Indian Autos Thread

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Singha
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

any talk of toyota updating/changing its Innova ? it is 5 years old in india now and perhaps older in its Kijang line. maybe they earlier targeted the taxi market but now its hugely popular as a personal family vehicle. among the improvements they could do are
- a more powerful and fuel economy petrol vtti engine
- power windows for third row seats
- complete revamp of dashboard and door designs
- smarter seats like ability to do xyz with the 2nd row
- sharper front end design - borrow heavily from bmw!
- sharper back end design
- under the floor storage compartments (lockable)
- honda jazz style 200 nooks and cranies to stuff kit in
- a AT variant
- satellite nav as a standard
- independent rear suspension
- less ground clearance and in exchange raise the seats esp the 3rd row which is horribly low

its a great VFM at only around 9-11 ex-showroom for a vehicle much larger than ANHC, but the clumsy handling, solid rear axle, buzzy diesel engine, dated interiors etc detract from its appeal as a sharp personal vehicle. all the ANHC buyers could drop the same coin and get Innova but they dont for various reasons.

I guess am really asking for the Sienna here :) if they can indigenize strongly, why not market the sienna in the 12-15 bracket?
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Murugan »

i saw cng Innova yest
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by abhischekcc »

>>under the floor storage compartments (lockable)

Singha, do you plan to transport herps and stuff in such an innova? :)
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

I dunno - its a "feature" in bideshi minivans like grand caravan. not sure what is the utility, but should you need to pack a few Uzis and MP3 for "a day at the office" thats the niche to use. you could also stash a load of alcohol and nobody would know. gun and sports mags perhaps for when getting caught in traffic to pass time? who knows...once you space the needs expand to fill it :rotfl:
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

I noticed yesterday BMTC has purchased AC tata-marcopolo buses apart from the non-AC version. they look like volvo b7r but a bit wider imo. the drivers of these marcopolo and b7r are having lots of fun driving at high speed using the car like handling compared to older models. they use them like tanks to barrel into service roads off ORR and everyone else gets out of the way asap. just like tanks there is a coating of red dust. they are the next-gen "redline" buses :oops:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vbSrwOg2sZw/S ... polo-1.jpg

also the B7R name is gone and newer BMTC purchases is the 8400 low-floor city bus. perhaps 8400 is the new name for dual door and city
bus interior on the same underlying platform. their intercity model is now 9400
http://www.volvobuses.com/bus/india/en- ... ction.aspx
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by manish »

Singha wrote:I noticed yesterday BMTC has purchased AC tata-marcopolo buses apart from the non-AC version. they look like volvo b7r but a bit wider imo. the drivers of these marcopolo and b7r are having lots of fun driving at high speed using the car like handling compared to older models. they use them like tanks to barrel into service roads off ORR and everyone else gets out of the way asap. just like tanks there is a coating of red dust. they are the next-gen "redline" buses :oops:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vbSrwOg2sZw/S ... polo-1.jpg
These Marcopolo AC fares are also relatively cheaper compared to the TFTA B7RLE/8400s.

If you take a look at the Marcopolos plying around the country, Dilli and BLR seem to have the best livery (the BLR AC ones are excellent in the cool-ice-blue livery) whereas Chennai MTC for some reason has decided to paint these babies (non-AC ones) in colours similar to their 'regular' buses and some of the combinations are off-putting and a bit garish. Same is the case with the AL SLFs bought by them.

Doesn't quite do justice to these buses in addition to making them look not-so-modern.
Image
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Sanjay M »

