Honda City resale prices fall drastically

Honda have time and again refused to accept that diesel is the way out in the Indian markets.For a long while they have managed to get away even.But now when times are getting tough even a company like Honda cannot get away any more.

Yes sales of new cars has been down for a while now.But now it is hurting where it hurts the most.For long honda has been proud about the resale value of its cars and even used it as a sales strategy for new cars.But now things have all changed Honda city resale value has fallen by 25-30% and that too just from the date when fuel prices where increased.Honda was always going to be the most affected simply because it had only petrol cars in its portfolio.What is interesting is that according to the report[BS] Honda civic too has been badly hit with everybody in a hurry to sell but relatively fewer buyers for the car in the seconds market.

Is Honda the only company affected no,General motors have been way too slow in adopting diesel into its line-up when it comes to the more mass market cars[leaving aside the tavera].

The ford fiesta too is suffering with the bad resale value and fords problems seem to continue with resale value of their cars.

The huge discounts on the Toyota Corolla and the lack of demand has affected its prices too in the seconds market.The mitsubishi lancer cedia is another car which is not doing well in the seconds market.

For a while it was the golden run of C and D segment cars in India but that run has abruptly come to an end.

According to the report there is an oversupply of the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Fiesta, Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Corolla ,Honda CRV, Ford Endeavour and the Hyundai Tuscon in the seconds market.

So what are Indian buyers buying now.Well we too have taken to the smaller is better strategy and if at all a bigger car is purchased it is a diesel.Maruti and hyundai are the more popular choices in the seconds market with WagonR, Zen, Alto, M800, Swift, Omni and Hyundai's Santro and Getz being the most sort after.

[source:Business Standard]

Coming soon:Facelifted Ford Fiesta

Ford is all set to launch a more aggressive looking ford fiesta very soon[June 18th according to team-bhp].Most pictures out on the net are of the kitted sports variant and it would be interesting to see how the other variants look like without that body kit.

The earlier rather sedate looking car has now got an aggressive character to it[I personally prefer the new looks].Disappointingly however Ford Have not added the 1.6LTDCi diesel engine to its lineup whereas they have discontinued the 1.4L petrol[however with the latest initiative by the government to tax cars above 1500cc we shall mostly see ford going back to the 1.4L petrol engine again,probably delaying the launch even].

Thanks to the Maruit SX4,airbags and ABS are now becoming standard in this segment and now ford too has decided to give it as standard fitment in the top of the line variant.

The interiors have been tweaked around a bit and now you get wooden panels in the top of the line variant.

The new car is definitely a big improvement over the earlier generation and was desperately needed by Ford india to revive interest in the Fiesta brand but Ford should have thought about the 2009 Fiesta which it is about to sell in markets like China if it had any dreams about occupying the number one slot in the segment.

[image source:thecarsandmore.blogspot.com]

For more Visit:
Team-bhp

Ford's 1.4L duratorq engine now assembled in India

Ford's engine plant at chennai,India is now up and running and it will start assembling engines here from now on.

Ford has managed to achieve 50% local content for the 1.4L engine and oneday we may even see 100%.Although Ford will initially target the Indian market given the 250,000 engines capacity of the plant it would use it for exports as well.Although ford will assemble both petrol as well as diesel engines greater emphasis is being given to diesel engines which speaks volumes about the increase in popularity of diesels.

What this means is that Ford can cut down on costs and offer the diesel engines at competitive prices as well as ensure availability.

What this also means is for the immediate future a 1.4L diesel ford ikon cannot be ruled out

[source:Reuters]
[image source:machinist.in]

For details about the plant please visit:
Machinist.in

Ford Kuga - When will it be here?

Even though Ford tries to come up with a new generation of the Endeavour faster than what it can accelerate to its top speed,the Endeavour just cannot hide its old school SUV roots.That is why even pricier petrol softroaders are selling much better than the Ford Endeavour.

People today are ready to upgrade to expensive suv's[softroaders even] but desire a more comfortable ride and would like to be surrounded by luxury something which the endeavour is not that good at.

I do agree there would is a market for true blue SUV's like the Endeavour but Ford India could do well by offering an additional option in the form of the Kuga in their line-up alongside the Endeavour.While at the wish list I hope Ford get the 2.0L diesel for the Kuga which I am sure they will since Ford realise the importance of diesels in India.The additonal stuff like dual temperature control and reverse camera is upto ford to decide but worth offering at least as an option.

Hopefully Ford get the Kuga to the Indian markets Sooner Rather Than Later

[image source:webwombat.com.au]

Ford unveil next generation Fiesta in China

The next generation Ford Fiesta is going to be based on the Verve concept sedan and Ford just unveiled the hatchback version of the Fiesta at Auto China[2008] in Beijing.


Ford have made it clear that though this platform was designed in Europe it would be sold globally.There will be a hatchback as well as a sedan based on the same platform.

