[GKR9900]

I feel that Tata could have priced the Bolt more aggressively. Face it Tata, your reputation isn't really the best in the business! Bolt is a great product no doubt, but they should've swept prospective customers off their feet with some irresistibly great pricing. Rather, they've encouraged the customer to peep into neighboring price brackets. Thought processes like if I pay more money I can get a Zest , naturally proceeds to considering the Swift/Dzire. A bit more pondering brings the other competitors into the picture as well. 9 times out of 10 this might lead to kicking the Bolt off the list, just because of the public mindset about Tata.

What they should've done is price it very VERY aggressively. Let more cars into the road , let the public see what a great product it is, and how well it stacks up against the Swift. Create that hype in the common man's mind, not just us enthusiasts. And by the time the Kite siblings arrive, increase the price and reap more profits. Isn't that how usually these things work?!! :P

[chncar]

Originally Posted by safari_lover

There's no regulation for compulsory ABS on cars today. I think he means that.
Not sure if there's anything majorly different between the ABS systems on Bolt and its competitors.

It has 'Corner Stability Control', also called Corner Brake Control, wherein the ABS helps control the car while braking during cornering maneuvers.

[GrammarNazi]

Disappointed.

Not only does the Bolt comes short on the kit offered compared to ZEST, mechanically a Diesel FGT (75ps) requires a substantially low costs with the equipment.

IMHO this has taken away the one reason I admired the brand TATA i.e. VFM offerings, the ONE place that consumers won before.

[aniketi]

Poor Tata, whatever they do, good or bad, people are ready to criticize them. Frankly speaking i don't find anything wrong in Bolt pricing. In the top end model they have too many high end features and that is why its costly. But XMS also offers most of the features that others give in their top end model. XMS is real VFM in my opinion. It has most of the features that competition has including safety features like air bags, ABS and is at really good value for money what you pay. I have seen Zest which my Uncle bought recently and i can tell you that its a super car. Quality is top notch. Bolt will be similar. Hope Tata will sell Bolt in good numbers. Best of luck

[safari_lover]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Thats actually a tall task IMO. Zest with all its brilliance seems to be settling down around the 3.5k mark.

I'd stick my neck out and predict that the sales for the Bolt will settle down around the 1500 mark and nothing more. Moreover, it will be slowly slide to become a sales flop once the Kite sedan is released.

Tough pill to swallow I guess. Dont flame me just yet. I will be around in the coming months as well.

Considering that the Vista did around 5K for quite some time in the past and that without a competent Petrol model, I do believe the Bolt will fare equally well if not better.

Yes the Kite sedan may have an effect but that's still some time away. The Bolt could be due for a refresh by then.

In any case, the next three months will tell us if it's Bolting into or Bolting out of the market

[abhi29]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Isn't that how usually these things work?!! :P

That's precisely the point.

Just look at the case of Ford Ecosport, launched at a very aggressive price and as it gained momentum, prices were hiked, INR weakening was another contributing factor but the percentage hike was huge.

Despite the low starting price, did anybody ever call it 'cheap' ? did Ecosport have to resort to high pricing for brand building ? It still is a best-seller despite the price hike.

Why could not Tata do this with Bolt, they desperately need to create inroads, push their cars in good numbers to begin with and then let customers do the talking. If the product is good and has satisfied customers down the line, people will be willing to pay better for it.

[narayan]

Originally Posted by safari_lover

Considering that the Vista did around 5K for quite some time in the past and that without a competent Petrol model, I do believe the Bolt will fare equally well if not better.

S_l - the number you quoted above ( if from the monthly sales chart ), is actually Indica + Vista. Tata motors reports these numbers together. Also the Vista had a TDI engine which I believe used to contribute to a lot of the sales ( although I cant substantiate it with numbers but broadly I spot more TDI Vistas on road than QJDs ).

The Bolt with this pricing is going no where near those numbers.

In this segment, Maruti, Hyundai and Honda have a far better reputation for their petrol engines. While the Revotron has been branded and marketed better than ANY OF TATA'S PETROL ENGINES SO FAR, I still see the interest levels fading off very soon.

[perty]

Originally Posted by abhi29

That's precisely the point.

Just look at the case of Ford Ecosport, launched at a very aggressive price and as it gained momentum, prices were hiked, INR weakening was another contributing factor but the percentage hike was huge.

