[speedmiester]

I am talking keeping in mind the Indian consumer mentality, not just the enthusiast community. Why is swift dzire, most ugliest car in the Indian market still enjoys a 3-4 month waiting period? Because its a sedan and not a hatch.
I know Maruti engineers were smoking something when they decided to add the boot to the swift, but they know the Indian market very well and now they are laughing their way to the bank. It sells more than the i20 which has more features than Dzire.

There is no way the bigger hatches will be launched at the similar price levels of sub 4 meter hatchbacks. This will be on par with some of the C segment sedans.
If space is a major buying criteria for bigger hatchbacks, it still faces stiff competition from scorpio and safari which starts around 7.75 lakhs for the basic version.

Honda can launch the Civic Hatch in the Indian market, but it will be priced at least 50K to 60K above, if not the same price as Jazz. Will we see good sales numbers? I do not think so. As it will sit directly in the middle of the C segment sedan territory which has its fair share of competitors from Vento to SX4.

At the end of the day, I would love to buy the 4x4 SX4 hatchback, but in India it will be just a pipe dream.

Originally Posted by ajay0612

Source: World Hot Cars
What is a hatchback then?
PS: It is a hatchback based on SX4 platform. You may also call it by any other name like MPV, etc etc.

SX4 already has its own hatchback version. R3 is marketed as an MPV, and it has 3rd row seating. Its more an MUV than an MPV.

[cuttingcrew]

large hatch (or a wagon) is surely a very good option. Third row seating is not important, the boot space is. If a sedan has a wagon version of it and priced exactly the same (both should share the same specs!), why shouldn't people buy it? The only reason I can think of is the looks!

[KiloAlpha]

Yes, there is a market for a large hatch, like the Lancia Delta, in India. In fact, a success story has already happened.
It was called the Skoda Octavia.

[shankar.balan]

The fast back is more likely a success. Ford's new Focus for example, should succeed in this market if priced right. It is a pretty attractive, spacious and functional car.

A pure hatchback may end up being looked down upon by the "sedan loving upwardly mobile Indian consumer", but a fast back should pass muster.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by GTO

I don't agree with some posts on this thread.

For us Indians, bigger is generally better. Sell the Swift for the price of the Alto, or the Camry for the price of a Corolla and watch the sales shoot through the roof. I know of several people who rejected a car for being "too small"; however, I know very few who rejected one because of being "too big"

Is there a market for large hatchbacks in India? Absolutely Yes!. BUT, at what price? 8.25 lakh rupees OTR, a la Jazz? Nope. Some members have brought up the Fusion and the SR-V; neither of them were failures because of size. They bombed in the market due to poor marketing, price positioning and other product disadvantages.

Indians like big cars, because a larger car generally has more space (for our many family members) and is more prestigious (a significant purchase motivator).

Net net, large hatchbacks are welcome but not at large prices

Well said!

Large hatchbacks will definitely work, but pricing and then a bit of mindset is the issue. In many markets VW Golf is priced higher than a Jetta, and Honda Jazz is on premium over City.

The manufacturers are very well aware of this issue. The SX4 was launched as a sedan in India, eventhough the hatch came first. And now look at Ford. They're bringing the new Fiesta sedan here, and will be interesting to see how they plan to get the hatch later.

And I guess, a 4-door sedan is considered more prestigious than a 5-door hatch.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Well said!
Large hatchbacks will definitely work, but pricing and then a bit of mindset is the issue.

One of my friends had booked a Grande Punto E+ and is awaiting delivery. Upon hearing the car booking story through his wife, his Father in Law had called up.

He asked which car, to which my friend answered Grande Punto.

Then came the obvious question, "How much?". When he answered "Just about 7 lakhs", his father in law was in real shock. He could not digest it at all and even asked him: "Why are you paying 7 lakhs for a small car? I thought it will be around 3 lakhs only" (BTW, he drives an Esteem)

My friend didn't answer that. He told me that he will visit his FIL with the car, and park the car near to the Esteem

If this is the case with a regular full sized hatchback, how can bigger hatches survive in a market like this? Any large hatchback is going to find only very few buyers.

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Large hatchbacks will definitely work, but pricing and then a bit of mindset is the issue. In many markets VW Golf is priced higher than a Jetta, and Honda Jazz is on premium over City.

The manufacturers are very well aware of this issue. The SX4 was launched as a sedan in India, eventhough the hatch came first. And now look at Ford. They're bringing the new Fiesta sedan here, and will be interesting to see how they plan to get the hatch later.

And I guess, a 4-door sedan is considered more prestigious than a 5-door hatch.

Exactly, until the mindset of the buying community changes, the manufacturers will not bring in cars that might not sell well.
The product lineup for all car manufacturers is market driven.

