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Bhp-Guru B+ Hatchback Poll Analysis - Punto Wins |
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Written by Abhinav Sharma
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Monday, 16 November 2009 13:43 |
 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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Last Updated on Monday, 23 November 2009 00:47 |
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GM Decides To Keep Opel, Angers Germans |
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Written by Abhinav Sharma
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Thursday, 05 November 2009 20:52 |
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Germans are really angry at General Motors. GM has taken a U turn on the proposed sale of Adam Opel to Auto Parts Supplier Magna. GM at a recent board meeting decided to keep the European Unit instead of selling it, negotiations for which have been going on for almost 6 months now. GM probably realised the importance of this strategic brand which makes many mid size cars in Europe which could hold the key to its revival very soon. It is no longer thought of as a burden. GM's european operations include Vauxhall and Opel. Expressing frustration with the U-turn, the new German economics minister, Rainer Brüderle, vowed to make the Detroit automaker repay the money that had already been lent. “We will get back taxpayers’ money,” he told reporters in Berlin, deeming G.M.’s move “totally unacceptable.” Opel workers, along with the German government, had strongly backed a sale to the Canadian-Austrian auto parts company Magna and Russia’s Sberbank, believing that would protect the most jobs. G.M.’s European operations include the Opel and Vauxhall brands.The company said it expected to spend 3 billion euros ($4.4 billion) to downsize operations, which it said was “significantly lower” than what Magna and other bidders had projected. “This was deemed to be the most stable and least costly approach for securing Opel/Vauxhall’s long-term future,” Mr. Henderson said in a statement. The decision to keep Opel is another example of the aggressive approach of GM’s board, a majority of which was selected by the Obama administration. 
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Last Updated on Monday, 09 November 2009 11:58 |
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Tata Nano - Look Out For The Next Wave |
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Written by Abhinav Sharma
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Tuesday, 10 November 2009 13:01 |
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Tata Nano the world famous car, which was marred by controversies in its production plant is already being produced in Tata's Pantnagar plant which is a manufacturing facility primarily for the Tata Ace. Becasue of this, Tata is only able to churn out 3000 units approximately in a month which is low compared to the demand of the vehicle which has already had in excess of 2lac bookings. This is the reason you see this car in such low numbers. Well I am not really proud of telling you this because if you did not even know this, this website really isn't for you. You can stick to simpler news sites. Anyway, what is important now is that the Sanand plant in Gujarat which was being made to finally manufacture only Nano's is almost online and could start final production as early as January 2010. The final capacity will be as much as 10000 cars a month which is a lot and will help Tata give the Nano to its early 2lac owners in less than two years. Expect to see a lot of them on the roads from the start of 2010. The next wave starts then and you will see a lot of them selling on heavy premium in 2nd hand market. Also expect a lot of aftermarket accessories. Carnation Auto run by Jagdish Khattar has already tied up with Dilip Chabria to modify the stock Nano into what they call the 'Hot Nano' which will come with new bumpers and exterior styling to distinguish it from the flock of regular ones. There are changes to the interiors though nothing will be modded in the little 2 cylinder mill of this car. Again, if you don't know who these people are, daily news sites is where you should go. So yes, since this is a mass market car, a lot of possibilites exist. Enjoy the show. The Nano with its existing 3000 per month capacity has almost unseated the Maruti 800 but as I said before, this is only because of the limited options Tata has for now. They will be all around very soon. The indian automobile market will triple in size in the next decade from its existing 1.5 million capacity and it sure is an exciting place to be. I am talking about our country. The Photoshoppers are already going crazy. One dude even made this Nano Abarth on the PC (now you better know what is Abarth). There is little doubt that there will be one made one day. When, we don't really know but it sure will be an exciting car to have. It already looks so amazing and it is based on the long wheelbase Nano Europa which is rumored to have a 3cylinder petrol engine and all the safety it can ever have or will need. 
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Last Updated on Monday, 16 November 2009 16:14 |
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GM Sales At 7413 Units This October, 812 Units Of Cruze |
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Written by Abhinav Sharma
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Wednesday, 04 November 2009 20:41 |
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GM Chevrolet had record sales for the Cruze and they have already sold 812 units which is serious. Great car with the best diesel this side of a BMW, the rear leg room could have been better though. Here is the press release. New Delhi: Riding high on the success of the popular Chevrolet brand, General Motors India has registered a record growth of 15% in sales in October 2009, compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 7,413 units in October against 6,465 units sold in October last year. There are pending orders too which could not be delivered due to supply constraints of some of the parts. The October 2009 sales comprise of 4,231 units of the Chevrolet Spark, 1,161 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 599 units of Aveo U-Va, 337 Units of Aveo, 163 units of Chevrolet Optra, 110 units of the Chevrolet Captiva and 812 units of Chevrolet Cruze.
Commenting on this impressive performance, Mr. P. Balendran, Vice President, GM India said, “Achieving these levels of growth clearly reflects the customers’ confidence in our products. We are pleased to see such robust growth for all our car lines and we believe these world class products will further propel the Chevrolet brand in the market.”
Gearing up for a major drive to further consolidate its position in the automobile market, General Motors India is now appointing more dealers and authorized service outlets in urban, semi-urban and other cities to widen its network and reach out to its valued customers across the country. GM India's rapidly growing network of Chevrolet dealerships and service centres includes 195 authorized sales points and 198 service outlets. More are in the pipeline to support the ever increasing demand for GM products. It has also entered into financing arrangements with some of the public and private sectors banks to offer low EMI schemes to its valued customers.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 November 2009 20:44 |
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