Yes we can expect both in the Indian markets though expect the sedan to be here first.The sedan would be a notchback just like the skoda octavia.Both the hatch and the sedan should be available in all markets[includes india] between 2008-2010.In China,Ford plan to sell the new Fiesta by 2008 end.

Ford calls its kinetic design I say wow,I can just keep drooling.Ford too have taken the EPS plunge and the new generation Fiesta will have EPS.In terms of length the new sedan is the same size as the chevrolet aveo.

Inspiration for the interiors has come from none other than mobile phones for the cellphone generation.Of course when it does take production form I have a feeling that for markets like ours Ford may just cut down on the goodies.Oh damn how many times do I have to write that.

*************************************************************************

Will it be called the fiesta in Our markets don't know.How the production version will work out[especially in the indian market],we will have to see but expect a lot of similarities with the mazda platforms which are already on the roads abroad[both hatch and sedan].

Checkout the pictures of the mazda 2 sedan[For more picture including interiors visit:Carscoop] :



[image source:carscoop]

The mazda 2 hatchback:


[image source:yahoo]

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PS:In case you are not satisfied and have slightly bigger wallet then you would be glad to know Ford plan to do the same with the Focus platform as well however I am not sure about the Indian launch and the time frame.

[source:jalponik]
[image source : addyourcar,jalponik,autoweek,carbuyersnotebook.com]

Update:
For spy pictures please visit:
autoblog

What does the future hold for the Ford Ikon.

Ford India have gone ahead and launched yet another limited edition,this time its the ikon again in the news.At a time when everybody is talking about increase in prices Ford has done the unthinkable and actually given us a cheaper offering.

But behind this generous decision was the fact that Ford's sales have fallen sharply in the passenger car segment and the ikon especially is facing the heat mainly because the car has been longer in the market now than the average age of its buyers.Ford have begun exporting the present fiesta to the south african markets[as the ikon].That means is the end of the road for the Ikon near.

It could well have been if ford's small car would have been here before 2010 but until then they have a huge gap to fill because of which they are forced to use the ikon. Ford have also not used their magical potion,the 1.4L TDCi engines.That could temporarily give the Ikon a new lease of life.The main problem ofcourse is it may cannibalise sales of its stable mates but unless there is a diesel variant I don't see the Ikon going on till 2010 even.

So Ford please go ahead and give the Ikon a younger heart so it gets back all its josh*.


Ps: The new limited edition offers AC,power steering and central locking and is priced at approx Rs. 4.49 lakhs ex-showroom.It has a 1.3L petrol engine.

*The Ikon is referred to as the josh machine in India.

[image source:about.com]

Ford says quality levels similar to Honda,Toyota

Ford have just increased warranties on second-hand cars purchased from them in the US,the reason In a recent survey the number of problems found by owners of ford vehicles in their vehicles was on par with those of honda and toyota.

Now does this come as a suprise.Absolutely not.Just take an example from our country look at the transition from the ford escort to the fiesta.In the days of the escort it was really Fix Or Repair Daily[FORD] and it cost you more than an arm and a leg to repair.It was cheaper to buy a new car than repair your mondeo.But now turn to the Fiesta and I would not be suprised if it works out to be cheaper to maintain a Fiesta than a Honda even.The days of horror ownership stories seem to be a thing of the past.

GM may not be on par with the japanese companies in the US but in India they actually lead in a few segments when it comes to least number of problems reported.For the US they have reported decent numbers.

One thing I want to highlight is that problems with the Japanese have increased[May not necessarily have been indicated in the survey].Recalls are becoming much too common[especially toyota]and it just does not feel like they are the same companies who produced bullet proof vehicles.Yes it is not anything alarming yet but they better pull-up their socks or pretty soon it could be their turn to face the music.

Shame on you Motorcycle manufacturers

If the latest mileage figures of cars are any indicator then Motorcycles are far worse than the gas guzzling suv's.The ford fiesta has just done Mumbai to Bangalore on a single tank of fuel which amounts to approx 33.44kmpl.The mahindra logan too has achieved a similar result.

God knows what will happen when smaller cars with less powerful[FE oriented engines] are introduced we will mostly see figures of close to 100kmpl.

Compare to the much lighter and way less powerful motorbikes what is the mileage they are giving.So time to throw away your motorcycles and head to the nearest car showroom.No not yet.Achieving such extraordinary figures is not possible for mere mortals like us.Take these figures with a pinch of salt.

Car prices in India set to rise by as much as 5%

If are looking at buying a new car now may perhaps be the best time.Cars makers are all set to increase prices by as much as 5% due to rising costs and this cut is not limited to any particular manufacturer but all are likely to follow suit.

If you like the Maruti Dzire hurry up and buy the car.Maruti have made it very clear that the present prices are only introductory and may see a rise soon.GM,Toyota have hinted of a price rise in the near future,so if you want have any plans of buying your dream car hurry.

