Suzuki's name to be associated with luxury car makers.

Apart from separate dealers, service bays, I feel they should carve out a new name/series like Toyota did- LEXUS or like Hyundai did - EQUIS. Otherwise it will not work.

[camchennai]

Originally Posted by MAS

MSIL have never been successful in selling a car which has a boot, other than the Dzire. Yes SX4 sells a 1000 odd numbers a month, but not a segment leader. Why MS, even Hyundai is struggling to do the same.

IMO, I don't think MS will be able to sell Kizaski in decent numbers. They have to work on building Suzuki's name to be associated with luxury car makers.

Apart from separate dealers, service bays, I feel they should carve out a new name/series like Toyota did- LEXUS or like Hyundai did - EQUIS. Otherwise it will not work.

True, it’s not easy to sell a premium car either by MS or Hyundai as they carry VFM or budget car tag with them.

Carving out a separate dealer network for one model is not feasible as investment cost is very high and Kizaski will not help in ROI, in the case of lexus and equis they are totally different as they are different brand names all together.

Just to remind everyone that LC 200 which costs more than 1 crore as OTR is still sold in the same Toyota dealership where Etios, Innova and Altis are sold.