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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

here are the may 2010 sales figures from team bhp sorted by model
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachmen ... -sales.jpg

some noteable points:
- amby still sells 600/month :eek:
- chevy cruze is the mkt leader in 12-14L segment (partly due to its 2.0L diesel? - indians have a fetish for diesel even if their daily commute is 5km) - altis, civic and laura are neck and neck with jetta coming up through the ranks
- among small cars Figo is doing well, polo not yet made any huge impression (weak engine and high price?)
- honda city continues to run at 3000/pm levels which is flat from last yr. the upcoming toyta etios and polo sedan(vento) may be making buyers wait a few months...
- Innova continues to outsell M&M by big margin
- inspite of its 20L+ tag the Fortuner is a big seller and there is a waiting list I believe.(I have seen its interior-not as huge as the exterior suggests, but its a big tyred high ground clearance vehicle that will go anywhere the honda crv with its car like clearance will find tough, plus fortuner is made here and indigenization will likely increase, while crv is imported and price tag is 25+)
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

herd mentality seems predominant. whenever someone asks me about any car, the only thing they ask is "what is the fuel economy?".
and this is from people who only drive on weekends and use the office bus otherwise.

I guess if toyota sold the altis with a 600cc vtti engine developing 55hp it would be the top seller here.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Raja Bose »

Speaking of office buses - how convenient are these in BLR in terms of frequency and arriving on time? Do most people use them for 5 day office commute?
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by chandrasekhar.m »

Singha wrote:herd mentality seems predominant. whenever someone asks me about any car, the only thing they ask is "what is the fuel economy?".
and this is from people who only drive on weekends and use the office bus otherwise.

I guess if toyota sold the altis with a 600cc vtti engine developing 55hp it would be the top seller here.
I never understood why people could not do simple math, to find out when they will break-even on the extra cost for the diesel or lpg variants. A significant no of the people who go for these variants, would buy a new car by the time they will break-even. :roll: So, whats the point in buying those models? They are losing money, they sometimes have to wait for a few months to get these models which usually have lower pick-up. :shock: And the winner in all this is the manufacturing companies, making a lot of money. And I havent seen the salesmen, trying to educate the customers either, I guess they get more commission if the price is more. Its a well-oiled scheme to rip-off customers, IMHO :evil:
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

^^rb, what frequency? there is one run in the morning and usually two in the evening all at the same time (various routes).
you need to be at bus stop in the range 7.45-8.00 for most cos. in evening the 1st run would be around 5 and second around 7.30.
based on where you live your reach home between 5.30-6.30 on 1st run.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by vina »

chevy cruze is the mkt leader in 12-14L segment (partly due to its 2.0L diesel? - indians have a fetish for diesel even if their daily commute is 5km)
No.More than anything else, it is incredibly well priced, loaded to the gills and as icing on the cake is diesel as well. Both initial costs and running costs ,in addition to spares and support will be far cheaper than anything out there comparable. That is why I asked you to consider it seriously. It is a very serious alternative to the usual corolla and civics. No wonder it is selling very well.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

the lowest end version of Cruze is priced only slightly higher than ANHC and is indeed a good value proposition vs the low end models of altis/civic (1 lakh less) and the ANHC. the high end at version of cruze and civic-at cost similar and though the cruze had a few extra features, I just didnt want to try my luck with GM. unlike america where a $20k car is like 20% of annual income and "mistakes" can rectified by a quicker repurchase cycle, here is a far higher fraction of annual income and one has to more careful and derisk.

plus my only other exp with GM product has been the old chevy cavalier as a rental car in massa - not too good to put it mildly. maybe if I had managed a lincoln towncar or cadillac, my views would be better primed.

after toying with silver I finally booked polished metal metallic...a kind of grey which should wear well and hide small debris scratches and
dust. (not mine)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachmen ... c06163.jpg

fortunately they havent got around to changing the front grill to that giant acura Jf17 bandar thing yet. ... but a major redesign is coming in 2012 which might push this innovation in ... and a artist pic leaked to a japanese mag reeks of a higher back end .... which is a worrisome sign ... did anyone say "crosstour" "aztek" :oops:

I am glad to cash my chips in before that lottery.
Last edited by Singha on 13 Jun 2010 18:21, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Vipul »

