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I have finally concluded the "Which super hatch would you rather buy?" poll today. It has been an exciting one since the B+ segment is seeing a lot of action lately. We had a slew of launches this year in this segment and these cars effectively prove that small does not necessarily mean lack of features. These cars though mostly sporting the 1200cc engines (because of lower taxes) are otherwise quite loaded with the best in class safety and handling features. The votes that we got here are far from the reality that we see in the market, somewhat. Punto wins this duel hands down with 74 votes out of a total 186 which is roughly 40%. The second is surprisingly the Hyundai's very chic and ubercool i20 hatch with 40 votes (compared to Punto's 74) putting it at 21.5%. Now why I called this poll far from reality is that the Punto sales have been going down since its launch and in October FIAT managed to sell just about 1200 of them. This is the case when the car has 3 engine options giving the customers a good number of choices, they have 2 nice petrols and one of the best diesels in the country. The i20 on the other hand used to sell these numbers when it debuted with a 1200cc petrol, the only one in that time. Then Hyundai gave it two more engines a 1400cc Petrol with Auto transmission and a 1400cc diesel with heaps of torque. They sell these cars at stratospheric prices but they are also loaded with every thing you would need in a car. But the real surprise is in the numbers. Hyundai sold 4800 of these last month, which is as much as the Ritz did last month, inspite of the Punto being immense value for money. FIAT should be really worried by now and throw Yuvaraj out and get some real advertising done. As far as I know, he is not helping. Sure there have been foolish ads from Hyundai like the one for Verna which is trying to fly with the fighter jets. Anyway, this just shows, FIAT has a long way to go before being taken seriously as a mainstream brand by the Indian customer. They have to improve on the after sales as well. FOr most of the people looking for a car, it is not even an option. Brand awareness is key in today's market. 

 

The next comes the Honda Jazz with 11.33% votes at 21. Jazz is an excellent car with a gem of an engine that sounded like a PC SMPS when I drove it. So refined, you'll be hard pressed to think if it even runs on any fossil fuel. It barely felt underpowered with an output of 90ps, it does the job well. It costs 7.99 lacs OTR Pune but does not have an auto box or even climate control. But the best hatch money can buy it is.

 

Suzuki Swift is almost at the same spot with 19 votes scoring 10.2% and I don't want to write much about it. The Tata Indica Vista comes 5th with just 13 votes out of 186. The car is selling well but we do not have the actual figures independant of the old Indica, which is a completely different car. The last 3 cars are Skoda Fabia with 9 votes, the Hyundai Getz 6 and Chevrolet UV-A with 4 votes respectively. The UV-A recently got beige interiors and has been doing well since then. It needs the facelift which it has already recieved in select markets across the world. No one knows why India has been left out but it really needs it in here. The Skoda Fabia 1.2 HTP is selling well since it's production started at the VW plant in Chakan and hence has seen a price cut. The OTR price comes well under 6 lacs in Pune with heavy discounts which make it a good buy and an alternative if you want to be seen different from the heard of Swifts that occupy our roads. It is a solid european hatch and you will know the difference as soon as you sit in one and close the doors. The doors make a thud unlike the phut of Hyundai and Maruti's and you will like it unless you are the regular 'run-of-the-mill mileage kya hai' indian consumer.

 

So well, the participation was excellent and the Punto won possibly because the votes were from the heart and the Punto appeals to the heart. What translates to the cheque book is much different but then it is the car that I would probably buy if I was scouting for one. One of our staff members has a red one that we road tested months ago and it is one good value for money car and probably the only non-oriental car that you can buy at the price. FIAT stands for build quality, solidity and long lasting interiors and also for stupid Tata dealers and flimsy interior plastics. What the car needs is some more advertising and speical editions to create some more FIAT excitement in the indian consumer. It is a car that you will fall in love with gradually, which is what passion is. FIAT Punto it is in this case.  

 

Visitors, thanks for your participation everyone who voted on this poll since it started. Your votes helped me with a better understanding of consumer perceptions and taught us all a lesson or two on brand awareness. Keep your eyes open for the next poll which should be online in a couple of days. I am still thinking of a good poll question but this time I think we can have shorter poll durations which does not run into months. All depends on the participation. Thanks again. 

 

 

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