The excise duty imposed by the govt of India also play a major part in the product lineup and future designs. Case in point Indigo CS. A sub 4 metre sedan designed just to satisfy the lower excise duty criteria. Why do you think Tata designed this car when there were already an hatchback and fully grown sedan versions.
Also there is mini Xylo which is modified from an existing car to cater to the needs of the market.

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Yes, there is a market for a large hatch, like the Lancia Delta, in India. In fact, a success story has already happened.
It was called the Skoda Octavia.

Using the same yardstick, even the hugely sucessfull Toyota Innova can be termed a large hatchback eventhough it's an MUV.
Thats an example of how a large car/hatchback will always succeed in India if priced well, as Indians love to travel as groups/families.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

Exactly, until the mindset of the buying community changes, the manufacturers will not bring in cars that might not sell well.
The product lineup for all car manufacturers is market driven.

The excise duty imposed by the govt of India also play a major part in the product lineup and future designs. Case in point Indigo CS. A sub 4 metre sedan designed just to satisfy the lower excise duty criteria. Why do you think Tata designed this car when there were already an hatchback and fully grown sedan versions.
Also there is mini Xylo which is modified from an existing car to cater to the needs of the market.

Me and my cousin bought our cars in the same week.
I bought the GP and they bought a Indigo CS.
Their explanation-"We will get a sedan which is an upgrade from our earlier hatchback and also it will enhance our social image"
All my relatives have asked me the same question as to why I bought a Hatchback when I could've got a sedan like my cousin.
I always have to tell them that both the cars are 3998mm in length and the punto infact has more bootspace.
Their general mindset is that a foreign Hatch(GP) is expensive or equal to an Indian Sedan(IndigoCS).

Its funny but that extra thing stuck to a car's rear(or in some cases,cut out from a hatch) Icreases your social Image.
This mindset has to change to make a market for Large Hatches.

To change the buying people's mentality, IMO is only possible by Maruti or TATA or Mahindra. If any one of these launch a large Hatchback say for 7lakhs, people will start to think of a large Hatch.
In this case the mini Xylo will start this process of changing the mindset IMO.

BTW my vote is "YES"

[MaserQ]

Why not? True, the sedan is still king. But many folks have started to realise that spacious hatches are more practical than cramped sedans. More significantly, hatches like the i20 have become 'trendy' and enjoy more snob value than some of the similarly priced sedans in the market.

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Yes, there is a market for a large hatch, like the Lancia Delta, in India. In fact, a success story has already happened.
It was called the Skoda Octavia.

The Octavia is more of a notchback.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Well said!

Thanks. See, the thing is, some people mistakenly think that Indians love small cars. They don't; due to limited purchasing capacity, Indians love cheap cars. There's a huge difference between small & cheap though, due to economics, they inevitably overlap. Give the market a larger version of the Alto, i10, Nano and gang and watch how they are lapped up.

[2cents]

Perhaps the poor perception towards hatches is also due to the babu'dom, same being true for the corporate class. They would never go for a hatch, even if its a 1 series over a Manza. Truth is no proper large hatch, at reasonable price, has been seriously tested in the Indian market so far. I, for one, would definitely go for a hatch, again, hopefully a Golf in the years to come. Strangely, VW thought it fit to sell the Bug, but not their chart topper.

[Aroy]

Going by length of the "Large Hatch" both Innova and Scorpio qualify.

The USP of a hatch is that it is small maneuverable vehicle and not a 4.5m+ behemoth. Further the boot in sedan offers some protection for valuables which a hatch does not. So I feel that a large hatch would not be much of a success as it would be seen as a MUV and not a car, in which case might as well as get an MUV!

The Maruti R3 is projected as an MUV and not a large hatch.

[libranof1987]

Basic question : In what scenario does the need for a XL size hatchback arise?

Now I'm not of the mentality "buy-a-sedan-instead-of-a-XL-hatch" but I'd like to know what makes a manufacturer confident the product would sell and what makes a buyer go for a bigger hatch.

As others have mentioned, the large hatches have length almost as much as sedans. The price diff. between a large hatch and a sedan isn't all that much either.

So why would one go for a large hatch? If space is a criteria, he COULD go for a sedan. If money is a concern, he COULD go for a hatch.

When/why does the market for a large hatch arise?

[harimakesh]

Ford Focus hatch will be a comfortable hatch with usable boot for Indian families.

In Kuwait suzuki Alto, hyundai i10+getz,Daihatsu Sirion, KIA piccanto hatch back cars are used as pitza takeaway food delivery vehicles.

With better buying power and personal economy eventually Indians will move forward for better, bigger, comfortable hatch back cars in the coming years. Govt must define 15ft length as small car.