[PlatzdaTurbo]

hmm as i said, not to sure about it. Just thought so.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by v1kram

GTO, can we have the figures for Jaguar & Land Rover as well?

They don't share them. Guess the numbers are still too small

Originally Posted by ACM

X1 may well be the game changer in 2011.

Yes, but lets not overlook the fact that there will be tremendous overlap between the X1 & the 3 series.

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

Lexus will so have to get the IS in India. I'm sure most luxury owners will opt them just for their reliability and luxury if nothing else. What are they still waiting for ?

What are they waiting for? Toyota is an incredibly slow mover. We've witnessed how long they took to get the Fortuner here (5 years??) or even the Altis diesel (a mere variant). Launching an all new brand has got to take longer.

Originally Posted by fz_rider

As far as I remember , the GT was a limited edition ( 100 nos. ) . Then how come 150?

Hey, don't shoot the messenger! The numbers in the opening post are as received from the respective manufacturers.

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

I agree and have said before that their sales figures cant be compared to the other 2

Why should Audi not be compared to BMW & Mercedes? It's playing in the same segment and, in fact, Audi entered India even before BMW. Comparisons are inevitable. Fact remains that Audi has done a very poor job with its marketing & distribution (especially dealership quality + quantity).

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

BMW is for someone who has the money and loves cars
Merc is for the old, established, "captain of the industry" types

Originally Posted by entropy

Just to add to that
Audi is for the techno-savvy type with focus on relative VFM (gizmos) - IMHO

Don't think the volumes or maturity is there yet to make such decisive demographic segregations.

[issigonis]

>>>

Looking at the big picture, it certainly seems that the luxury car segment is doing very well with Indian buyers lapping up the three teutons. Given that the distinct brand identities are blurring, Indian buyers will have their hands full trying to decide between the three.

Indian buyers are also maturing and becoming more discriminating as they become aware of the distinctions ( some subtle, some not so subtle) between these three marques.

BMW has been the most aggressive here, a case in point being the F10 which can be termed as a sporty E class! Not only has BMW been aggressive in offering attractive prices, but has also offered superior after market service packages and has made its products more 'friendly' with its new potential customers in India, China and possibly other emerging economies/countries.

Looking at this from a sociological perspective, customer preferences in these countries will drive attributes of these marques in the coming years and decades.

So should we expect these three marques to alter their performance/ride/handling/rear seat comfort levels for Indian buyers?

Only time will tell..

Regards, drive safe

[S350L-E240]

One thing that stuck my mind about the X1 v/s 3 is this, ok for now lets say X1 being a new product will eat into the 3's sales, but what happens once the new 3 is launched in Q311? I mean are these 2 products just going to continue eating into each other or will BMW take the new 3 a few lacs higher at it's base price?

Honestly even today I would take the 3 over X1, but just thinking about the general crowd?

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by GTO

Why should Audi not be compared to BMW & Mercedes? It's playing in the same segment and, in fact, Audi entered India even before BMW. Comparisons are inevitable. Fact remains that Audi has done a very poor job with its marketing & distribution (especially dealership quality + quantity).

Audi entered before BMW ? Are you sure about that ?
& by no comparisons i meant BMW and Merc are way ahead at this stage. So far only BMW and Mercedes seem to be in the intense competition for top sales and though Audi are growing they have loads of catching up to do.

[Kartik Krishnan]

What a scintillating year 2010 has proved to be for the Teutons.

Audi has a lot of ground to cover with even the 2015 target looking very optimistic. Meanwhile, the other two have been busy trading places for the top spot. While BMW tried to cover new ground with new price points and an aggressive financing options, Mercedes-Benz demonstrated the good-will that they have built up over the years - with their Group-Buys!

It will be extremely interesting to see Audi hold on to its technological advantage or maybe they will face a tough fight from JLR who seem to be in a league of their own. Maybe, BMW will win the heart and the wallets of the Indian buyers with their 'value' luxury offerings. Or Mercedes-Benz might just go on on its own accord and rule with their comfort oriented offerings and then bring in their OMG, oops! i meant their AMG offerings to the party.

So many questions, the answers to whom only time will reveal! But whatever happens, it promises to be tightly fought war. A war where the ultimate winner will be the Indian Customer.

Cheers

[S350L-E240]

Originally Posted by PlatzdaTurbo

Audi entered before BMW ? Are you sure about that ?
& by no comparisons i meant BMW and Merc are way ahead at this stage. So far only BMW and Mercedes seem to be in the intense competition for top sales and though Audi are growing they have loads of catching up to do.

PlatzdaTurbo, Yes Audi did start before BMW, I've said it in various threads earlier too, here's proof lol my own post in 2004,

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ndia-july.html

and below when we were discussing do read my post on 2nd page where I said it will be atleast 6 years till they get competetive to Mercedes and I guess I was right back then

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...tion-merc.html

Also if one used Audi's excuse of being last then BMW would not be so ahead and so competetive, the point is Audi has not had the brand image and they are building but it will take some time to be as aspirational as Mercedes and BMW are, and trust me the A4 proves it by being the newest product but still is at #3 in overall sales compared to 3 and C.