Business standard has done a calculation and here is what it could mean to you:

A 5% increase would mean* (in Rs)

Maruti Suzuki ->10,000-75,250
Hyundai ->14,100-82,400
Tata Motors ->16,850-58,300
Skoda ->35,000-90,000
Ford ->25,300-31,100
General Motors ->15,800-93,100
Fiat ->17,500-22,000
Honda ->35,800-98,000
Toyota ->36,000-1,10,000

* Prices are based on calculation of a rise of 5 per cent on models ranging from the lowest priced to the premium priced. Prices that were taken for this were all ex-showroom, Mumbai


[Source:Business Standard]

Maruti the leader of the C segment in India

The Maruti juggernaut just rolls on.Do they know how to sell their cars.Maruti has emerged the new leader in the C segment thanks largely to the success of the SX4 which meant sales of the Honda city[the previous leader] has dropped.This shows that Maruti does have it to take on the bigger japanese rivals like Honda and its success is not limited only to hatchbacks.Maruti played the value for money tag very well with the SX4 and now with the swift sedan[dzire] have the capability to extend this lead further and retain the leader tag.

Ford has seen a real drastic fall in sales[26,485 units ,down from 34,681 units sold last year ] and expect some alterations to the existing Fiesta,perhaps even a diesel ikon[just a rumour].Tata Motors too has had a fall in sales [26,281 units (29,949 units last year)]which could be stopped with the introduction of the next generation Indigo.

What will be really interesting is when Maruti brings their Kizashi concept[expected by 2010] to take on the likes of the Honda civic and the Toyota corolla.

According to SIAM,Maruti is the new leader of the C segment in India,and heres the details:

Country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India, better known for its compact cars, has zipped past competition, including Honda and Hyundai, in the mid-sized sedan segment this fiscal on the back of its successful model SX4.MSI's sales in the period stood at 41,799 units as compared to 27,283 units in the same period last year.

The growth has enabled the company to speed past Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI), which was at the number one slot in April-February period of the previous fiscal. HSCI sells City, its popular model in the segment.In the ongoing fiscal, HSCI's cumulative sales stood at 34,029 units as against 35,300 units in the corresponding period last year.

Hyundai Motor India comes third in the segment with 29,146 units sold in the period as against 25,147 units a year ago.

So now do you get why all the fuss on saving the Planet.

Source:[The Hindu]

Ford brings back the Fusion Plus variant.

Ford India have once again brought in the Fusion plus model after it was discontinued earlier due to lack of interest.Now the Fabia has forced Ford to bring in the Fusion Plus again.

What the Fusion plus gets is Body coloured mirrors and the entire exterior in body colours which was oddly not available in the first place and that too after paying such a hefty premium.Height adjustable drivers seat ,alloy wheels,ABS and an MP3 player are the other extra features available on the fusion plus as against the base fusion.

All this comes at a premium of Rs.40,000 for both the diesel as well as petrol compared to the base variant.

While I am a strong advocate of safety and recommend ABS,I have doubts over how well the Fusion plus would do simply because of it stablemate the Fiesta.That said its nice Ford have atleast given an option.Its upto you and me to decide how much we value our lives.

[Image source:Carpages.co.uk]

Price cuts announced by Car manufacturers in response to Budget 2008.

Following are the price cuts announced by the various manufacturers in response to the cut in excise duty,

Hyundai:
Reduction in prices in the range of Rs 8,730- Rs 13,278 on the Santro, Rs 11,047- Rs 16,324 on the i-10 and from Rs 13,169- Rs 19,419 on the Getz.

Maruti:
Reduction would range between Rs 6,500 for Maruti 800 to Rs 18,030 for Swift Diesel .Six models that qualify for lower excise benefit including Maruti 800, Omni, Zen, Wagon R, Swift Diesel and Alto.

General Motors :
To reduce prices in the range of Rs 7,500 –Rs 14,000 on the Spark and U-VA.

Tata Motors:
The prices of Indica range have been reduced in the range of Rs 8,500 to Rs 14,600 while prices of the recently launched Indigo CS have been reduced in a range of Rs 12,700 to Rs 15,300.

Skoda:
Reduction of upto Rs.18,000 on the Fabia diesel.

Fiat:
The three variants of Palio Stile will cost up to Rs 12,000 less from March 1.

Ford:
Has cut prices of the Fusion diesel by a whopping Rs.22,000 effective from March 1.

Update:
These are all the vehicles which qualify for the price cut and all manufacturers have passed on the benefit to the manufacturers.The other vehicles presently in the market do not qualify for the cut in excise duty.

[Source:The HinduBusinessline,The Statesman,Sify]

Ford India considering the 3.0L TDCI Endeavour

If certain sections of the media are to be believed then ford are planning to launch an all new 3.0L TDCi Endeavour real soon.

Tech specs:
2953cc
Power-> 156ps@3200 rpm
torque -> 380Nm@1800 rpm

I believe the 2.5L TDCi was good enough,the problem is the vehicle just does not give you that luxurious and comfortable ride.Don't know if this engine upgrade would make it any popular.

While we are at the subjet of engines how about Ford India giving us this engine:
175bhp 2.2-litre TDCi diesel