Hyundai is doing everything right at the moment.Its sales are not only increasing due to the bad press that Toyota got but its latest Sonata desin/body style is a major improvement on the staid model earlier. Its entry level SUV, Tucson has also got a makeover.The sales guys at the showroom were not having to try hard to make a deal. Had the same sense of feeling i had when i was at the Toyota/Honda showroom in 2005.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by bart »

vina wrote:
chevy cruze is the mkt leader in 12-14L segment (partly due to its 2.0L diesel? - indians have a fetish for diesel even if their daily commute is 5km)
No.More than anything else, it is incredibly well priced, loaded to the gills and as icing on the cake is diesel as well. Both initial costs and running costs ,in addition to spares and support will be far cheaper than anything out there comparable. That is why I asked you to consider it seriously. It is a very serious alternative to the usual corolla and civics. No wonder it is selling very well.
The Chevy Cruze is said to be very good except the low-end pickup for city driving not being that good. However the automatic version takes away that problem, and according to the few people on TBHP who have them, it is really really good, best in class.

Singhaji,

The GM (and Ford) cars sold in India have nothing to do with the US cars. GM cars are engineered in the former Daewoo R&D with inputs from Opel and their European setup. Ford cars sold here too are European models, not American.

Civic is known to have poor mileage in India, esp the automatic version.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by bart »

chandrasekhar.m wrote:
Singha wrote:herd mentality seems predominant. whenever someone asks me about any car, the only thing they ask is "what is the fuel economy?".
and this is from people who only drive on weekends and use the office bus otherwise.

I guess if toyota sold the altis with a 600cc vtti engine developing 55hp it would be the top seller here.
I never understood why people could not do simple math, to find out when they will break-even on the extra cost for the diesel or lpg variants. A significant no of the people who go for these variants, would buy a new car by the time they will break-even. :roll: So, whats the point in buying those models? They are losing money, they sometimes have to wait for a few months to get these models which usually have lower pick-up. :shock: And the winner in all this is the manufacturing companies, making a lot of money. And I havent seen the salesmen, trying to educate the customers either, I guess they get more commission if the price is more. Its a well-oiled scheme to rip-off customers, IMHO :evil:
I don't think that people are fools as much as you make them out to be, in fact I would say that its the guys who blindly buy a Maruti/Hyundai petrol just because their neighbor has it who are choosing wrongly (except those who know clearly know their daily running is going to be less than 10 km per day and consciously go for petrol).

Reasons being:
-Nowadays a lot of people have to commute easily 40-60 km to work every day, at least in Chennai. So many have very good reasons to buy diesel cars, many such folk who buy petrol cars leave their cars at home and commute by bike or bus.
-Diesel now does not have any of the maintenance issues of the past, its pretty much same as a petrol.
-NVH on a modern diesel is very good, almost as good as petrol and often better than 3-cyl petrols
-Diesel engines are more durable and the cars are strengthened for the extra weight so they tend to last longer.
-Diesel fuel is to some extent insulated from huge hikes, for example if the govt increases petrol prices by 10 Rs, diesel will probably go up only by 2-3 Rs.
-Modern diesels are actually way more drivable in the city, for our kind of driving conditions as they have very good low end torque compared to a petrol. So less gear changes are required and it behaves almost like an automatic. Many people are ok with the extra cost just for this reason.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

is the diesel sold in india upto EU/sher khan stds? today morning walking to bus stop a brand new jetta passed me and the engine note was very rough and coughing (similar to a innova/jeep noise but worse) , but in sher khan few yrs ago a Jetta TDI I rode in was whisper smooth.
I havent heard this kind of noise from swift diesel though.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Dileep »

Dumbkopf Indien verdient kot.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Dileep »

That would be the notorious pump 'douche' ignition (PDI). When the lords at VW deigned to bless the SDRE Dumpkopf Indien with the verdient kot aka Skoda, it had the PDI. But IIRC, when they again deigned to bless the Dumbkopfs with the VW badge, they claim to have the CRDI. It simply says TDI, which is applicable for both technologies.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by manish »

Dileep wrote:That would be the notorious pump 'douche' ignition (PDI). When the lords at VW deigned to bless the SDRE Dumpkopf Indien with the verdient kot aka Skoda, it had the PDI. But IIRC, when they again deigned to bless the Dumbkopfs with the VW badge, they claim to have the CRDI. It simply says TDI, which is applicable for both technologies.
I also remember reading somewhere that the initial partner of choice for the Maruti venture was VW. Apparently the GoI team in charge back then had favoured producing the Jetta in India but VW is said to have been cold to the overtures.

