I bet most of you must have been coming back at this page to view what was my response. This is getting out of topic now hence this will be my last response on this page and other pages for safety issues in Aveo unless anybody asks for my inputs as this thread has moved in another direction. You guys and others can steer it back into the direction. My views are based on "BITTER" TRUTH which like all truths cannot be digested easily as is being reflected above. But I am sure most people will agree to this. This is again a subjective decision. And at the onset I will also point out that my knowledge is not limited or little. Just read below and see the depth of my thinking. It's purely rational. And that's what's more important.
Only a few things:
1) I'm not interested in forcing my views on others like most of you above are trying to do or are trying to get my logic right (Most of you on Page 5 above). I wanted to buy a car which will also be used by my old parents. I will never see them driving an unsafe car. THAT'S TOTALLY OUT OF THE QUESTION. You might buy a car which is unsafe for your self or your "loved" ones but I will NEVER. Please do not try to set my logic right. My logic is perfectly right. I am a rational buyer and I go by my order of priorities and my care for my loved ones. You go by your list of priorities including ignoring such a fact as an unsafe car. I don't know what to say. People just want a car. Do they forget that it's a complex machine which uses oil, burns it and has so many other activities happening. With such a complex engine and machinery running beneath you, will you drive a death coffin? I must admit you have the guts. And at the same instant I just expressed what was found based on tests. It was not aimed at making others accept my views. This is also at the base of my opinions and is the founding base of the care extended by myself to my loved ones. I do not want to see them or myself getting disabled by giving a company that much money to buy an unsafe product. For that reason we bought the getz which had a 4 star rating. Although most cars in India are not safe however even if one variant passes the tests then it can be taken that it might be better than the really unsafe cars. Where you drive also matters. If you drive in crowded streets at speeds of 40 then even an Aveo is fine but in near future you will be driving on highways also. There the speeds will sooner or later increase. And you bought keeping in mind a few years ahead, right? Or no?
2) I joined Team BHP for getting an overview on issues faced by many and I do not have so much time to keep replying. I am quite a busy corporate professional and have my own share of corporate pressures. So I just tried to mention what was rating in top of my priorities. Everybody has a certain list of priorities. Safety ranks top for me. So I am right in my way you may be right in your way. I did not say that your logic was wrong, but that does not mean that you will feel safe in an "UnSafe" car. You never will. So drive carefully where ever you go. Don't overspeed because this car is weak for that. Take that as a genuine and friendly advice. Do not question my views or my logics as I am logically 100% right in suggesting that cars should be 100% safe or at least 80%.
3) The last Monday's (29th May 2006) incident of a Honda City car being caught in a fire (a different type of car safety norms being ignored in premium brands) and it's central locking failing and too much of electronic circuits could not help unlock and save the passengers. The need for safer cars will rise in near future. At least now I have also chalked out New Honda City even though it's a premium luxury brand but I knew it was unsafe and now with its excessive high technology issues coming forth - I will not turn to such premium brands. These companies want to fool Indians as they know most of Indians can be fooled by offering them cars which cannot be sold elsewhere (Not NHC) and they know most people will compromise with Honda not giving safety options and they know the pulse of Indians who want to outdo others by buying premium luxury brands with high FEs and 'knowingly' compromising on safety parameters. Many people on team bhp forums have given a thumb up to the Aveo (and thumbs down for NHC, with comparable luxury levels - making Aveo slightly better in terms of overall package) for giving us airbags and ABS which they themselves say is found missing in the NHC. Still It's totally stunning to know that very few people focus on safety. Safety can be body safety as well as electronic circuits, oil pipes, battery acids leakages etc etc.
See:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/1598366.cms http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repos...sh-skin-custom
In the US there are authorities which help consumers for issues against cars
http://auto-recalls.justia.com/conte...AVEO-2004.html
How many do we have in India?
4) Why did you not buy an ordinary car like Wagon R or still Maruti 800? It's also good and meets all requirements. It's spacious (Wagon R) and equally unsafe like Aveo. It's because we are now capable of buying better cars more featured and luxurious cars and are willing to shell out more. The Indian economy is now waking up for C segment cars. When Indians used to buy Maruti 800's they felt better and superior to those who still had Padminis and Ambys. At that time the Americans and Europeans already had experienced the Ford Ikons and BMWs etc. Under no way could they comprehend small Indian cars like Maruti 800s. It's the pulse which drives decisions. We Indians are now in a mode of pulse which the Americans and Europeans were say 20yrs ago. Today just see what their pulse says and note how far ahead of us Indian they have gone, we all will sooner or later we Indians will also come in the same mindset track as these men. see :
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/s...highlight=AVEO
Today we can buy 7 lac cars but earlier we thought he must be a big man to be riding a Maruti 1000. So times change and so do thinkings. And to me the general Indian pulse is too backward when compared globally and as proved in the thread above by distinguished men. However sooner or later it will sync with most people as in the above gminsidenews link.
