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Old 2nd October 2010, 10:33   #61
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Looks like my prediction months back about Mercedes / BMW selling 5000+ cars this year will turn out correct, but one thing how exactly did Mercedes SUV sales shoot up so much? I really am left surprised as month on month it is rising considering the ML is now in it's final months of production. '84' S-Class's? That alone is a huge new number for the segment, I wonder if this was the first time this segment has had a volume so large? Now imagine if they pull in the S250 CDI in SWB at a lower price point? Can't wait to compare the numbers to BMW.

Now that Mercedes-Benz has a good enough number of ML/GL's selling why don't they consider the CKD/SKD route?

And I think it's too soon to judge Vento's sales and it's effects on the competition lets wait few months once all the production issues are taken care of and I am pretty sure the battle between City & Vento will only benefit 'US' the consumers.

'i20' Proves, Value + Quality can do wonders and lastly VW Phaeton, does it surprise anyone the Audi A8 never sold as much as this car is selling? I mean I don't think the A8 ever reached a figure of 10 per month. (I could be wrong on this but I am certain 99.9%)

I guess October 2010 should break all benchmarks? Dussera is coming, cannot wait for next month's figures.
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Old 2nd October 2010, 10:38   #62
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IMO Honda has managed to retain the city sales chiefly due to its strong aspirational value among the customers going in for a 10L + sedan. Brand 'Honda City' signifies a modern ,reliable car with a good service support. With Honda adding value to the car with special offers, the sales were bound to jump. Iam not sure whether the Vento would affect the City.It may be noted that while the City is perceived as a premium offering, the Vento is perceived as an affordable German car.

As regards the Beat, apart from offfering the diesel / LPG options, GM should offer more features to the car ( note how Hyundai has offered first in class features to its best seller ,the i10 )

Last edited by auto-one : 2nd October 2010 at 10:43.
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Old 2nd October 2010, 11:03   #63
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Quote:
Originally Posted by S350L-E240 View Post
L. '84' S-Class's? That alone is a huge new number for the segment, I wonder if this was the first time this segment has had a volume so large? Now imagine if they pull in the S250 CDI in SWB at a lower price point? Can't wait to compare the numbers to BMW.

Now that Mercedes-Benz has a good enough number of ML/GL's selling why don't they consider the CKD/SKD route?
Probably indicates the performance of India Inc.

More E classes means Mercedes make better margins than BMW. Additionally, BMW are probably selling the 3 with not so much margin and consider glbally, the 3 accounts for 50% of BMW sales.

As for M CLass CKD - might happen ith the new model, may not be worth effort for the outgoing model
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Old 2nd October 2010, 11:11   #64
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Originally Posted by adimicra View Post
City's bumper sales is also due to the lucrative discounts on offer. Right now, you can get almost a 50K discount which means there is hardly any difference between the Vento Petrol HL and City V-MT.

Since a few of my friends are currently in the process of upgrading from small hatches to sedans, they can't think of anything but the City! The City has managed to create the impression of the 'THE CAR' in the 10-lakh rupee segment sedan market. For any competition to change this perception is not going to be easy! It has to beat the City not marginally but convincingly.

And as all of us knows, Indians tend to have the herd mentality, something like -
3 L -> Alto
4L -> WagonR
5L -> Swift/I10. Figo is the only car to make real impact due to extreme VFM proposition
6L -> I20

6-7L sedan -> Dezire/Manza
10L Sedan ->City
One key point a lot of folks are missing here, and what i mentioned earlier, dislodging something that has perched at the top and proven its worth for around 10 years,takes more than just a great product. Its not only the aspirational value,the reliability factor where one can peacefully put 10 lacs with the assurance of getting a great piece of engineering and yes- the name of Honda, creates the numbers. If you see CIVIC is losing out, because apples to apples(brand name, reliability) Toyota is clearly at par and giving a better offering, its easy for them to take the lead.
As for herd mentality, i beg to differ because its not only the major cities where people buy cars,they buy where the dealer and service network is strong, and the fact remains, maruti is the best in this aspect hence sells most. Tata and Hyundai come next , which is the major factor for most to go with these brands and not anything else.
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Old 2nd October 2010, 11:14   #65
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Thanks to shared showroom space, linea and punto are acting as props in pulling customers towards manza and others. time to open a few showrooms with tuscan wine & white themed interiors and linea and punto making loud statements with those uber alloys.
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Old 2nd October 2010, 13:22   #66
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I thought swift was selling more than the i10. But i10 sales is more by around 2.5k. Has this always been the case in the past several months?
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Old 2nd October 2010, 14:22   #67
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My Take on the D Segment

Honda is now the undisputed leader in the D Segment, if it gets its act right by having a Good Hatch in 5 lac bracket & a diesel variant of its models, it would be big competition to Maruti in 5 lac and above segment.

