[evilshantanu]

I got a call from VW head office, and the news is not at all good.

It seems that I will get my vehicle delivery only in the month of March, that is a good 5 months of painful waiting. I booked the vehicle on 17th Oct 2010. The lady told me again that there is some problem on the Highline diesel production line, due to which the vehicles booked in September 2010 and early October 2010 will be delivered in the month of Feb 2011, and subsequently the vehicles booked in mid-late Oct 2010, and early Nov 2010 will be delivered in the mponth of March.

We can also see this trend in the delivery in Mumbai. Svis booked his vehicle in mid Sept 2010 and is getting the delivery in Feb 2011

[TopSpeeder]

Atleast now you know when you can expect the delivery. But I expect this information should have delivered by them through email/post before you asked for it.

Looks like mine will be in April/May.

[motorhead5]

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

It seems that I will get my vehicle delivery only in the month of March, that is a good 5 months of painful waiting. I booked the vehicle on 17th Oct 2010. The lady told me again that there is some problem on the Highline diesel production line, due to which the vehicles booked in September 2010 and early October 2010 will be delivered in the month of Feb 2011, and subsequently the vehicles booked in mid-late Oct 2010, and early Nov 2010 will be delivered in the mponth of March.

Before that, I will be able to finalize some of the other options. hopefully, some good used car deals.

Today too I had a very bad experience with the dealer. Waited for nearly 25 mins in the line to talk to the sales manager (Elite motors, Hosur road). Ended up talking to 3-4 diff reception folks to hear that he does not have time to talk if its related to delivery issues and they will deliver the car as soon as it gets delivered to them. Wow!

Its a cool situation - Sales exec and GM resigned, Sales manager who is not ready to talk. Bunch of reception girls, who are ready to talk, but don't know what to talk..

[evilshantanu]

Originally Posted by motorhead5

Before that, I will be able to finalize some of the other options. hopefully, some good used car deals.

Today too I had a very bad experience with the dealer. Waited for nearly 25 mins in the line to talk to the sales manager (Elite motors, Hosur road). Ended up talking to 3-4 diff reception folks to hear that he does not have time to talk if its related to delivery issues and they will deliver the car as soon as it gets delivered to them. Wow!

Its a cool situation - Sales exec and GM resigned, Sales manager who is not ready to talk. Bunch of reception girls, who are ready to talk, but don't know what to talk..

Atleast things are much better at Bangalore Motors. The sales person picks up the call.
I will PM / mail you the contact details. I think that should give you a fair idea of the wait period.

I think i will wait for it, sow since I have waited this long.....

[cuteavaya]

I have booked a silver Highline TDI on 15 th Jan in New Delhi and so far the VW dealer is swearing he will get it to me in max 2 months. However going by the feedback here, I have now started doubting him.

I mean everyone here says 4-5 months in bangalore, mumbai, cochin etc. Is Delhi really so different? I dont think he can get me a car in 2 months. I would have liked him to be honest and tell me what the real timelines is. Having said that if he does get me a delivery in 2 months, it ll be a miracle.

Anyone from delhi here who has just taken delivery or has a booking in place?

[evilshantanu]

Originally Posted by cuteavaya

I have booked a silver Highline TDI on 15 th Jan in New Delhi and so far the VW dealer is swearing he will get it to me in max 2 months. However going by the feedback here, I have now started doubting him.

I mean everyone here says 4-5 months in bangalore, mumbai, cochin etc. Is Delhi really so different? I dont think he can get me a car in 2 months. I would have liked him to be honest and tell me what the real timelines is. Having said that if he does get me a delivery in 2 months, it ll be a miracle.

Anyone from delhi here who has just taken delivery or has a booking in place?

I don't think that he can give you a car in 2 months time, I guess he is bluffing.
I had a chat with some people in the production plant and they are also of the opinion that wait periods for a Highline right now could be anywhere between 4-5 months. VW palace cross has stopped taking the bookings for any Highline diesel vehicles, if they do that, it is with the disclaimer that the vehicle would take atleast 5 months to be delivered.

