Skoda retune fabia for Indian road conditions

Apparently skoda guys did not do their homework in India when they launched the Fabia.Sales have certainly not met expectations even if Skoda disagree.Now it seems they had not even tested their petrol engines properly before launching them,however to be fair to them even toyota had to retune their engines for their innova.


All petrol fabia's are being recalled[though skoda calls this differently] and say you can come to the dealership at your own convinience.They shall retune the softwares to optimise the engines for fuel efficiency.Makes you wonder what the guys at Bosch and Skoda were doing for more than two years since the cars was announced to be launched in the Indian market.

With the fabia[and the whole skoda brand] I think diesel shall remain king and petrol shall always remain the lesser sibling.

More details about Skoda's new cheap sedan and small car

In my earlier post I have talked about skoda coming up with a c-sedan segment taking on the likes of the Honda city,Chevrolet aveo, the suzuki sx4 and the Hyundai Verna/Accent.Some more details have come up courtesy autoexpress UK.

For starters the price tag,skoda plan to make the sedan keeping in mind the £10,000 tag[roughly Rs.8.5 lakhs].Although at this price it would come with AC and power windows expect skoda to skimp on all other goodies and expect this new sedan to be more on the lines of the earliest generation octavia[not the ones available in India],even in terms of size as well.

As far as how the car is,it is said to be based on the seat bolero platform A spy picture I post from the autoexpress website.

This new sedan would be sold worldwide by skoda and yes that means emerging markets like India and China as well apart from the traditional market of skoda in the european countries.This car would be powered by the tried and trusted 1.9TDi diesel and 2.0L petrol engines although the VW group are also considering smaller and more frugal engines as well.

Whether this new sedan would be called the new Octavia I am not so sure.But that looks unlikely.



Spy picture of the seat bolero hatch again from autoexpress.Now the seat bolero would be available both as a hatchback and a sedan and it its this very hatchback which could be the basis for skoda cheap hatchback as well.This hatchback to is expected by 2010 and is supposedly going to debut in the Indian markets first and then there will be a global launch.The price tag for this hatch is supposedly between Rs.3-5 lakhs.


[Source:autoexpress.co.uk]
[image source: Autoexpress UK]

Skoda to launch C-segment sedan in 2009

Autocar UK reports that sources in Skoda have revealed that by 2009 end we would see a c-segment sedan from skoda which would compete with the likes of Chevrolet aveo,Honda city,Suzuki sx4 etc..When it would come to India[if at all] is unknown but given the importance skoda is giving to the Indian market this new c-segment saloon is a very likely possibility.This sedan is an all new platform and VW plan to share the platform for its sedan for the US markets.

Remember skoda have talked about launching eight new models in our markets in the next five years and a c segment sedan is a major opportunity for increasing sales especially a diesel.And with Skoda not launching the Fabia sedan version this new C-segment sedan makes all the more sense.

Another car which I am not sure if it would head to the Indian markets is the Sharan seven seater MPV from Skoda which is expected by 2010.But such a vehicle does make sense even for the Indian market.

While I have talked about the Fabia combi in previous posts,there is talk that the skoda yeti could also be in India by 2010.Apart from that there is the new small car[placed lower than the fabia with a price tag between Rs. 3-5 lakhs] and based on the VW Up concept platform also expected in a couple of years[around 2011].

One car which is expected in the Indian markets the skoda roomster is all set for a major makeover in 2011.Hopefully skoda decide to give us the newer version not the two cars fixed together with glue version.

All in all by 2011 Skoda is expected to be a major player in the automobile sector.

[Source:Autocar UK]

Skoda to launch Roomster/ Fabia combi later this year

Skoda are now looking to target more customers with its fabia platform.Given the higher pricing strategy of the fabia expect these derivatives too to be priced on those lines as well.

Given the pricing of the fabia it clearly is not aimed at bringing in volumes for Skoda like the other hatchbacks from rivals.Is the present strategy with the fabia a successful one is highly debatable after all even BMW say India is not ready to hot hatches yet..But however hard skoda tries I am skeptical they would be able to sell the Fabia combi or the roomster at prices close to D-segment sedans.

Try as much as Skoda can to project it as an SUV,the roomster is no suv and if all you need is a utility vehicle there are more choices available and at relatively cheaper price tags.Its the same with the fabia combi as well and what either of the two will manage to do at the most is cannibalise sales of the skoda fabia to some extent.

Skoda plan to launch either of the fabia combi or the roomster by the end of the year and are conducting trial runs across the country.The most probable of the two is the Fabia combi though why skoda are not thinking about a sedan instead is baffling.However to be fair Skoda have plans to launch different derivatives of the platform every year so the sedan too may be here.

Next generation Skoda Octavia due in 2009

Yes that's right the second generation octavia[Laura as we know in India] is due for a complete makeover in 2009 as per Skoda's product replacement cycle and various auto magazines abroad.

So far I have not found any spy pictures of the car but promise you to put them up as soon as I find them.

Skoda India have already promised us two new cars next year,one of which I have a hunch could be the fabia sedan and the other perhaps is the next generation Octavia.

Now what interests me most is what would skoda's strategy in India be.Would they sell three generations of the same car side by side.And call the third generation skoda in India, Natasha.

Skoda could lower prices of the first generation octavia to the c-segment levels,the second generation octavia[Laura] to the present octavia levels and price the third generation octavia[calling it natasha for the moment] at around the price of the Laura.The possible permutations and combination's are infinite and I think its best to wait and see what Skoda do in India.