Nobody wants unsafe cars. It's like Maruti 800s for them today. Within a few years with highways opening up and speeds crossing 100-160 kmph will come gory incidents of car crashes. I have read so many reviews from team-bhp members who proclaim very happily that they drive at 140 kmph, one guy riding on a santro talked cheerfully about racing with a skoda at such dangerously high speeds. You take pride in driving at such high speeds, and then you proclaim and tell the world with pride, don't you know what to do for your safety? That's a totally crooked and sick mind's workshop. You need some strict lessons. We've enjoyed most in US and Indian movies but then we will come to see them on our Indian roads. Then will the Indian psyche rise for safer cars. My vision and pulse is already years ahead of most of us and is in sync with most people around the world. Sooner or later car manufacturers and the government itself will have to enforce laws to ensure that safer cars are built. Do you think that in such incidents the people and their families who lost will sit quietly? Who's heard of Long court cases which they fight against people who erred and car companies?
5) This car (Aveo) is a Daewoo rebadged a Chevrolet. It's not a 100% original Chevrolet. Why do car companies take Indians for granted and don't offer their own products. This is nothing more than marketing gimmicks for earning money as part of management games - I've seen most in Global corporate circles myself personally so I am well aware about them. GM is in financial trouble now. As part of it's management's plans for coming out they have used this method of building a car for world wide audience in 120 countries to maximise sales and target people who focus on low cost and compromise on other features including safety. By compromising on build material quality - they saved money - getting higher revenues for each car they sold. Hence their management's objective of meeting the corporate target's of meeting financial targets is being met and at whose cost? OURS. We compromised and they won. But at the base end of it, it's money nothing else for them. Which they got. We also got what we wanted. A good package. They got money and we got an unsafe car. So who's at loss? No marks for guessing it right to anybody. But then again I say drive carefully and never cross 80-90 kmph as you are always at risk as per EURONCAP's review -
http://www.euroncap.com/images/resul...asheet%203.pdf
For practical purpose this does not makes a difference as the purpose is to use the car from one place to other. This may again seem to be out of the topic however this is somewhat subjective.
6) Latest on Daewoo - (This is completely out of topic) - Daewoo founder sentenced to 10-year jail
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repos...sh-skin-custom
However note that corporates play their own games (Hope that the above news is false) at the hands of us willing consumers who buy their products. Many games are played by them. They are only focused on themselves and their profitability - nothing else. All projects are driven with these objectives. The Aveo is focused to earn GM maximum profits from worldwide launch to save their empire. GM is now itself under difficult financial problems and might even face bankruptcy, however clever management decisions will probably help them to steer away most likely. Since GM acquired Daewoo it is able to capitalize on its core strengths as Daewoo also built very fine cars. However the future impact of today's Daewoo demise on today's GM will be unfold only by time. I just hope that GM's stock quotes do not vary much due to the above news. I just hope that everything turns out to be fine. But somehow these developments make me stay away from such products all together.
I have not checked the other two Aveo models however. Probably they may be safer especially the highest end version which GM wants to launch in India. If that is the case then I support GM for that model. It's also costlier in the range of 8 lacs + probably.
7) To Namit : It's true that there are not many cars safe enough in C segment which adds to the problems in arriving at a decision. I am also aware that as pointed above that ( Accent / Esteem / Baleno / Honda City in this segment ) are all unsafe. It's only Ford which is just slightly more better built, however too much electronics and computers are quite dangerous in this too. This is not going against the so many lovers of Baleno on this forum but one variant of Suzuki Baleno could not also do fine in the EuroNcap. Let me mention again, it's not that the manufacturers cannot build, however to control costs they compromise on certain features at the instance of us people. Tell me when Suzuki SWIFT and Hyundai GETZ could get a 4 / 5 rating at costs of 4 - 5 lacs then what could have been the problem in giving out safer cars in the C Category? It's simply that these cars are focused at such consumers who want bigger modern and luxurious cars but do not seem to see that they are driving live corpse covers.
8) Skoda might come out with its hatch which may be safer by International standards. In that case I might as well opt for it and compromise with buying a large C category car. I just may have to wait for it longer. Besides Hatches have almost similar space and compromise on only luggage capacity.
9) Again the Indian psyche has to evolve sooner or later. The sooner it does and sooner it asks for safer and well tested products which pass multiple quality checks are what we as consumers should ought to buy. We as conscious consumers need to make it clear what we want and what we do not want. But then this alone may not be enough for changing policies.