Vento I believe marks an entry of VW in a Big way (Though shortcomings in the product), just heard the president of VW India, saying that they have booked their production capacity till next year 1st qtr!! Good image can get numbers, VW has proven this. If they launch more variants down the current offerings, volumes can see further spurt.

Maruti with its SX4 is getting respectable numbers, mainly because of "Peace of mind" guaranteed, and this would continue. Good product or bad product.

Hyundai with Verna has the momentum to keep itself going, any spurts either upwards of backwards are not expected in the near term.

Fiat Linea is in a sorry state, and I believe it would remain a fan boy car, inspite or despite of T-Jet launch. Respected product, good fan following. But not having mass following due to image issues. They can pat their backs if the numbers stabilize at 12-1500 units per month.

Fiesta: Again a fan boy car same as linea. But if the product gets spruced up then it can contend well with SX4 & Verna.

Chevrolet: Lack of focus. From the product point of view to me its a Chinese manufacturer, with American know-how. Cruz is rightly prized and thus the acceptance. Badi Gaddi.. aur upar se diesel...aur upar se sasti. (You cant better this formula)
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Old 2nd October 2010, 14:44   #68
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Really pathetic performance by Fiat India in Sep 2010. When all other auto manufacturers are bullish, Fiat India is in silent mode for the reasons best known to itself. Because of this attitude problem of Fiat India, perhaps even Linea 1.4 T-Jet may follow Punto 90 HP. The communication gap between Fiat India and its present and would-be customers seems unbridgeable.
 
Old 2nd October 2010, 15:56   #69
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They would hit production capacity if their target is 4K~5K units per month.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sunnyside View Post
Vento I believe marks an entry of VW in a Big way (Though shortcomings in the product), just heard the president of VW India, saying that they have booked their production capacity till next year 1st qtr!!
Fiat had a target to sell 50,000 in 2010. That means consistently doing 3000 per month and with occasional burst for festive season. With the current numbers they will realize only half their target.
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Originally Posted by J.Ravi View Post
Really pathetic performance by Fiat India in Sep 2010.
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Old 2nd October 2010, 17:45   #70
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Originally Posted by Gansan View Post
The name is misleading. People seem to think it is a 500 cc car!

Good show by Maruti, especially Alto. It seems to be running away with the ball, with the nano nowhere in sight. The K10 seems to have given a fillip to the model. Pity we can't get the K10/800 break-up.

I feel i20 is attracting many customers from the sedan segment.
Name is misleading because people think the 500 in the name is 500 cc. Really? And what do people think about the 2.0 in the Skoda or 1.6 in the Vento and so on? It is the price 16 lakhs that is the problem not the name come on gimme a break. That was/is the lamest reason for not buying a car. What is this Team BHP or a bunch of high school kids punching their opnions on an auto site.


Quote:
Originally Posted by coldice4u View Post
Its really high time that Fiat and Tata start looking serioulsy into QC issues.

Linea 700 odd units.
ANHC 6000 units.

i20 7000 odd units.
GP 900 units.
Polo 3000 units.
Micra 1000 units.

Safari 1500 odd units.
Scorpio 4000 units

Tata has been a most succeessful manufacturer but i wonder how strong is the brand loyalty among those who have actually purchased cars from them. In many cases the only reason for the purchase of a TATA car has been the unavailability of options at a similar price point. Somehow a 10 yrold platform such as the Safari has still not matured and people still think twice before purchasing one. Shoddy service at the A.s.s. definitely does not help.

Fiat does not seem to have QC issues but people complaining about poor A.s.s is definitely a worry. They may launch as many variants as they like but the customwer will always have options. And no one likes to be treated shabbily. The upcoming T-jet will hardly do any wonders just like the 90bhp GP hasnt made any effect. With the Linea and the GP, the Indian customers definitely gave Fiat a 2nd chance as indiaceted by the good numbers they pulled in after their launch. But when you get a 2nd chance, you need to take it. Regarding the 500, how can you justify a 16 lakh price tag for a car that has an engine that also powers the Swift?
The Manza has killed the Linea. Where does the Linea really beat the Manza Looks,Finish,maybe quality of finish. Thats about it. Linea needs to beat the manza in every department apart from maybe space for the Linea to do reasonable numbers atleast 2k odd.