Why could not Tata do this with Bolt, they desperately need to create inroads, push their cars in good numbers to begin with and then let customers do the talking. If the product is good and has satisfied customers down the line, people will be willing to pay better for it.

Spot on.
The same strategy was adopted for the Duster also.
Use the price weapon to bring the crowds into the showrooms. If the product is good, it will translate to higher sales (Ecosport, Duster). If the product is not good, no amount of killer pricing can save it (Datsun Go).

IMO a 4L ex-showroom 'introductory' starting price would have set fire to the charts. Considering that an Alto K10 costs ~4.0L to ~5.0L OTR in BLR, the Bolt starting at 4.0L would have tempted Alto buyers as well, a massive market by numbers. The way it's been positioned now, it looks set to turn into an 'also ran' in the hatchback segment. To be clear, one of the cars I drive on a regular basis is a Tata car and I love the practicality of their offerings. With this product, they had an opportunity to really give the Swift a run for it's money but it doesnt look like that is going to happen with this pricing.

[safari_lover]

Originally Posted by narayan

S_l - the number you quoted above ( if from the monthly sales chart ), is actually Indica + Vista. Tata motors reports these numbers together. Also the Vista had a TDI engine which I believe used to contribute to a lot

No, narayan, the number I quoted was not from monthly sales chart. During one of the facelift launches of the Vistas, Tata Motors mentioned that they had sold around 80K Vistas in about previous 12-14 months, IIRC.

I am not saying that the pricing is perfect. I just don't think it'll be a flop because of it. I could be totally wrong though. For now, let's wait and watch the success/failure story unfold.

[shortbread]

I expected that TML wont be giving the Bolt some sort of an amazing introductory price. Tata needs the window open below the 4.5 lac range because of the product launches in the pipeline.

Nano - 2-2.5 lacs

Project Pelican - 2.5-3.5 lacs

Project Dolphin - 3.5-5 lacs

Bolt - 4.5 lac +

Tata needs to play the game sensibly, even if they make the Bolt cheaper, as soon as the Bolt gets any sort of traction and maruti sees the slightest dent (highly unlikely) in Swift sales, they will simply increase the offers on Swift. Tata will simply end up taking a hit on both volumes and profits.

Tata's recovery will never be an overnight wonder, it swill be painful and time consuming.



Long term I think TML should be open to the idea of acquiring a controlling stake in another mainstream brand or maybe go into a merger deal with highly favourable terms.

With the commercial vehicle business expected to pick up nationally and JLR expected to double its volumes, TML's profits will see a spike. And if their rejig of the domestic passenger car portfolio works then even better.

Presently with profits at $2.3 billion annually (compared to Suzuki globally @ $819 mill and Mahindra @ approx $600 mill), TML is in a very very healthy position, albeit mostly down to JLR. Nonetheless the future is very promising.

Why not consider taking over another player, eg. Mitsubishi, Mazda or Suzuki even (VW will play spoilsport). These companies do value their independence but they cannot continue on their own for long. TML on the other hand need a mid level brand to fill the gap between Tata and JLR, as well as an alternative brand name for the Indian market.

Just a thought.

[madhu33]

Originally Posted by safari_lover

I am not saying that the pricing is perfect. I just don't think it'll be a flop because of it. I could be totally wrong though. For now, let's wait and watch the success/failure story unfold.

+1.
Even at this price, lets say, if i was in the market for a hatch, i would have gone for the BOLT Xt over a certain Swift ZXi.
I have owned a swift VXI. It rattled like anything , i could not live with it for more than 3 1/2 years(2007 to2010).
The ride quality was pathetic. Bolt rides a lot better.
Also i seriously feel that the the handling of the swift is highly overrated. (nobody mentions the pathetic braking it had)
Bolt is definitely at par in the handling department.
Emergency braking situation, i would any day prefer to be driving a bolt rather than a swift.
Most importantly, i am 5'11", i drive with drivers seat stretched as far back as possible, thereby rendering the backseat of the swift behind me almost useless. With the TATA bolt, Zest, MANZA etc... this is a non issue.
Bolt scores on these fronts.
(lets not bring the HK music system and other goodies of the bolt that can be an icing on the cake but not a deal maker)
The only silver lining in the swift ownership was ,
i could fetch 3.5 Lacs from it in 2010 (2007 VXi model-27000kms).
I doubt my Manza will fetch me that much. (2011 aura abs model).
But hey, the Manza is lasting me as good as new at 4 years and 50K kms, So i am not that much bothered.