This is really surprising, the car was launched in August 2010, and still people who booked in September 2010 are getting the delivery. This feels like the age old Bajaj Chetak days. I think somebody also told that the Chakan plant is also producing a lot of Beetles for the European markets, well that might be also one of the reasons for the bottle neck apart from the new Skoda Fabia, which is also manufactured in their Chakan plant

[cuteavaya]

Hmm.Do you think there would be a difference in delivery time due to diff in demand in Delhi vs Bangalore? (btw Etios in Delhi has a wait period of 10 months and I went to the showroom just for fun, however it was overwhelming to see the amount of customers there even now after 2 months of launch.must be atleast 10 families looking at the car at the same time on a tuesday morning)

Although a risky strategy but many people believe VW is deliberately creating a bottleneck so that there is a general feeling of high demand and an aura is created. Many would say this may backfire, but such tactics do work to some extent. I know first hand that dealers (and not companies) use them in punjab. Maruti and SUV cars (fortuner,pajero) etc which are a big hit in punjab are such a case.Dealers charge big "black" amounts for delivery.

Indian consumer is a wierd lot and we do have a "hoard" mentality, so a car in demand does appeal more to many people (not all but most)

[ritzy]

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

I don't think that he can give you a car in 2 months time, I guess he is bluffing.
I had a chat with some people in the production plant and they are also of the opinion that wait periods for a Highline right now could be anywhere between 4-5 months. VW palace cross has stopped taking the bookings for any Highline diesel vehicles, if they do that, it is with the disclaimer that the vehicle would take atleast 5 months to be delivered.

This is really surprising, the car was launched in August 2010, and still people who booked in September 2010 are getting the delivery. This feels like the age old Bajaj Chetak days. I think somebody also told that the Chakan plant is also producing a lot of Beetles for the European markets, well that might be also one of the reasons for the bottle neck apart from the new Skoda Fabia, which is also manufactured in their Chakan plant

Lest dubbed as a VW spokesperson, I would like to pour my mind on this supply constraint
1. Who would have have guessed that a car brand, that had such a low brand awareness a year back, would sell this good? Remember, they brought Beetle to India just to create brand awareness that they lacked. The earlier conservative capacity planning IMO wasn't insane. Lets accept it - the market has responded mindblowingly for VW.
2. Why single out VW? Maruti, which is in this country for as long as I am, is still keeping it's customer waiting for months for some cars which are already in the market for many years now. According to recent TOI report, coming years will be even more difficult if ancillary manufacturers don't ramp-up capacity in line with OEMs.
3. Any production plant takes time to reach its rated capacity. This can vary from some to several months. The story remains the same, be it Toyota (The best in the world as far as production system is concerned) or VW. Someone informed last week that Toyota Etios production is - 150 numbers/ day. The rated capacity of that plant is some 200K/yr. I think they are doing very good. But have they realised the full capacity as of now? Nopes!! It will be interesting to see when they do that seeing the demand for their car.

And yeah, the new Beetle comes in India through CBU route & not assembled locally.

[Svis]

Originally Posted by ritzy

Lest dubbed as a VW spokesperson, I would like to pour my mind on this supply constraint
1. Who would have have guessed that a car brand, that had such a low brand awareness a year back, would sell this good? Remember, they brought Beetle to India just to create brand awareness that they lacked. The earlier conservative capacity planning IMO wasn't insane. Lets accept it - the market has responded mindblowingly for VW.
2. Why single out VW? Maruti, which is in this country for as long as I am, is still keeping it's customer waiting for months for some cars which are already in the market for many years now. According to recent TOI report, coming years will be even more difficult if ancillary manufacturers don't ramp-up capacity in line with OEMs.
3. Any production plant takes time to reach its rated capacity. This can vary from some to several months. The story remains the same, be it Toyota (The best in the world as far as production system is concerned) or VW. Someone informed last week that Toyota Etios production is - 150 numbers/ day. The rated capacity of that plant is some 200K/yr. I think they are doing very good. But have they realised the full capacity as of now? Nopes!! It will be interesting to see when they do that seeing the demand for their car.

And yeah, the new Beetle comes in India through CBU route & not assembled locally.

Agree partly Ritzy, but I guess the bigger issue is not delayed delivery but the complete callous and unprofessional behaviour we seem to see with dealer personnel. Delays I guess all of us are resigned to given the high demand market. But I do think given the status of their brand, VW should've taken much more efforts in dealer training and supervision. Case in point - Honda dealers

Btw thanks guys for the PDI tips!

