[Amit_breakfree]

I have just booked Swift Vxi (O) last Saturday.

The situation is same, Vxi is being delivered in 3 weeks while Vxi (O) will take almost 2 months to be delivered. I was tempted to go for Vxi due to less waiting period but after thinking hard I dropped the plan and booked Vxi (O) only. Long term safety is more important that waiting for an extra couple of weeks.

But the SA at Varun Motor, Financial District, Hyderabad was really good and he made it clear at the first instance only that waiting period will be more and he has told that he'll try to get the car ASAP.

On a separate note, why does Maruti needs to sell Vxi variants, Airbags and ABS should be made standard and Vxi (O) should be the new Vxi. I don't think people will mind paying 20-25,000 extra for additional safety.

[batman]

Originally Posted by Yeldo

Even when there was ABS option on the price list for the first generation Swift, the waiting periods for ABS equipped vehicles were double that of the non - ABS variants.

When we bought our first car in Oct' 2006, a first generation Swift VXI with ABS, I was specifically insisting for the ABS with the dealers. Luckily, one of the dealers had it readily.

Two months later in Dec' 2006, when my brother wanted to buy car, he also did chosen the same model / variant; This time too, the same dealer had another car of same variant / colour readily available.

That time, ABS version was costing about Rs 20,000 more than the VXI variant. But were fortunate to get a discount of 20K, that was offered in those 2 months.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by batman

Luckily, one of the dealers had it readily.

This time too, the same dealer had another car of same variant / colour readily available.

But were fortunate to get a discount of 20K, that was offered...

Then you were definitely lucky.

I tried my luck with first generation Swift- which came only in VDi spec with optional ABS and no airbags twice, I were not able to get hold of one and went for the regular non- ABS variant at both times.

To be honest, I were interested in only ABS at that time and considered airbags not 'that important'.

Airbags were there in only the petrol ZXi variant in the first generation Swift. With the second generation, Maruti added the 'Z' variant in Diesel too, thus offering Airbags and ABS irrespective of the engine. By the second generation, Maruti made ABS standard for all Diesel Swifts, IIRC.

Oh, the case was similar with the Ritz also. Before the facelift, VDi- ABS was not easy to get.

[trishul]

Originally Posted by trishul

I am sure the sales staff here are just trying to push out non option pack variants as there are more dispatches of those. But Maruti won't dispatch more option pack variants unless bookings of the same increase. So we have a chicken and egg problem here. More customers ought to insist on booking the option pack variants.

Well that didn't work out with our booking. We were informed by the dealer there are no dispatches of Zxi AMT optional happening and told us to cancel. We ended up cancelling and booked the honda brio VX AT. It cost us about 1.4L more but we have both the peace of mind in not compromising on safety and supporting a manufacturer that takes safety seriously as well. So its a happy ending with delivery slated for next week.

[sibitg]

Originally Posted by trishul

Well that didn't work out with our booking. We were informed by the dealer there are no dispatches of Zxi AMT optional happening and told us to cancel. We ended up cancelling and booked the honda brio VX AT. It cost us about 1.4L more but we have both the peace of mind in not compromising on safety and supporting a manufacturer that takes safety seriously as well. So its a happy ending with delivery slated for next week.

Same here. I was trying to buy a WagonR with ABS. But all the dealers in Bangalore gave reasons like "it will take more than 2 months", "no discount", "ABS is not required" etc. Finally I ended up buying a Honda Brio.

[Keralite]

I too have experienced the same with Maruti dealers in Hyderabad. Tried my max to book the vehicle - they were like not even interested in accepting the booking of Celerio AMT ZXI Opt.

I am now going for Nissan Micra.

Very unfortunate Maruti!

Otherwise, Celerio AMT ZXI Opt. is the cheapest and VFM option in that category!

This is not the case of just one dealer, but I have tried with 6 dealers in Hyderabad, all of the them have to say the same story!!!

[jetti]

So, the replies of BHPians have been consistent that the optional safety is nothing but a gimmick and they are deceiving the customer. This should be taken up by the right consumer forum and highlighted in media - social or otherwise.

[BoneCollector]

When I purchased my Wagon R in 2012, I specifically asked for VXi ABS/Airbags. I was given all sorts of BS ranging from no stock to no availability in our region to its useless to delayed delivery times to no discounts on that model. They even showed me 4 different colors of VXi in stock. I asked them to book my variant and I said I'll wait. So in last effort, they quoted a booking amount of 51K which I immediately signed a cheque for. Waiting period quoted was 45 days. 18th day I got a call that car is available in stockyard.

This time while following up with dealer for my Brezza, I've only seen LDi (O) and VDi(O) in their stockyard and hardly any LDi/VDi. So same cannot be said for Brezza I guess. Even the dealership is pushing for the optional variants to people who are asking for regular variants.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

Even the dealership is pushing for the optional variants to people who are asking for regular variants.

This is a positive sign and I hope more dealerships adopt this strategy. Rather than market additional accessories, the dealerships can upsell the (O) variants and also educate customers on the benefits of having Airbags and ABS.

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by NPV

This is a positive sign and I hope more dealerships adopt this strategy. Rather than market additional accessories, the dealerships can upsell the (O) variants and also educate customers on the benefits of having Airbags and ABS.

