[drive_or_die]

@Driver- True, Toyota & Honda compete in small car segment with Suzuki in most of the markets. But, Toyota has Lexus & Honda has Accura and this means experience in Luxury Car segment. Unfortunately, Suzuki can not boast of same.

The customers buying 17-20 Lac car would want some brand value in local market as well as a good global reputation.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by drive_or_die

@Driver- True, Toyota & Honda compete in small car segment with Suzuki in most of the markets. But, Toyota has Lexus & Honda has Accura and this means experience in Luxury Car segment. Unfortunately, Suzuki can not boast of same.

The customers buying 17-20 Lac car would want some brand value in local market as well as a good global reputation.

^ Do they have Lexus and Acura in India yet?

But they do sell Corollas and Accords.

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Am sorry, but do you mean that the brand value of a brand = the cost of it's cheapest car?

IMHO, Suzuki does not deserve that.

And, going by your logic TATA's brand value should probably be 1 lac!

Toyota and Honda are SUZUKI's competitors in the small car market atleast in Japan. IF Toyota and Honda can sell premium cars, why not Suzuki?

First of all I dont know why GTO would say that "It has a brand value of 3 lakhs". And on top of that what made you say that Tata has got brand value of 1 lakh. Makes no damn sense to me. Please prove your point.

[supremeBaleno]

Because by the same logic, the cheapest offering from Tata is the Nano - 1-lakh car, remember ?

As someone mentioned earlier, it is a good thing that there is no trim-level confusion for the customer - only decision is whether to go MT or AT - done.

[bluevolt]

I feel it will be hard for Maruti to sell this car in volumes, the Kizashi neither seems to terrify its competitors(reminds me of Grand Vitara)

It would be interesting to see next month sales figures as anything can happen in auto industry as well.

[VW2010]

Someone who is besotted by the Superb will never touch the Kizashi.

This is one statement I can't disagree. Not just maruti but many other manufacturers are just unable to match the price and feature of this fantastic car. The best car in the 17-25L segment.

[Zero Cool]

I think that the biggest problem that maruti will face with this car that it does not have a PREMIUM image. An similarly priced product from skoda or honda will have more brand value and more or less similar quality. the biggest difference is service. Service which is a boon with maruti for most of its car owners may actually become a bane in this case. see the example of vitara itself. it is also a CBU imported from Japan but what happens during service......the owner is given the same treatment that an alto or astar owner (no offence) gets. plus the sheer volume of cars being handled in a big maruti service center can actually be quite a headache for a car owner. one could be left thinking "what am i doing here where right now i could be sitting in a comfortable lounge with similar thinking folks in a skoda or a honda or toyota (you get the drift) service center, instead of standing here in a line for over half an hour just to get my cars job card opened!!!." plus since this car may not be a big volumes seller, procuring parts from japan may actually be quite a pain in the neck, and trust me maruti can be stubborn like a ford or fiat if it wants to be.

also on the pricing, imo maruti has bitten of more than it can chew. they shuld have priced this car at leat 3 lakhs cheaper, even if it meant plonking a 2.0ltr or a 1.8ltr engine. this car simply wont have the road presence of 18lakh rupee car.

[Caramelo]

Originally Posted by GTO

16.5 lakhs means a whopping 19.xx lakhs on the road in Bombay. And over 20 in Bangalore! Remember, it's a CBU. Thus, the RTO taxes are higher than for locally built cars (like the Accord & Superb) in nearly all States.

I am afraid Maruti has done a "Tata Aria" here, and is punching above its weight. As I posted earlier, the Kizashi:

- Has the brand value of a 3 lakh car
- The interior space of a Civic / Altis
- Engine power output of an Accord

While factor no.3 meets 20 lakh rupee expectations, 1 & 2 miss it by a mile. I think Maruti themselves know that the Kizashi will suffer very limited volumes. Say hello to another "Grand Vitara". Well, actually the Kizashi may do a little better than the Vitara....but that's not saying too much (Vitata sold all of 1 units last month).



Are you kidding? The Altis is over 5 - 6 lakhs cheaper on the road. The difference between the Altis / Cruze / Civic and the Kizashi is too high. Someone who is besotted by the Superb will never touch the Kizashi. And the Accord's space & brand are way superior to the Kizashi.

Don't get me wrong....the Kizashi seems to be one heck of a car. When I sat in a CBU-example at the Auto Expo, I was blown away by the interior quality. However, even the Aria is a heck of an MUV. BUT at what price? At 15 - 16 lakhs on the road, the Kizashi is a deal. At 20 lakhs, it is too much of a premium.

i don't get the point about value of 3 lakhs. i think people should change the mindsets about the "its a Maruti" thing. this is a Suzuki first of all and i can tell you this car has been tested @ Nurburg ring and has performed fantastically. its way better than its competition in terms of performance.

having said that i totally agree with the CBU pricing. but they can't help it. they know the sales won't be much, they are just testing the waters here.

[azeemhafiz]

I feel let down. At close to 21 lakhs on road in Bangalore, it hovers around Skoda Superb territory.
Superb starts at 22.54 in Bangalore (Without discounts), and i'm not sure if Kizashi would match up

[mayankk]

3 lac comment has been taken out of context.
Thing with MS is the same thing that has kept it on top of the indian landscape for more than a quarter of a century. ie, the car that got indians on to the roads(figuratively).
1st recall is not of a premium segment.
3 lac doesnt equate to cheapness, but to affordability.

[romeomidhun]

Remember, there was a news some days back that car buyers prefer user reviews than expert comments. There is some reason behind this, IMO. More people have access to internet and other popular media, and have a chance to what happens around them and the world.

But those (nd)TV and print media experts are still not aware of these facts, and find satisfaction and assume their own reputation in saying that engines and cars from Tata and Maruti are just 'so and so' ones, while those from VW, Skoda etc are 'excellent' ones.

Coming to Kizashi, the pricing is wrong, and should be around 12-14. May be once it starts manufactured in India, it may happen.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by mayankk

3 lac doesnt equate to cheapness, but to affordability.

Isn't that just a different/diplomatic way of putting it ?

[Caramelo]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Isn't that just a different/diplomatic way of putting it ?

yes very diplomatic way of putting it. . no matter whatever people say i think the car looks great and has loads of sportiness that the other luxo barges don't have.

[vvvinod]

With the Brand Value MS carry, if i am not wrong MS is primarily targeting Govt of India and other States Ministries and Big Babus.

Soon you will see a lot of Kizashi on the road with Red / blue light on Top of it

[richie4u]

I feel Maruti Suzuki have gone really wrong with the pricing. A 16 lacs + more on road will come in the bracket of the Skoda superb. If I had 20 lacs to spend, I would go for the Skoda Superb or something from the VW brand just for that "image". I guess M.S. didn't learn anything from their Grand Vitara sales which was a similar disaster cause of the pricing.