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Old 21st November 2021, 07:24   #406
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Re: Skoda Slavia First Drive & Preview

Was following the posts and teasers leading up to the slated launch of the Slavia. Even following Hollis Paaji on Twiiter. I have been totally out of the car game for a while, but what sort of unveil is this? Checked with Ring Road Skoda in DT Megamall a couple of days after the 'launch'. There is no display car let alone one for test drive. I believe they don't expect one until late December/early January 2022. Oh yeah, and deliveries to begin in March-April 2022.
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Old 21st November 2021, 08:00   #407
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Re: Skoda Slavia First Drive & Preview

The problem Skoda will face with the Slavia pricing is that both City and Verna are very well specced. The Active, Ambition and Style variants will squarely compete against V, VX, and ZX variants of the City. In the case of Honda city, even the V variant has lot of features including 4 airbags, VX variant has 6 airbags, not sure if Ambition will get 6 airbags.

Slavia 1.0 top end has to be near the City's top end to succeed, below 15 lakhs for sure. But Skoda being Skoda will charge a premium (How dare you expect Skoda to price below competition), maybe something like 15.2 lakhs. That will be one lakh cheaper than Kushaq's top end. Add another 1.8 lakhs for the 1.5L + DSG combo, bringing the Ex-showroom to 17 lakhs.

Just worried that the Skoda will mess up the pricing. All the jargon like 'premium sedan', 'mini Octavia', 'bigger than first-gen Octavia' is hinting towards a premium pricing.
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Old 21st November 2021, 09:33   #408
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Re: Skoda Slavia First Drive & Preview

For those feel that interior should be all black, there is definitely a work around. I had made my Aspire full black from Color Glo Kerala for ₹50,000, 6 years back. Touchwood, it's holding on well. So for ₹1,00,000 you can get a full black interior on Slavia, including a black roof liner. If I were to buy Slavia, that's one thing I will do straight away. I can't live with a light coloured interior, nothing beats a full black interior. I think, two years down the line Skoda itself will come out with an all black interior special edition for Slavia!
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Old 21st November 2021, 10:12   #409
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Re: Skoda Slavia First Drive & Preview

Quote:
Originally Posted by umairalvi View Post
Seems like Skoda wants to kill the Octavia left, right and centre. People who were skeptical of buying the Octavia may now be drawn towards this younger sibling. The quality levels of Slavia may not be up to mark but it has two additional features that majority of the Indian car buyers go crazy about, the sunroof and the ventilated seats. Double cannibalization incoming for the Octavia. The Superb on top and the Slavia underneath.
It's like Skoda is betraying the Octavia brand in India. The brand that earned them all the name is being treated so badly.
I think Skoda has a pretty wide band where they can price the Slavia. Keeping aside the introductory prices, the Slavia would end up being priced +/- 25 k of the Honda City at the top end AT spec. There will not be much of a difference there.
Regarding the cannibalization I do not think a prospective buyer of the Octavia would look at either the Kushaq or the Slavia because the sunroof and other gimmicks aside, the quality of the interiors would be leagues ahead. Add the 2.0 TSI engine to the mix it is a no brainer if budget is not a concern.
I agree with your point regarding the higher end of their product portfolio. There could be quite a few buyers who could move to the Superb over the Octavia. Maybe they already are.

Last edited by Baddychat : 21st November 2021 at 10:13. Reason: Typo
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Old 21st November 2021, 10:51   #410
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Re: Skoda Slavia First Drive & Preview

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Originally Posted by Baddychat View Post
I think Skoda has a pretty wide band where they can price the Slavia. Keeping aside the introductory prices, the Slavia would end up being priced +/- 25 k of the Honda City at the top end AT spec. There will not be much of a difference there.
Regarding the cannibalization I do not think a prospective buyer of the Octavia would look at either the Kushaq or the Slavia because the sunroof and other gimmicks aside, the quality of the interiors would be leagues ahead. Add the 2.0 TSI engine to the mix it is a no brainer if budget is not a concern.
I agree with your point regarding the higher end of their product portfolio. There could be quite a few buyers who could move to the Superb over the Octavia. Maybe they already are.
The latter is happening already. The Superb has been outselling the Octavia since launch by about 30-40 units. It will be interesting to see if the Octavia can do similar numbers after the launch of the Slavia. I still feel that the Slavia nicely fills the void of the 1.5 TSI Octavia which could have been offered at a marginally lower price point compared to the 2.0 litre engine. Now, there is no point offering the same.
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Old 21st November 2021, 12:38   #411
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Re: Skoda Slavia First Drive & Preview