Apparently there was an article written about GoI's elusive partner search in some magazine which was picked up by some Suzuki exec while on a flight, and the rest as they say is history. Now we have the same VW investing in Suzuki, only because the jewel in the crown, Maruti.

This is as per my recollection of an ancient article in Auto India (which used to be edited by Gautam Sen and used to be the #1 auto mag back then in the mid to late 1990s - way before Overdrive etc were even published), so some/many details could be wrong. Would be happy to be corrected.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Dileep »

Could be true. VW is the one gave china wheels, not unlike Mrooti for India. Dumbkopf Indien might have thought they would do the same with them too.

I would never ever buy a VW.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by bart »

VW engines in Polo and Jetta have been underwhelming, Skoda seems to have better VW engines than VW branded cars.

VW group as a whole seems to have stepmotherly treatment of Indian customers. Skoda has the most pathetic customer service in India, about 40 customers who paid money for Audis in Mumbai got shafted when the dealer and VW had some issues and neither of them wanted to take ownership for it.

As far as I can see Polo is way overpriced, has seriously underpowered engines, and sales has not taken off, their main customer set seems to be folks who want a different 'image' and are willing to put up with lack of features and lousy 3-cylinder engines for it.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

I sat in back of a polo during a car mela in my office! two fanboys were ooh-ing in the front seat. the backseat space and interior fitting didnt look anything great over my sdre 5yr old santro. if polo sedan vento means to compete with ANHC and the 2010 ford fiesta which should appear later this year, then it needs to be a better kit than hatch.

btw I thought audi had separate dealers and showrooms if my memory is right?
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by bart »

^Yes, entirely different 'exclusive' showrooms, but still the same parent company. VW should still be held responsible for their group companies. They seem to be big on marketing (took out an ad on half of every page of TOI recently for promoting Polo) but not that great in taking customers seriously.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

I took my insurance by directly visiting a insurance office instead of working through the dealer who is himself a DSA for all the insurance cos.
the guy who wrote my policy said dealers being DSA tend to quote higher, take the money, pocket some difference and pass on the rest to insurance cos while buyer could have got lesser amt by directly buying insurance outside. but due to inertia people mostly take via dealer. he said if I had gone for same co via dealer the amt would be somewhat higher.

some data I got was bmw 5-series insurance is 1.5L/annum starting and merc S-class in 3.5L/annum starting. and bmw has their own 'assure' plan (priced higher) wherein a totalled older model car will be replaced with a brand new model. and he said parts were frighteningly costly so mostly people with black paisa were into that. but their policies were very lucrative as the cars were well cared for and claims few, so agents/dealers jumped on it.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by bart »

Unless you get a free insurance offer, buying insurance from the car dealer is generally a bad deal. Of course the dealer tries to position the whole thing as part and parcel of the car cost, so a lot of unsuspecting buyers don't even shop around for cheaper deals.

Not only that but stuff like sunfilm, accessories etc would be available much cheaper elsewhere. Apart from the car itself, and anything that comes for free, and maybe some genuine accessories, warranty plans etc that are not sold elsewhere, its not worth buying anything from the dealer.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by AdityaM »

I cant understand the indian fixation with ANHC.
For the outrageous price, it hardly gives you any features!
Sound system available only in the 9.5 lakh model
No climate control, no steering controls
no bluetooth fone, no ovrm,
no AC vent in the back/under front seats
no cd\dvd player even in the topmost version
All/some/most of these features are available in topmost versions of other cars in its category. & they all cost Rs 1.5 lakh less than ANHC.
ok, you may say ANHC has a good engine, but the other cars dont have a bad one either!
Plus the saving of Rs1.5L will more than make up for whatever petrol that ANHC will save you based on mileage

Its best to either save 1.5L and buy linea,sx4,fiesta
or pay 2-2.5L more and buy Altis. (Now i find altis to be better than all other cars in its category - Jetta,civic,cruz)
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by bart »

AdityaM wrote:I cant understand the indian fixation with ANHC.
For the outrageous price, it hardly gives you any features!
Saar, you just answered your own question. 'Upwardly mobile' folks buy ANHC not despite the price but because of it. It's popular with folks who want to show off a 'premium' image.

