[studentonwheels]

Originally Posted by OrangeCar

There lies the point. If Ford can bring new technology to cars in the mass market. Take the risk. Make an attempt to win you over. You tend to give in to the temptation. Even though your mind says no, there will be issues.

And that is why Toyota's are tending to become boring. There is nothing new or exciting. Quality is no more a differentiated feature. It is expected. Innovation is.

Toyotas are the epitome of being 'vanilla'. However, that's their selling point. Keep the trusted 1.8L engine on the Corolla and don't change it too much and it still sells like hot cakes, because people know it will run for 15 years without a fuss. On the other hand, I've seen people turning in Fords after just 15k miles because of all the issues. Yes, they drive really well and they come loaded with tech, but the fact that they are prone to issues keeps many buyers away. The 2013-2015 Focus's were a disaster. Their transmissions kept failing. The Fusion has issues too. I dont know about Ford in India but the US cars need to buck up if they want to rival the Japanese car makers.

[OrangeCar]

Originally Posted by studentonwheels

Toyotas are the epitome of being 'vanilla'. However, that's their selling point. Keep the trusted 1.8L engine on the Corolla and don't change it too much and it still sells like hot cakes, because people know it will run for 15 years without a fuss. On the other hand, I've seen people turning in Fords after just 15k miles because of all the issues. Yes, they drive really well and they come loaded with tech, but the fact that they are prone to issues keeps many buyers away. The 2013-2015 Focus's were a disaster. Their transmissions kept failing. The Fusion has issues too. I dont know about Ford in India but the US cars need to buck up if they want to rival the Japanese car makers.

Agreed. Toyotas will keep going on and on.. Corollas and Camrys are common sight in the US. But then people buy them to keep running costs low. Not because they are exciting. Point is, reliability is no more a selling point. All products are expected to be reliable. If you are going to sell something based on reliability only, then there will be others who will be equally reliable and also be feature loaded to make them exciting. Case in point, Hyundais and Kias. Clearly there are plenty more Korean cars on the road today, and are giving the Japanese a tough time, particularly with best in market warranty.

So, just to have a reliable product will not guarantee good sales over a period of time. Products need to evolve to include more tech to engage occupants.

[sanchari]

Originally Posted by OrangeCar

The Hyundai's offer 10 year - 100,000 mile warranty, best warranty on the market. So, Hyundai's should be reliable. Can see Hyundai & Kia replacing Toyota & Honda's as reliable and frugal cars.

Check out the warranty for 2nd owner. I had bought a Kia once where the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty was only for first owner, not for subsequent owners.