Well, the dealership is pushing because he has an inventory of such variants of Brezza otherwise for every other model, they're not promoting optional variants. Its nothing to do with any positive sign from them.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by sibitg

all the dealers in Bangalore gave reasons like "it will take more than 2 months", "no discount", "ABS is not required" etc.

Originally Posted by Keralite

they were like not even interested in accepting the booking of Celerio AMT ZXI Opt... I have tried with 6 dealers in Hyderabad, all of the them have to say the same story!!!

Originally Posted by jetti

the replies of BHPians have been consistent that the optional safety is nothing but a gimmick and they are deceiving the customer. This should be taken up by the right consumer forum and highlighted in media - social or otherwise.

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

I specifically asked for VXi ABS/Airbags. I was given all sorts of BS ranging from no stock to no availability in our region to its useless to delayed delivery times to no discounts on that model. They even showed me 4 different colors of VXi in stock. I asked them to book my variant and I said I'll wait. So in last effort, they quoted a booking amount of 51K which I immediately signed a cheque for. Waiting period quoted was 45 days. 18th day I got a call that car is available in stockyard.

I can't say specifically about case with Maruti Suzuki, but based on my experience with other OEMs (interactions with project and production planning), the manufacturers or their dealers are not fully and only responsible for such a situation.

1. I agree that the number of customers going for optional safety features is steadily increasing but it still represents a small fraction of total customer base.

2. I also agree that dealers (SAs) try hard to sell whatever is readily available with them. And in doing so they tend to mislead the customers. I can't fault them for trying to sell their stock, but I had personally cautioned many dealer principals and SAs against misleading/ mis-selling; as once customer's trust is lost, that customer is lost forever.

3(a). The extended delay for the optional variant is due to child part/ assembly availability. Most critical is the wiring harness; it is variant specific and occupies lot of shelf space at factory floor. In most OEMs harness is a JIT (Just-In-Time) child assembly and usual time till vehicle assembly is 2hr to 1day. So, it is not practically possible to pre-order (say 10 sets) and hold them for long periods. Other parts like ABS Controller-cum-Modulator, Brake Booster, Brake Pipes, Steering Wheel, Airbag Module, Airbag controller etc. are usually common with top variants and therefore quick moving.

3(b). The moment customer makes booking for such Optional variant, the dealer updates the same in an ERP system. Based on this input, the production planning department of the OEM plans for the vehicle production. It considers the part availability from supplier, line balancing and other factors (other models/ variants on the same production line/ paint shop etc). Thereafter, a schedule is released to suppliers for parts for this vehicle; mostly automatically through ERP based on plan freeze. The supplier(s) makes the exclusive part(s) and using that part(s) the vehicle is made. In-parallel shipment of this exclusive vehicle is planned. The ease or complexity in planning usually reduces or increases the time delay from the booking to actual delivery to the customer.

3(c). In case a regular vehicle is booked by customer, it is more likely that the vehicle is already available with the dealer/ regional stock-yard / plant stock-yard / production plan. Thereby significantly reducing the delay.

3(d). Similar case happens when a customer opts for a colour which is non-moving. In that case, even though planning is based on in-house activities, but other factor are present. Therefore, the delay.

4. Based on my interactions with dealers and customers, I found that most customers are price sensitive beyond a certain point even for safety features (Rs. 10k in most cases). So, additional price of 15-20k pulls them back to regular variants. Forums like team-bhp consist of enthusiasts who are aware and willing to spend extra for safety.

5. Making safety features as standard is one way, but the purpose is defeated if competitor OEM has some variant at similar price point with many bells and whistles minus safety features OR similar spec variant at a lower price point. This is where regulation comes into play as no one can offer vehicles without safety features and there is a level playing field.

[Chetan_Rao]

What's ironic is if there's ONE player in the market who can afford to risk short-term sales goals for long-term gains on safety features, it's Maruti. It's pretty disappointing that they choose not to go beyond lip service.

I have a hard time believing any Maruti loyalist would shift to another brand just because their favorite Maruti became ~5% more expensive, and Maruti should actually leverage that to push safety standards through, but then pigs would probably fly before a business puts something ahead of profits on their priority list.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

Well, the dealership is pushing because he has an inventory of such variants of Brezza otherwise for every other model, they're not promoting optional variants. Its nothing to do with any positive sign from them.

Ah, so that's the reason!
So, these salespersons at dealerships are using only their stock positions to market the car variants to customers. It's only more customer awareness that can help improve the situation. I think a 45 day wait is fair enough if one wants an optional (O) variant but these guys usually dissuade customers by saying it may take 2 to 6 months

*Specific to the Brezza, good thing is all variants by default have driver airbag, but of course dual airbags in the (O) variant is the way to go.

[adneeraj]

As NPV said, I believe the dealer should educate the buyer to go for safety features rather than add fog lamps and door sill guards and seat covers on their purchase.
I've seen people in showrooms/car accessories shops spending so much on accessories that they nearly touch or surpass the on road price of an ABS - airbag equipped model. Sad to see that faux leather seats, high end music system, alloys/upsize and the likes are preferred than the safety features.

I hope this gets linked with insurance sooner. If you have safety features on your car, you should get a rebate in your insurance premium.

[terra85]

i had intially booked a celerio lxi amt optional . After advice from tbhp members I changed to vxi optional in blue. Initially the sales advisor said 3 months on 25 April. Today the car has been dispatched expected in 10 days . So I think if we insist they will give in .