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Svis

Agree partly Ritzy, but I guess the bigger issue is not delayed delivery but the complete callous and unprofessional behaviour we seem to see with dealer personnel. Delays I guess all of us are resigned to given the high demand market. But I do think given the status of their brand, VW should've taken much more efforts in dealer training and supervision. Case in point - Honda dealers

Absolutely agree with the bold part. I feel a little sorry for the dealership staff- they're human too. Have been saying from the beginning that supply constraints are the company's problem. With the Jetta and Passat, VW dealers were selling- what?- a handful of cars a month? Compare that situation to tday where the Polo and Vento are both going great guns in terms of offtakes. I haven't exactly had the most stellar buying experience myself but I wouldn't blame the dealers completely for that. VW has to take lion's share of the responsibility.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by ritzy

1. Who would have have guessed that a car brand, that had such a low brand awareness a year back, would sell this good?

Simple: VW should have done. This is not another Passat, or eve Jetta, to sell to a limited market, it is an attempt to enter the Indian mass market. How can any company enter a mass market if they do not have, or cannot make, a mass of vehicles to sell? Success is not an excuse!

2. Why single out VW? Maruti, which is in this country for as long as I am, is still keeping it's customer waiting for months for some cars which are already in the market for many years now.

True, and it is bad. I was unhappy with having to wait just a few weeks for my diesel Swift, three years ago: things should be better now, but apparently they are worse. However, Maruti's overall reputation is established. It is more than established: it is an intrinsic part of Indian society!

VW, on the other hand, as sellers of cars to the mass market, will be judged for a long time on what is happening right now. Especially in the wake of bad publicity for Skoda.

It is not just what they are doing, it is how they are handling it. In a few months, I have gone from dreaming of a VW to feeling rather reluctant to even visit their showroom.

3. Any production plant takes time to reach its rated capacity

Management, planning, management, planning, management, planning. It's their business, and they are not looking very good at it.

[ritzy]

Originally Posted by Svis

Agree partly Ritzy, but I guess the bigger issue is not delayed delivery but the complete callous and unprofessional behaviour we seem to see with dealer personnel. Delays I guess all of us are resigned to given the high demand market. But I do think given the status of their brand, VW should've taken much more efforts in dealer training and supervision. Case in point - Honda dealers

Btw thanks guys for the PDI tips!

. I've never corroborated the dealer attitude. IMO, VW should have respectfully deined new bookings like Toyota did for the Fortuner.
I was trying to answer the particular comment with regards to supply constraints and equivalence drawn with Bajaj days.

[mxx]

Originally Posted by ritzy

2. Why single out VW? Maruti, which is in this country for as long as I am, is still keeping it's customer waiting for months for some cars which are already in the market for many years now. According to recent TOI report, coming years will be even more difficult if ancillary manufacturers don't ramp-up capacity in line with OEMs.

This situation is true. Forbes India magazine had an article about shortage of auto components which I have mentioned in the thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-industry.html. Infact, the article mentions polo/vento and fortuner.
Add to this that VW is a new entrant and has very low volumes compared to Maruti or Hyundai, their bargaining power with component manufacturers will be lower.
But I dont think VW did not anticipate this demand. Their eyes were clearly set on Honda City pie, which sells around 4000 units, going by the pricing of the different models. The issue is ramping up production, which may be partly caused by the reason mentioned above.

[noopster]

Hey guys, my Vento AT is registered and at the dealer's. Taking delivery tomorrow. I couldn't resist so went down for a quick inspection and everything looks OK. Awesome new car smell, 27.5km on the odo, Apollo Acelere tyres (was dreading JK or Goodyear!). Accessories are being fitted and I got a couple of quick snaps on my mobile camera.

My first view of the new baby:




This is one chick who looks better from da back




Sorry for the quality, will obviously post much better ones on my own ownership thread, coming soon!

[motorhead5]

Originally Posted by ritzy

2. Why single out VW? Maruti, which is in this country for as long as I am, is still keeping it's customer waiting for months for some cars which are already in the market for many years now. According to recent TOI report, coming years will be even more difficult if ancillary manufacturers don't ramp-up capacity in line with OEMs.
3. Any production plant takes time to reach its rated capacity. This can vary from some to several months. The story remains the same, be it Toyota (The best in the world as far as production system is concerned) or VW. Someone informed last week that Toyota Etios production is - 150 numbers/ day. The rated capacity of that plant is some 200K/yr. I think they are doing very good. But have they realised the full capacity as of now? Nopes!! It will be interesting to see when they do that seeing the demand for their car.

I went ahead and booked the car expecting delivery delays. So that is not the issue here. The issue is that the dealer is not being professional and is avoiding any discussion. They could always explain the reason in a professional manner so that customers could take informed decisions. Most customers will appreciate that in the long term, though there will be short term disappointments. That is where VW as a company should act and pull the dealers up.

Originally Posted by noopster

Hey guys, my Vento AT is registered and at the dealer's. Taking delivery tomorrow.

Very happy to see one more delighted note, finally. Congrats dude.