[iTNerd]

One of Maruti dealers was telling me that SX4 is not doing as well as last few months as the mileage is not more than 10kmpl
and few people waiting for its diesel version.SX4 owners any comments on the mileage part??

I get around 12-13 kmpl, provided I stay below 3K rpm.. anything above that, and the engine is a fuel guzzler.. that's why I never managed to get beyond 14-15 kmpl in highways..

IMO, close to 2K per month is a decent number and shows the healthy part of the offering. And If I am not wrong, since its launch, it had been leading for quite some months, until NHC peeped up in Jan to show a record sale, and of course febraury by some 2-3 hundreds. The thing is, any shortcoming in SX4, say FE, interior plastics etc. are being compared against NHC and they tend to dominant the overall standing of the car. (which is proof that NHC is well entrenched in the segment). Whereas, people are ready to overlook the good things which are in SX4, and not in NHC. This is what Honda understood long back, and as long the car gives good FE and interiors, there are many takers.

Boy, Maruti should learn a lesson or two from Honda and ditch ABS,ABD, Airbags,Climate control etc. and concentrate more on interior design/quality and FE, and the car sure will sell more

[hondadude]

Some interesting points from the Feb numbers that Vasudeva shared

- Fabia sales down to 524. Guess the pricing of Fabia will ensure that it will remain a niche product.
- Endeavour outsells CRV for second month in a row. That's great performance. Lets see how long it continues.
- C class is kicking 3-series's butt

[pmbabu]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

Boy, Maruti should learn a lesson or two from Honda and ditch ABS,ABD, Airbags,Climate control etc. and concentrate more on interior design/quality and FE, and the car sure will sell more

Well, when Honda came up with NHC in 2003, how many Indian mid-segment cars had these features? If they were to launch the next generation Honda NOW, there is no way they can skip these features. Without competition, even bare minimum can be considered "full featured".

And when the new model is launched, it will most probably be priced higher than the existing model and it will still sell in huge numbers because that's how the premium segment differentiates itself from the rest!

Hmm, lets get back to discussing the numbers before Mods jump in ;-)

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

Boy, Maruti should learn a lesson or two from Honda and ditch ABS,ABD, Airbags,Climate control etc. and concentrate more on interior design/quality and FE, and the car sure will sell more

Lack of airbags will kill you once in a while (and once and for all).
Lack of FE will kill you everyday (that too not completely - you will live to regret it...)


In the lighter vein...

[madan80]

the tata figures in MPV and utility vehicles: where does the winger feature? I have seen a few on the road - i think its going to be head on with the Tempo traveller.

[jaibir]

Originally Posted by madan80

the tata figures in MPV and utility vehicles: where does the winger feature? I have seen a few on the road - i think its going to be head on with the Tempo traveller.

From what I've heard, mileage on the Winger is low as compared to the Tempo Traveller and this is holding back volumes. This is second hand information though so I'm not sure how reliable it is.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by pmbabu

Well, when Honda came up with NHC in 2003, how many Indian mid-segment cars had these features?

You are right - not many cars in this segment had abs/airbags then. But this is 2008 and the equations are very different today.

Originally Posted by pmbabu

And when the new model is launched, it will most probably be priced higher than the existing model and it will still sell in huge numbers

I would not bet on that. NHC is already feeling the heat post-SX4 and with a diesel variant thrown in, things could change drastically.

[appuchan]

Originally Posted by Raajiv

Vasudeva,

Any information on Hyundai i10.Did it manage to edge out Spark?

I think its quite obvious from the figures of Santro/i10 combo (11,483) compared to GM figures (2914).

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by amit

Did anyone notice:

Executive segment Hyundai sales (Sonata?) are at ZERO units. Even with a diesel variant in the line up.

Which Hyundai model is in the premium segment? Tucson? 27 units were sold. Which car/SUV is this?

In compact segment, Hyundai sold 21xxx units in Jan which is down to 11xxx units in Feb! Are both Santro and i10 struggling?