And +1 to that T-jet or no jet i don't see it catching up in a major way.FIAT needs to do much more than just up an upgraded engine. Vento if not the city are still better buys in the short run. Saying short run because i am not convinced that VW can keep their costs down.

Quote:
Originally Posted by carlosTHEjackal View Post
  • Fiat Linea sales are low also because many people are holding their bet to buy Tjet. These less than regular numbers for Linea is due to the new car being launched in Oct 2010.
    Same case of dip in numbers happened to NHC in Sept oct 2008 when ANHC was about to be launched. Hence Fiat will not be worried about this month's number.
  • Another point which we can deduce is that Suzuki has shifted its strategy. Their sales team recon that more waiting period will affect their sales. Hence bu producing more cars and reducing the waiting period, they may be retaining customers. This may be one of the reason why there is a sudden spurt in sales numbers of Suzuki. They don't want customers to leave them in the crucial festival season.
  • The direct hit of number from Vento will not be City, it will be SX4, Verna, Optra and lastly City. Please note that Verna's number in % terms has come down more than linea. It will take at-least 6 to 8 Months for vento to dent City sales. Vento has the potential to perform same way as Tata Manza, as manza slowly captured No.1 Spot from Dzire. So expecting ground breaking number from Vento form start will not be fair.
I am astonished to see CR-V doing 88 numbers. Those people need to read news papers or auto magazine regularly. 2 new models coming to India in 2 to 4 Months, namely Santa-Fe and X1, they still prefer CR-V; Only thing i can deduce is that they have lot of money to spend.
Agree that it is not the city but the Verna with make up and the other fringe cars that will be hit than the leader city. SX4 is cheaper but really does a lakh + here and there make that big a difference in this segment.

On CRV it must be bharat right certainly not India.Every auto mag has something to say about the next launch in this segment.

Last edited by Eddy : 2nd October 2010 at 20:27. Reason: Removed unreadable stuff.
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Old 2nd October 2010, 18:24   #71
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Mahindra Bolero at 8000+ is pretty impressive number. I think number includes the commercial version of Bolero pickup as well. GTO correct me if I am wrong.
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Old 2nd October 2010, 20:21   #72
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Originally Posted by GTO View Post

MERCEDES
C-Class : 227
E-Class : 257
S-Class : 84
M-Class : 27
GL-Class : 26
CBUs : 42
The luxury car market in India seems to be on fire. 663 Mercedes' sold in a month!!! It was unimaginable only a few years back.

Waiting to see how the Beemer performed. I will not be surprised if the 3 series & 5 series together did numbers exceeding 600, this past month!
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Old 2nd October 2010, 21:22   #73
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Originally Posted by the VTEC guy View Post
Mahindra Bolero at 8000+ is pretty impressive number. I think number includes the commercial version of Bolero pickup as well. GTO correct me if I am wrong.
GTO, i did not see Xenon mentioned under Tata, they could not sell any?
Tata Sumo : 1775, doess this include Old Sumo and Grande?
Anyway, Tata please take notice, how long you can afford to ignore this segment? We need competition to Mahindra.
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Old 2nd October 2010, 21:55   #74
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Originally Posted by kingpin1 View Post
Name is misleading because people think the 500 in the name is 500 cc. Really? And what do people think about the 2.0 in the Skoda or 1.6 in the Vento and so on? It is the price 16 lakhs that is the problem not the name come on gimme a break. That was/is the lamest reason for not buying a car. What is this Team BHP or a bunch of high school kids punching their opnions on an auto site.
Seriously, I overheard this discussed. It is a moot point whether people will buy it if they knew better - the price alone will be a put off. Many seem to connect it automatically with engine capacity, a la Maruti 800. I myself had this doubt when the car was introduced.

The Skoda 2.0 and vento 1.6 are interpreted as litres - 2000 cc and 1600 cc. In our market, at least for a lot of people, the number that follows a name means cc of the engine!
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Old 2nd October 2010, 22:44   #75
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Hyundai must be laughing all the way to the bank with the i-20. Who would have thought of a 6-8 lakh hatch selling 7000+ a month? This also proves that most people care a damn for handling and steering feedback. All they want is a reliable car with a good after sales support, plus good interiors and a choice of engines. Honda must learn from Hyundai and price their upcoming hatch realistically.
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