It is also a brilliant car which is very reliable and does all the basics right, though it is overpriced and lacks extra features.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

altis is quite popular car. some dont like its electrical steering feel but then people find reasons to be unhappy about everything. other than its dated dashboard I liked it and would have gone for it, but shq said civic and that ended the argument. its back seat being higher is more comfortable for older people....its quite common for people who have drivers compared to driver driven civics of which I hardly see any.

ANHC is decidedly weak on features - there is only one CD player available in that form factor - from honda and it costs 13k iirc :) they should
give it free, plus a automatic climate control, steering wheel audio buttons. the quality of interior plastics looks cheap due to localization and cost cutting (compared to altis/civic). a good middle armrest and storage box is needed. my main grouse is for people 6' tall, with driver seat in lowest
position, the angled windshield is around 1" from forehead...any bump and you might get a thump on the head. in OHC, the windshield was less
angled and interior room looked more in that dept. I wuz about to buy a city 5 yrs ago(OHC) but my thug BIL convinced me to go for santro instead :evil: five yrs of futon like seats, pain and suffering on long drives.

but in a manner of speaking, every honda sold here is overpriced by 1.5L+ ....starting from the jazz - a decent vehicle spoilt by the high price.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Nayak »

honda city is akin to maruti 800 amongst the it/vity crowd. In our parking lot almost 40% of total cars one finds city.

btw BIL (pbuh) has finally decided to go for a sedan. Sis fanatically ruled out anything other than maruti so chap is stuck with dezire. although I made him feel for worse by tempting him to go for fiesta.

Damn I wish I had gone for fiesta. Now I have a hatchback and sis gets to flaunt a sedan.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Nayak »

*white colored scorpio/innova with jet black windshields, huge bull bars, karnataka flags fluttering- real estate dons

*toyotas and fiestas with laal batti, govt number plates - sarkaari afsars

*boleros with laal batti, wireless sets, police stencils all around- belongs to cops

*junked out rusty maruti 800s with k/n filters, loud silencers, non existant brakes, some punk who can barely drive

*volvo buses

*auto rickshaws

*idiotic bikers

These are the numbnuts who daily threaten the peacefull 15 min commute I have daily. A prayer goes out every 2 minutes as a word of thanks to the almighty for saving my precious set of wheels getting scratched from these cretins.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Singha »

on that note:
- innovas 2.5V with stanley leather seating and logo - senior itivity munna with 2 kids + parents living together
- ANHC- wannabe itvity munna 101%
- skoda superb/accord/camry - itvity director/self employed professionals (CA/doctor/"consultant")
- hummer with 12 fog lights and a 1000w rms sound system - brat son of industrialist/politician, emerges from batcave only at dusk to start partying
- skoda laura - stylish munna who wants to look different from civic/altis, self drives
- BMW5/7/S-class - criminal/real estate baron/politician's kin/industry captain
- Swift with black glass, black alloys, black headlamps, outsize tires, big JBL or pioneer sound kit - team bhp fanboy (note the "live to drive" sticker on back)
- maruti800/santro/Tata indica/Indigo - older local people/PSU employees - most likely lives in own independent house, not flat
- Fiat punto - style munna who wants to look different from Swift
- Hyundai I20 - "pragmatic" family oriented guy who chose over Swift
- Swift desire - wants to save $ over buying a fiesta
- Linea - someone who wants to look different from ANHC
- Altis - older people with driver, "pragmatic/stability" types
- ambassador - military/unimportant rural govt dept who couldnt get a corolla
- premier padmini - retired professor
- old honda city with low profile tyres, damaged look, wings in back, black glass, lots of stickers - boy racer
- Jeeps/scorpio - mallu from the wayanad hills/coorgi - often drives to native place
- figo/beat - 25yr old with a guitar and hope in his heart for a girlfriend.
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by sampat »

what is ANHC?
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by AdityaM »

anhc:all not-so-new-anymore honda city
Singha, u really have all the ownerships sorted out! :D