10) At the end I would like to show the sales graph for 2005 - 2006 for C segment in India. However Aveo is quite below simply because of its late release, but even coming to the level of Ford Fiesta is quite challenging enough :
Indigo Marina - 39382 cars
Honda City - 37544 cars
Hyundai Accent - 30301 cars
Esteem - 21843 cars
Ford Fiesta - 13007 cars (may be most of these sales were Fiesta Diesel 1.4)
Baleno - 10096 cars
Lancer / Cedia - 2113 cars
Ford Fusion - 1937 cars
Aveo - 1395 cars
Ikon sales dropped - ( negative) 12080 cars
Now you decide where is the buyer's pulse going.
At the end I take leave from this thread and hope that consumers think rationally and then arrive at the right decision. I congratulate all on their purchase of the Aveo. It's a good package at the cost of safety but again just drive carefully and probably never cross 80 or 90 kmph in the interests of yours and your loved one's lives in the light of many disasters which happen as pointed out on the page above for Aveo (EuroNcap results), The safety of Innova
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...rash-pics.html
(Please note that in such sudden incidents it's quite possible to not be in control - then you just need to be at the mercy if the car. Here the bus came in front and innova could not brake before time and rammed into it), Problems faced by Honda City on last Monday's (2 days back) disaster in Delhi (links are available above). It is important for Indian psyche to rise up and choose safer products and do not just go by impulses trying to satisfy our egos and by proving to others that my car is better than yours by buying Honda City's or others (The typical Indian psyche - Mere pass ye hai tere paas kya hai). After all consumer is the king. If we say yes to certain cars and no to others then the above sales charts will change with manufacturer being forced to come out with better quality products within costs. It's ok that you cannot expect much from Maruti 800 at that cost, but even Santro has a 3 star rating as per BBC magazine and its variants costs less than 3.5 lacs. If Hyundai Getz and Maruti Swift variants were able to achieve 4 / 5 feats in EuroNcap then why cant the C category cars? This shows there are some places where the manufacturers compromise but safety should never be compromised for cars that are able to do 160 kmph. I mean man that's crazy. It's even more important for this category. This should logically follow. You build fast torque cars with 150+ speeds and then you compromise on safety? Whom do you want to take a ride for? Consumers ? Not me Sir ! Never. I represent the already risen psyche of the new India and I as a consumer demand better built cars. Stop treating India as a dumping ground for cars trashed elsewhere. It's good that GM is now releasing a car for worldwide audience simultaneously and India is no exception. That sets a benchmark for other companies too. But please build safer cars. That should be on top priorities of environment and consumer focussed markets and as responsible car manufacturers speeding mankind into the 22nd centuries.
GM are you listening to me? We want safer cars that meet international standards. India will soon be within the top 5 economies of the world. India will be a significant customer focused market for most of consumer products and I on behalf of the modern India urge GM to move first in this direction. Who knows with newer variants I might be the first one to go in for the re-designed Aveo. And if Tech buys the Aveo then there must be something seriously good about the product. And then the Aveo which is at the bottom of the charts might turn out to be rising the above charts beyond wild expectations. Probably my case may be a turning point for GM strategies and for other people who think like me or accept that what I said was true but may have been bitter because truth is always bitter and it is difficult to swallow like most of the distinguished men above could not swallow and opened out their minds in full disagreement.
How about GM trying to convince me with a better product? Make the SRV a better product and let me know about it. I will open up a new thread and tell everybody about it's benefits like anything (if I get enough time). And it might be history on team bhp that tech who disagreed with the Aveo actually changed his mind about a better product from GM and who knows I might be a possessor of an stronger built Aveo gifted to me by GM itself. Now that's wishful thinking at its height. But who said it cannot be a truth.
Enjoy your Aveo. I liked it's fresh interiors and it's a lovely place to spend your time. Overall it is a good package and shows the over hyped Honda City just where it stands as most of the people simply compare its But just drive safely. Please !
Lastly It might be good if consumers could ask for specific packages - say I want ABS and not central locking. I want single seat which can be rolled up to release space etc and you get what you want. In Auto Expo 2006 Maruti had a stall for that - Build your car. I do not know what it was all about but it was a good concept. There could be again many limitations in that. That would be really nice however.
There is another thread on Aveo Safety as told to me by a Team Bhp moderator to me -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...highlight=aveo
This one talks about what US people think about this product. Mentioned above also
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/s...highlight=AVEO
I would certainly love to see others who accept my logics and my viewpoints to come up ahead.
Now please excuse me, I have other issues to look at also.
This will be my last response on this page and other pages for safety issues in Aveo
Peace for all.
Bye !!!
26th May 2006, 14:00
applaud you for such a good write up. Though emotionally overcharged, it does invoke a thought in all of us, that we should consider safety of ourselves and our loved ones. So all the petrol heads out here, we as a community should be setting a benchmark to the auto manufacturers by making them know that we as TBHPians rate safety over anything else.