[volkman10]

Volkswagen Taigun India to be Launched on Sept. 23rd.

Link

[NevGin]

Originally Posted by Stribog

This "large" market looking for driving pleasure seems to be minuscule in reality ....

And you are right. The market is small for those who eventually fork out the cash for such a car. As a demographic, many enthusiasts that look for driving pleasure, eventually let the head lead the heart. They will want to blend in practicality and convenience rather than just have something that is dynamically brilliant to drive.

For a mostly one car culture where we expect our car to do it all, this makes perfect sense.

[abhishek_hch]

Originally Posted by Stribog

The Kushaq sold 1,800 units in July, its LAUNCH month. It might hit 2-2.5k briefly before settling down in the 1,000-1,200 units mark monthly. Far short of the monthly 3k Skoda said it would hit.

My point was and is that the product is NOT compelling for 99% of the market and I stand by it.

We can argue in circles all day on how 'driving pleasure' is worth xyz 'goodies', but that is just an esoteric discussion restricted to auto forums. This "large" market looking for driving pleasure seems to be minuscule in reality as the numbers don't dictate any presence of this market.

I don't think even in VAG groups calculation the market for what they are trying to sell is "large", neither is it miniscule enough to be confined to 1%. It mostly lies somewhere in between. This is amply borne out by the fact that Skoda itself aims to sell only 10 % (2,500) odd vehicles every month for what Hyundai group sells (22,000-25,000).

Would they be able to sell 2,500 units a month for each of their two cars in the long term? I think Yes. There does seem to be a huge interest in both Taigun and Kushaq (especially the latter) not only on this forum but I see a neighbourhood Skoda showroom invariably full everytime I cross it.

It's also amply clear that VAG cousins offer significantly better driving experience and safety while Hyundai cousins offer better features, size and road presence. Neither are lacking completely on what they are weak at, it's just that competition is better. At the end of the day there are multiple value propositions and one picks what's one thinks is the best. Numbers in which a car one wants to buy notches up every month may matter for some (maybe the most), may not for others.

Originally Posted by ZB86

Even in comparison to other cars from the VW Group like the Rapid, Vento, Polo, there seems to be a perceptible drop in the overall quality of the interiors of the two twins.

I can't comment on Rapid and Vento but there is no way that the interiors of Kushaq are inferior to Rapid. I have seen the two cars in succession and IMHO this does not hold true.

[ZB86]

The kind of reception XUV 700 gets will define a lot on how the market is going to accept the VAG twins, and also force Tata and Korean twins to react. I understand the audience buying these cars is likely to be different, but there is the price factor which is going to play it's part.

I feel the Kushaq / Taigun combined in the most optimistic scenario can do about 4,000 units a month, but might settle around 3,000. It will have to deal with Creta and Seltos at that price point. The sales for these two will have to come at the expense of Creta / Seltos. The Korean twins may not be the best car out there, but the overall package is hard to ignore and it does get a lot of things right. Whatever we have to say about their safety aspect, both are really loaded and one can recommend to anyone for city drive. Owning a Hyundai car generally is fuss free and the pre/post sales experience by and large is good. All these factors play such a big role for most of the average buyer out there. Add to this, the XUV 700 looks certain to shake the market if it can manage a trouble free run for a year.

If we think Creta / Seltos is overpriced then it applies even more so to Kushaq / Taigun. Even in comparison to other cars from the VW Group like the Rapid, Vento, Polo, there seems to be a perceptible drop in the overall quality of the interiors of the two twins. When we look at the Karoq or T-Roc, one aspires to own them, it screams of quality inside out, but when I look at the Taigun, Kushaq, do I feel the same? Probably not. It does not take away anything from the safety aspect, dynamics and the refinement, that was never in question.

It is definitely good for the competition if the new VW twins succeed, and one hopes they really gain the confidence of the buyer with their after sales service.

[RD150]

The launch of XUV 700 at stellar prices has left VW with 2 options

1. Launch the Taigun at the exact same price of Kushaq. Additionally both VW/Skoda will have to offer some freebies like accessories/extended warranty/service package at no additional cost to attract the crowd.

2. If at all they launch the Taigun at a premium over the Kushaq, it should not be more than 25-30k. Also at the same time, they need to offer touch screen infotainment in base variant and further provide sunroof from mid variant to justify the premium.

This is the only way the VAG group will be able to sell 4k units of both combined.

[abhishek_hch]

Originally Posted by RD150

The launch of XUV 700 at stellar prices has left VW with 2 options

Despite all the excitement around XUV700 prices, still think that the primary competition for VAG duo remain the Hyundai cousins. There is a large, pretty large section of the market that won't buy a Mahindra car, perhaps won't touch it even with a barge pole no matter how attractive the price, features, engine & drive.

[Goldenboy]

Originally Posted by abhishek_hch

Despite all the excitement around XUV700 prices, still think that the primary competition for VAG duo remain the Hyundai cousins. There is a large, pretty large section of the market that won't buy a Mahindra car, perhaps won't touch it even with a barge pole no matter how attractive the price, features, engine & drive.