From not following the car scene to knowing everything there is to know about it is a matter of 2 weeks. I updated myself at the start of the year.
Linea is a good buy, if only they address the plastic quality. very impressive countless features for its price
People say its engine is underpowered, but how many are driving it at nascar races anyway!
sx4 looks nice, but has nonfolding back seat(strange) with armrest without cup holder(strange)
fiesta: outdated.
mahindra firstchoice person who bought my old car was very clear that ford has very high maintenance & very low resale. Same with chevy.

if u want to buy a dezire, then do look at manza.
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Location: badenberg in US administered part of America

Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Bade »

After almost a year of procrastination, thought of getting an estimate from the dealer to remove the thin lines and a few deeper scratches on my 3 yr old Sienna. On seeing the estimate decided to not get it fixed since it is not a garaged vehicle and chances of even getting hit by hailstorms is pretty decent around where I live, not to mention the little rocks from the perennial construction work around Duplicity, flying off the tires of other vehicles and scratching the surface.

Dealers are a rip-off. They wanted to take off the whole door panel to sand it and redo the paint job for a thousand bucks.
tchandr
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by tchandr »

Mahindra's partner in US for launching its truck has filed a lawsuit against M&M. Lawsuit is related to the delay in launching the trucks in US.
Question to gurus, how bad is this?

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/06/ma ... elays.html
Jayram
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by Jayram »

Singha wrote:on that note:
- innovas 2.5V with stanley leather seating and logo - senior itivity munna with 2 kids + parents living together
- ANHC- wannabe itvity munna 101%
- skoda superb/accord/camry - itvity director/self employed professionals (CA/doctor/"consultant")
- hummer with 12 fog lights and a 1000w rms sound system - brat son of industrialist/politician, emerges from batcave only at dusk to start partying
- skoda laura - stylish munna who wants to look different from civic/altis, self drives
- BMW5/7/S-class - criminal/real estate baron/politician's kin/industry captain
- Swift with black glass, black alloys, black headlamps, outsize tires, big JBL or pioneer sound kit - team bhp fanboy (note the "live to drive" sticker on back)
- maruti800/santro/Tata indica/Indigo - older local people/PSU employees - most likely lives in own independent house, not flat
- Fiat punto - style munna who wants to look different from Swift
- Hyundai I20 - "pragmatic" family oriented guy who chose over Swift
- Swift desire - wants to save $ over buying a fiesta
- Linea - someone who wants to look different from ANHC
- Altis - older people with driver, "pragmatic/stability" types
- ambassador - military/unimportant rural govt dept who couldnt get a corolla
- premier padmini - retired professor
- old honda city with low profile tyres, damaged look, wings in back, black glass, lots of stickers - boy racer
- Jeeps/scorpio - mallu from the wayanad hills/coorgi - often drives to native place
- figo/beat - 25yr old with a guitar and hope in his heart for a girlfriend.
Nice I like the depth of penetration into the Indian masses (well.. into the middle class anyway) that this reveals. Jai Ho..
satyam
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by satyam »

VW to increase output from Chakan plant in 3 months

http://www.business-standard.com/india/ ... s/98180/on
nachiket
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Re: Indian Autos Thread

Post by nachiket »

Guys what is the view on the Indigo Manza? How does it compare with the competition? Dad was looking to replace 5-6 year old diesel Indigo at the end of the year. He seemed to be quite taken in by the features offered in it for the price. I checked out their website. The features on the top of the line model do seem like something you would only find in TFTA civic, corolla types. Moi was always the car 'expert' in the family but having been out of desh for 2 years means I'm completely out of touch with the automobile market there. Some help would be appreciated.
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