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Originally Posted by umairalvi View Post
The latter is happening already. The Superb has been outselling the Octavia since launch by about 30-40 units. It will be interesting to see if the Octavia can do similar numbers after the launch of the Slavia. I still feel that the Slavia nicely fills the void of the 1.5 TSI Octavia which could have been offered at a marginally lower price point compared to the 2.0 liter engine. Now, there is no point in offering the same.
Point well made. To give an idea Citroen C5 made Jeep (which is overpriced) look better value for money. There are quite a few folks who bought TROC post-Taigun and Kushaq launch. It really depends on the pricing of this car. The key to its success also lies in this formulae.

If one can look past the initial noise on pricing and once the discount kick in 6-9 months down the line it will look like a far better value proposition. Next-generation sedans are a good upgrade for folks coming from Rapid, Vento, Polo.

There is still a sizeable chunk of buyers between 18-25L OTR price bracket. B2B traffic is unforgiving on FE for a 2.0L engine. 1.5L engine is fuel-efficient and ticks all the right boxes for city runs with AT box and also offers a bit of fun factor(power to weight ratio). The ideal use case for a family of 4 and where the vehicle is run 70% time in the city.

Oh, boy Kushaq was again slogged for not having GNCAP ratings. There is no such clamor for this vehicle at the moment. What worries me is that VW group can transport India-made cars all the way to LA for some award but can't sponsor vehicles for GNCAP? TATA and Mahindra are aiming for 5 stars GNCAP and VAG group aims for 4 stars with the India model. Tables have turned indeed.

I won't trust the safety aspect of these India models until there is concrete independent data to back it up.

Last edited by CircleOfLife : 21st November 2021 at 12:41.
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Old 21st November 2021, 14:47   #412
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Re: Skoda Slavia targets Honda City; aims 3k monthly sales

Even half those numbers would be an achievement. With reliability issues of kushaq things just got worse for them. They need to get that act sorted first and of course pricing would be the key.

But yeah the car does look way better than City and the 150bhp version does look enticing
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Old 21st November 2021, 16:57   #413
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Re: Skoda Slavia targets Honda City; aims 3k monthly sales

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Originally Posted by SoumenD View Post
Even half those numbers would be an achievement. With reliability issues of kushaq things just got worse for them. They need to get that act sorted first and of course pricing would be the key.

But yeah the car does look way better than City and the 150bhp version does look enticing
Could you kindly list the "reliability issues" Kushaq is currently having?
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Old 21st November 2021, 17:05   #414
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Re: Skoda Slavia targets Honda City; aims 3k monthly sales

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Could you kindly list the "reliability issues" Kushaq is currently having?
Its all over the forum and on net. Not sure if that query was sarcasm but here you go.

This is a dedicated thread:

Link (Skoda Kushaq breakdowns & problems)

The review thread also has loads of content on the same.

Last edited by SoumenD : 21st November 2021 at 17:06.
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Old 21st November 2021, 17:12   #415
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Re: Skoda Slavia targets Honda City; aims 3k monthly sales

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Originally Posted by SoumenD View Post
Its all over the forum and on net. Not sure if that query was sarcasm but here you go.

This is a dedicated thread:

Link (Skoda Kushaq breakdowns & problems)

The review thread also has loads of content on the same.
It is definitely not a sarcasm mate. I genuinely wanted to know what are the issues. I am an owner by the way. The only issue I knew was the EPC issue which I believe is not being reported now. I have not come across any breakdowns across our forum. The rest are niggles that probably will be ironed out. Like the roofliner quality. So was quite keen to know what other issues are currently plaguing it.
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Old 21st November 2021, 18:44   #416
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Re: Skoda Slavia targets Honda City; aims 3k monthly sales

Skoda Auto India 2021 - 2022 is the Honda India of 2000. It is dynamic, well driven and pursuing capturing the market with good products. It is ironing out their service issues, sales issues and adding dealers and identifying gaps in their product portfolio. I would expect the Enyaq to come to India as soon as 2022-2023 and be an instant hit at a price point of 30-35 lacs INR with the higher battery pack which gives it 500 kms of range.