Would also add, it might well take a year or so (or even more) before the XUV 700 is widely available, given the semiconductor shortage. Given the price, wait times are probably going to be very long. So, the Korean and German twins may be able to snag impatient buyers based on their respective pre-sales experiences. Hyundai usually nails this, while Kia are a bit worse. VAG and Skoda really need to up their game.

[yadavsunil]

Originally Posted by ranjitht87

Hyundai made this mass market segment with Creta(And it has all the DNA of a hyundai). And the monopoly they enjoyed in this segment gave them freehand to charge a very high premium.

I have booked 1.5 L GT in Carbon Black colour. However am worried over the Website 360 degree preview shows this to be carrying RED interior. Can anyone clarify as VW has decided not to do a demo in NCR :(

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by abhishek_hch

Despite all the excitement around XUV700 prices, still think that the primary competition for VAG duo remain the Hyundai cousins.

Those who buy the Koreans cousins are unlikely to consider VAG. They will undoubtedly remain the best selling cars in the segment IMHO. This majority doesn't care to prioritize safety (over other parameters like reliability and features), and will always prefer the brand dependability of Hyundai and Kia.

Biggest rival for the VAG twins will be MG Astor IMHO, especially if they deliver on the rumoured 5-star safety rating. Safety will be one of the primary reasons to consider a VAG over the Koreans and the MG will most likely deliver it with a ton of features included too - like ADAS and a lower sticker price. (Hopefully) No need to compromise features and value for better safety.

And if it drives anywhere close to the MQB experience - then its truly game over.

[abhishek_hch]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Those who buy the Koreans cousins are unlikely to consider VAG. They will undoubtedly remain the best selling cars in the segment IMHO. This majority doesn't care to prioritize safety (over other parameters like reliability and features), and will always prefer the brand dependability of Hyundai and Kia.

Biggest rival for the VAG twins will be MG Astor IMHO, especially if they deliver on the rumoured 5-star safety rating. Safety will be one of the primary reasons to consider a VAG over the Koreans and the MG will most likely deliver it with a ton of features included too - like ADAS and a lower sticker price. (Hopefully) No need to compromise features and value for better safety.

And if it drives anywhere close to the MQB experience - then its truly game over.

Yes, completely agree that the Hyundai cousins will continue to rule the roost. Even between the two, I see quite a few metro dweller friends prefer Hyundai just because of perceived better reliability especially on ASS front

If Astor delivers on all these even with a slightly inferior drive, it's going to kill it.

Sincerely believe that Hyundai group could have made their cars safer and charged a higher price. Also believe that VAG group got confused chasing the Hyundais on price. Even they could have offered an all round package with 360 degree camera, panoramic roof, lane assist, ADAS et al and charged a bit more.

[androdev]

VW enjoys a certain premium brand perception similar to Toyota. Simply because VW and Toyota have always been the pricier options compared to Maruti and Hyundai. Most VW and Toyota buyers are buying what the brand stands for (Euro build, Japanese reliability, etc.). A VW customer is very likely to upgrade to a BMW and Toyota buyer to a Lexus (sadly Lexus is not a player in India due to crazy prices).

Hyundai doesn't yet enjoy such identity - it is just seen as a great value for money option, which of course is a trump card in Indian market. All that VW needs to do is to poach the Hyundai buyers - there will be plenty of them who will cross over to VW if they find an equivalent product with hassle free ownership. VW now has an equivalent product. They just have to prove that the ownership will be hassle free. If they manage to prove that, I am confident Hyundai group will lose customers to VW. That is the only way VW can improve their numbers - at the expense of Hyundai. Providing a hassle free ownership is a monumental challenge for VW, time will tell how this plays out.

Mahindra and TATA will not be in the picture because their customers prefer road presence.

[vinitbarve]

[quote=abhishek_hch;5133233
Even they could have offered an all round package with 360 degree camera, panoramic roof, lane assist, ADAS et al and charged a bit more.[/QUOTE]

Taigun GT (comparable to T-cross) will be priced closer to 18 ex- showroom, 2 airbag Kushaq is priced at 17.6 ex showroom. To put it in perspective, last year an European made CBU TROC was priced at 19.99. where is the scope for charging more?

[nimblemaster]

[quote=JishD;5132904]Had to fight for this one tooth and claw - I purchased from Ring Road Skoda Gurgaon. Still trying for the fabric foot mats, currently the 3D mats are available./quote]
Thanks! I haven't purchased the entire accessories kit but figured I'll buy the official mudflaps and body cover from Skoda. I too have got the 3D mats, they fit really well btw. Had to sneak inside the parts area at the workshop to get one set

I think the other official ones are also rubberized, just that they've got a cooler cube style design on them.

The guys in the Gurgaon store are selling accessories from their showroom directly?

[84.monsoon]

There are a lot of posts here that read like the story where the romantic hero, the Taigun, who looks good and is full of good habits and deeds, yet loses out to the more cunning and calculating villian, the Seltos.

Problem is, there is an even bigger hero who has just arrived and run away with the whole plot - the XUV 700!

[drivingmelody]

There was a plan for media drives of 1.0 TSI models as well. Is that happening for Taigun?

Maybe VW will directly announce the price structure for all the models after they complete the customer previews happening in the various cities.