Actually, Sonata sold 27 units and not Tucson. Tucson sold 9 (see under Utility Vehicles). Of course with the economic boom (now slowing down), more CEOs and loaded people want to be seen in a 3-star. I read in Automotive News and WSJ about the typical profile of buyers for luxury cars in the US:

1. Merc and Lexus: CEOs who run the company.
2. BMW: executives who think they run the company.
3. Audi: lawyers.

[GTO]

Hyundai obviously is tuning its portfolio toward the i10, which will result in larger profits long-term. The i10s taking up from the Santros place has resulted in a 10% YOY dip in outright numbers, but the profit margins will be more positive.

Skoda Fabia : As expected of a 7 - 8 lac rupee hatch. No matter how much the magazines exercise their favoritism.

Ford & GM are taking a hammering. Whats new?

The C outsells the 3 series by twice over! Neat. Lets see what longer-term sales settle down to.

The Camry delivering near 400 cars a month is pretty respectable, considering the inflated price tag (CBU). Guess that says a lot about the car or the brand value of Toyota.

Merc needs the new E...fast. The current E is just too darn small on the inside, and that coupled with the brand new C, has killed the E Class.

Innova registers a healthy YOY growth. Truly deserved by a fantastic product.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Camry delivering near 400 cars a month is pretty respectable, considering the inflated price tag (CBU).

Actually, it is the Corolla which is selling close to 400. Camry sells around 50-100 mostly to fat ministers and loaded Sikhs in Punjab.

During 1/08 and 2/08, C-Class sold way above its long-term sales trend.

Even with a premium pricing, sales of Fabia are below what could be expected in this segment. The ads depict Skoda as previously (even presently?) being driven by royalty and kings. They have not specified which kings or royalty, and in which age.

Elantra sales have followed a binary pattern over last 4 months: 1 0 1 0

Grand Vitara is now a confirmed flop.

Perhaps the new CRV has found much better acceptance.

Funny trend in Skoda Superb sales which I had pointed out earlier.

Strange decline in Santro/i10/Getz sales for Feb. Considering that these cars are now selling less in Europe, Hyundai should not be peddling the same `production constraint, export driven'.

OT: South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has fined Hyundai, Kia, and GM for imposing illegal price cuts on suppliers. More than 60 suppliers were listed in the actions against Hyundai and Kia. The FTC says that from December 2002 through January 2003, Hyundai improperly lowered prices on parts supplied for the Click subcompact sold in Korea. The FTC also charged the automaker with improper payment delays on parts for complete knockdown kits supplied between July 2004 and October 2005. FTC fined GM Daewoo about $56,000 plus interest for cutting the price of certain mirrors below the amount agreed to by the supplier. Suppliers in Korea, and small companies in general, face intense pressure from large customers. Only those who are closing down business tomorrow will speak out against such large conglomerates as Hyundai.

[Sahil]

Seems like 5 series production capcity is finally in full swing to get a fair judgment on how its fairing against the E.
The Jan and Feb sales show that the 5 series is outselling the E more than twice over ! I think very soon its going to be triple if BMW can get their production more streamlined.

[ram_hyundai]

Isnt the 6 series launched in india-with the HUD.Why is it not a preffered one above 5 -series.I feel by the time i10 catch up with the earlier santro sales a whole lot of models from MSIL would kill it without allowing it to start burning the sales chart.
ram

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by GTO

Merc needs the new E...fast. The current E is just too darn small on the inside, and that coupled with the brand new C, has killed the E Class.

Innova registers a healthy YOY growth. Truly deserved by a fantastic product.

It seems S class did a good business than they expected.

Innova; its coz they have lot of promos. 6.75% interest rate! People who are looking at 9loac plus sedan should actually look at Innova too. Very affordable EMI's thanks to the low interest rate.

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Even with a premium pricing, sales of Fabia are below what could be expected in this segment. The ads depict Skoda as previously (even presently?) being driven by royalty and kings. They have not specified which kings or royalty, and in which age.

Elantra sales have followed a binary pattern over last 4 months: 1 0 1 0

Grand Vitara is now a confirmed flop.

Perhaps the new CRV has found much better acceptance.

Fabia sales may pick up later once they launch the 1.2L petrol engine.

Wasnt Elantra production stopped?

I guess thanks to new 2.0L engine CRV will sell lot more.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

Isnt the 6 series launched in india-with the HUD.Why is it not a preffered one above 5 -series.
ram

Umm..Maybe because the 6 series is double the price ! It's a CBU.