Also with the new A8 / A6 / A7 I still think Audi will only gain ground but not really go ahead, I think besides China they never really have been ahead (this info I am not sure of but I know in US they are not) similarly in India too I do not think Audi will ever be #1.

I hardly have gone wrong with my analysis and I am quite certain about this, not saying Audi is bad, it's just that they really need to get a lot more active, their S and RS models should have been here, also they need to offer value, look at the A6 just sold 14 cars in December 2010.

I also am of an opinion that Lexus too with it's reliable image will not be in a position to compete with these 3.

Regards,

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Originally Posted by S350L-E240

PlatzdaTurbo, Yes Audi did start before BMW, I

Regards,

Wow in that case they really have been pathetic ! Audi really need to pull up their socks.
I am sure the above line has been repeated time & again where Audi is concerned
Its a case of an impressive product line-up being let down by poor marketing/advertising etc. strategies.
Sad really

[fz_rider]

For the last few years , BMW has been constantly outdoing Mercedes in terms of sales . For a predominantly chauffeur - driven market ( in terms of luxury cars ) , it's astonishing to see how well BMW is doing . I'm saying so , because BMW's are generally considered as driver's car . Mercedes have a long history with India . Even if BMW's are doing better , we still see more Merc's on our roads . Even before Merc officially entered India , they were hugely popular . Prestige and luxury were (and are ) synonymous to Merc . Mercedes also have most no. of showrooms and touch and service points (than others ) in India. The magic carpet ride , perfect for India . But sales figures of last few years show otherwise . First , last gen . BMW's were kind of flashy , eye-ball attracting material . A possible reason , considering last gen Merc's were aging and looked dull . The 5 was doing better than E , reason aging . So, fast forward to all new E , and things got better . Mercedes was doing better in first half 2010. But here comes the new 5 , and the party ends for E.
For a person like me who's not into the luxury segment , from outside it looks like , BMW has understood the requirements a lot better . Better pricing , better placement of variants . But Merc isn't far behind ! So what's the actual reason for BMW's doing well . What's the deal breaking point when one chooses between the two . Owner's and experts please throw some light !

Note from Support: Discussion moved to this thread, please continue the discussion here. Thanks

[ajay0612]

BMW brand has youthful and sporty image. Now the number of young millianaires is growing faster than ever. So more BMWs are being sold. Merc has been favorite of traditional 50+ CEOs whose number is shrinking.

[libranof1987]

I think one of the main non-driving, non-technical reasons is the "novelty" factor.

Merc has been there since ages; they have evolved from the match-box shape to what they are now. People in India have been owning Mercs since decades. So, the "exclusivity" factor in them is lesser than that with BMW.

BMW has just entered the Indian market in a big way; they have a good line-up and it's fresh as far as India is concerned.

I have not much clue about the technical aspects of the cars so don't know those factors affecting car sales. But given the money, I'd consider BMW and Audi before I'd think about Merc.

[Aroy]

In my opinion the reasons are -

1. Snooty behaviour of MB both in the show room and during service.
2. Maintenance packages by BMW for surprise free ownership experience.
3. Anti incumbency. MB has been there since long. Most of my acquaintances are moving from their initial MB to BMW, just for a change, though there are still die hard MB fans.
4. And of course there is the 320d CE, which is selling in droves to the first time luxury car buyers.

[fz_rider]

Most are indicating towards novelty factor . So if the novelty factor ends ( which will end someday ) , will the growth stop ? I agree though about the maintenance package , this can be a decisive factor . Can somebody throw light on how the maintenance package of BMW better than that of Mercedes ?

[gshanky]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

I think one of the main non-driving, non-technical reasons is the "novelty" factor.

Merc has been there since ages; they have evolved from the match-box shape to what they are now. People in India have been owning Mercs since decades. So, the "exclusivity" factor in them is lesser than that with BMW.

BMW has just entered the Indian market in a big way; they have a good line-up and it's fresh as far as India is concerned.

I have not much clue about the technical aspects of the cars so don't know those factors affecting car sales. But given the money, I'd consider BMW and Audi before I'd think about Merc.

I don't necessarily think BMW has a novelty factor. Those who are able to spend that much money mostly do it either after good research or influential word of mouth. However, all it takes is a good test drive (and also dealership experience) to decide. And BMW's maintenance package is also a good plus.

Originally Posted by Aroy

In my opinion the reasons are -
4. And of course there is the 320d CE, which is selling in droves to the first time luxury car buyers.

The Surprise in March 2011 is the boming sales of 5 series. The 5 series is the best seller for BMW.

[moralfibre]

After losing its crown to BMW in 2009, Mercedes slips down to # 3 position in the Indian luxury car segment.

Article link.

This was expected as the newer Mercedes line fails to impress buyers when compared to competition. But, as per a post by Ajmat (somewhere on the forum), the profit margins earned by Mercedes per model does keep it in the lead.