People can point out Kushaq issues but let me say that the company quickly identified their problem and sorted it out and even sorted out the anomaly of the 6 airbag issue in the top end auto model. Yes the problem should not have occurred in the first place but what is important is that they identified it and fixed it quickly without being arrogant about it like the other manufacturers do including Indian manufacturers who have terrible parts reliability issues. We all know that Hyundai India does this same nonsense of providing only 2 airbags with its top end auto model but even after 5 years and changing the product they did not bother to fix that anomaly - in my books that shows arrogance and lets not forget the lack of 5 star crash rating safety of all their products including Kia India.

Honda India has lost its way and this comes from a brand loyalist, heck even Toyota India has lost its way but they will sustain in India with their Suzuki branded Belta / Glanza tin cans and their Fortuner / Innova combo. I doubt Toyota India is giving us a Rav4 or Prius or new Corolla Cross or CHR or anything exciting anytime soon from their global portfolio and if they mistakenly do, it will be at some stratospheric price only the tourism industry will be able to afford with their customs duty waivers.

If Skoda India can keep the supplies steady, fix reliability issues if at all any, fix service costs, then the market will reward them. A quick comparison if I may, a test drive of Camry Hybrid over rumbler strips / humps on the highway shows the Camry bobbing up down nervously but the Skoda Superb rides flat and demolishes them without any nervous movement - that shows how well they are tuned for our road conditions and that is something commendable.

Last edited by M00M : 21st November 2021 at 18:46.
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Old 21st November 2021, 18:52   #417
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Re: Skoda Slavia targets Honda City; aims 3k monthly sales

Skoda is infamous for screwing up the pricing. They'll just not be able to match up to Ciaz and City prices. The Slavia will definitely be positioned at a higher price band. Maybe some really no-frills version might land up in the mid-trims of the two market leaders.

Also, 3000 units is a more than ambitious target. No doubt Zac Hollis and team has turned over a new leaf in the history of Skoda India, but with the recent fiasco of Kushaq, the trust in the brand has again taken a hit.

IMHO, Skoda should stick to the premium segment to retain it's brand image and not set unrealistic dreams.
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Old 21st November 2021, 20:12   #418
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Re: Skoda Slavia targets Honda City; aims 3k monthly sales

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Originally Posted by IamNikhil View Post
Skoda is infamous for screwing up the pricing. They'll just not be able to match up to Ciaz and City prices..
Slavia is not a Ciaz competitor, heck the City is not a Ciaz competitor either. What is the Ciaz ? A big car with a tiny engine from a common parts bin and outdated AMT 4 speed which neither provides safety or fuel efficiency or latest technology or even comfort for that matter. Even Maruti knows this but they don’t have any other option right now so they will keep whipping this product called Ciaz and bleed it dry till they can.

Car prices are going through the roof, I agree because of few factors globally: chip prices, spare prices and demand and supply disparities. The Superb was purchased by GTO after discount for 35 all inclusive, today you will be lucky if you can buy it at 37. A BMW 530i m sport was available for 52 on road in 2020 January, today it’s more than 75 on road, similar stories throughout the car world. Blame the demand, lack of supplies and chip crisis. Why else would used car values jump up in prices ? Neither is Skoda trying to retain value pricing anymore as they have realised that competition is missing therefore they’re trying to charge more and then give you a discount like all the German brands are famous for. You can get a cool lac off on the Octavia easily right now.

I blame Honda / Toyota, even Hyundai / Kia for this situation, as they have removed products or provided unsafe products which puts more value on products from Skoda VW and more demand on them. Good for them but market will decide whether they are comfortable to spend more or give their products a miss and so far market is willing to spend a little more as long as the product is good and safe.
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Old 21st November 2021, 20:27   #419
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Re: Skoda Slavia First Drive & Preview

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Originally Posted by nukeblitz View Post

Also, can anyone make out if the stalks are LHD or RHD config?

EDIT: RHD config as expected.
Turn indicator-dipper stalk is on left while that of the wiper is on right. So it is essentially that of LHD which drives on the right. I am totally uncomfortable with this. Some of the Ford & Chevrolet vehicles came with this configuration in India but was not aware about others. As we in India drive on the left (RHD vehicles), stalk position should be placed accordingly.
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Old 21st November 2021, 21:44   #420
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Re: Skoda Slavia First Drive & Preview

Hey folks, any news on when comprehensive reviews will be coming out?
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