Originally Posted by shortbread

Tata needs to play the game sensibly, even if they make the Bolt cheaper, as soon as the Bolt gets any sort of traction and maruti sees the slightest dent (highly unlikely) in Swift sales, they will simply increase the offers on Swift. Tata will simply end up taking a hit on both volumes and profits.

Exactly.

Originally Posted by shortbread

Tata's recovery will never be an overnight wonder, it swill be painful and time consuming.

yes they have to "LAGERAHO".
Seems they have pulled up their socks a bit late. The Zest and the Bolt should have happened in 2012.
Nevertheless , they now have to struggle a litle longer to be back in the mainstream. Not that they don't have the pockets, but the willingness and prolonged struggle phase they have to counter now.

Originally Posted by shortbread

Long term I think TML should be open to the idea of acquiring a controlling stake in another mainstream brand or maybe go into a merger deal with highly favourable terms.

With the commercial vehicle business expected to pick up nationally and JLR expected to double its volumes, TML's profits will see a spike. And if their rejig of the domestic passenger car portfolio works then even better.

Presently with profits at $2.3 billion annually (compared to Suzuki globally @ $819 mill and Mahindra @ approx $600 mill), TML is in a very very healthy position, albeit mostly down to JLR. Nonetheless the future is very promising.

Why not consider taking over another player, eg. Mitsubishi, Mazda or Suzuki even (VW will play spoilsport). These companies do value their independence but they cannot continue on their own for long. TML on the other hand need a mid level brand to fill the gap between Tata and JLR, as well as an alternative brand name for the Indian market.
Just a thought.

A very interesting perspective that. TML..are you reading this. If not a global acquisition , may be Indian JV sort of an agreement.

[SKavuri]

The gleaming blue Bolt at Autoexpo2014 caught a lot of attention.
I am surprised and disappointed the blue is not available. No black either, though the grey is a dark shade.



Available colors from Tatabolt website:

[thehighwayman]

Haven't driven the car yet but as far as looks are concerned, this car somehow disappoints me . Tata engineers started with a clean slate while designing this car however they ended up with a car that is so reminiscent of the older sibling Indica. The rear especially is just plain dull. Would have loved if the Tata engineers were a bit more imaginative in their design and styled the rear more aggressively.This really would have appealed to today's youth a lot more.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Putting a small little fly in your soup.
This was put up about two pages ago-

Just a small little fly? With that kind of vision, it's more like an eagle! Or perhaps that fabulous feline in your avatar, which can see things even in the dark.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I'd stick my neck out and predict that the sales for the Bolt will settle down around the 1500 mark and nothing more. Moreover, it will be slowly slide to become a sales flop once the Kite sedan is released.

The buzz seems to have gone down on this thread. I guess the prices were a dampener. Perhaps folks were expecting a killer pricing (like the Zest's) and were disappointed when it didn't turn out that way. 1,500 units/month is a reasonable estimate.

To be fair, the pricing is by no means horrible! When compared to its direct competitors, the Bolt's top XT variant is priced bang in between the Grand i10 Asta(O) and the Swift Z_i. The XT's tag may not be smashing.

However, thanks to the fact that both the Grand i10 and the Swift (inexplicably & stupidly!) offer airbags only on the highest trim level , the Bolt XMS (2 airbags & ABS, plus Bluetooth-enabled audio with steering-mounted controls) looks like an excellent value-for-money deal in this segment. The main factor against the pricing of the Bolt XMS is that the Zest XMS costs only a little more.

I'm not sure about the Kite sedan thing. It would surely sell more than the Bolt as it's going to be aimed at the taxi/fleet operators as a replacement to the aging Indigo CS, but the Kite sedan would be to the Bolt what the Indigo CS was to the Vista (i.e. an older platform with not-as-capable engines). I'd pick the Bolt over the Kite sedan any day, even if the latter were to be cheaper!

[akhil.sharma]

With the Bolt launching on 22nd, I’ve drawn up a comparison of the hatchbacks in the same segment.

Clearly, the i10 Grand isn’t in the running. The Swift starts at a higher range but the specs of the Bolt seems to put the buyer at an advantage of around 50K at least – the Revotron engine is more powerful, the Bolt has better torque and it has an extra year’s warranty in comparison with the Swift. Seems to be the best buy in the bucket