Also read:
Skoda to launch C-segment sedan in 2009

Skoda India to Launch cheaper 1.6L Skoda Octavia

Coming soon the Skoda Octavia rival -VW Jetta

We shall soon see the Octavia's sibling the VW jetta on Indian roads.The launch date is likely between may and june,2008.Unlike earlier media predictions[where it was supposedly going to be priced alongside the Honda city] the Jetta is going to be launched in the Rs.13-15 lakhs category.
This will take it in Skoda Octavia category as well as pit it against the Skoda Laura too.Yes the jetta would be a much more modern offering compared to the octavia but if you ask me to pick between the Laura and the Jetta ,I would prefer the Skoda Laura.Not for nothing has the Laura[new generation octavia] been winning reliability awards year after year even beating japanese rivals while VW seem to be having lots of problems on this front.

Expect the Jetta to be similarly speced as the Laura.The jetta introduction could possibly be a killer blow for the Octavia.

Just Have to see how VW plan to sell their cars,i.e. will it be through existing skoda dealerships.

PS:Also part of the article from business standard were other cars from VW in the future.It said the polo and the production version of the UP concept would be here.The Polo would be priced at around Rs. 4.30 lakhs while the UP at around Rs. 1.80 lakhs.These cars would take some time to come to India however[upto 2012 even].

[Source:Business Standard]
[image source:nextcar,milteksport,paddocktalk,autocult]

Here's how the Skoda octavia came into the world.

Here are two videos of the first and second generation skoda octavias being tested by the company before launch[dated videos].Inspirational stuff for other automobile manufacturers as to how even testing of the vehicle has great marketing potential.

The First Generation Octavia:


The Second Generation Octavia[Known as the Laura in India]:

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]

Preferably don't buy these cars in 2008

If you have any plans to buy the Skoda fabia this year I suggest you wait for a year if resale value is important to you.VW [skoda's Parent company] say that they will lower costs of the Fabia by manufacturing the fabia at the chakan plan [while VW plan to delay their debut vehicle in India to 2010].Skoda have already done this with the Laura where later on they launched cheaper models which severely affected resale value of the cars which were already sold.I came across one such Laura owner who says he lost close to 6-7 Lakhs in resale value in just an 8 month old car.

However I must add that nothing wrong with Skoda cars,infact the Octavia[Laura as we know it here] has just been voted the best car in the UK for the second consecutive year.Octavia[Laura in India] drivers are the most satisfied lot in terms of reliability,build quality,running costs and ease of driving.Skoda beat rivals like Honda,Toyota,BMW,Mercedes for the second consecutive year.The Fabia too should be more or less on these lines and will definitely not disappoint you. If the car is going to be with you for a long time or you are not bothered about resale value please do go ahead with your purchase decision.

But the case with the cars I discuss next is a bit different.In these cars you will see a major revamp pretty soon.

1>.The first car in the list is the present Toyota corolla which is currently one generation behind its main rival the Honda civic.It is confirmed that you will get the next generation in India in 2008[maybe a diesel option as well].

2>.The next car in the list is the Honda city.You can see pretty much the push both the company as well as dealers are giving to increase sales since a major revamp of the Honda city is expected by the end of the year[2008].You will be left with a model which would be one generation behind in just a matter of few months.

Now I go back to the title I say preferably because you could also take advantage of this situation since all the above mentioned cars are great cars as well and dealers would be pushing for sales by adding incentives for you to buy these cars.But yes you must be ready to accept the fact that you will be driving an outdated model soon.

If you ask me what is the best alternative at this moment ,well I suggest the Hyundai Verna CRDi.It is a relatively safe bet and a good car with good mileage[FE.].In case of a petrol car I suggest the Maruti SX4.I don't expect any drastic change very soon to either of the two.The Toyota Corolla is not in the C segment and its alternative would be the Honda Civic which too should not see anything drastic soon.

Update 1:
In the don't buy list I am adding the Skoda octavia,for reasons please refer to this post,Next generation Skoda Octavia due in 2009 .Also the more modern VW jetta is expected soon.I would avoid the Laura too for the moment since a price correction could be possible but I am not 100% sure and hence am not placing it in the don't buy list.Alternatives I suggest the Optra Magnum.


Update 2:
NDTV confirms launch of the next generation honda city by the end of the year[2008].

Update 3:
The hyundai getz is a car in the don't buy list since the all new I20 is expected by the year end.Search the post for more details.Alternative ford fusion diesel.

Update 4:
With competition expected to catch up with Toyota in the form of the mahindra ingenio and the tata Xover expect something drastic from Toyota,from talks of launching a cheaper UV to even discontinuing the present innova doing the rounds I suggest you go slow and postpone your buy.No alternative buys suggested for the moment.

Update5:
Mahindra Renault Logan is a new addition to the list,a Facelifted model is expected soon.

Update6:
Maruti to replace the alto with the A-star.

The don't buy cars list for 2008:
1>.Honda City
2>.Toyota Corolla
3>.Hyundai Getz
4>.Skoda Octavia
5>.Skoda Fabia
6>.Toyota Innova
7>.Mahindra Renaul Logan
8>.Maruti Suzuki Alto


Also read:
Honda confirms all new Honda city launch by end of this year

Also read:
Team-bhpian Spots possible new Honda City.

VW to develop country specific products for markets like India

Its no secret that VW has an ambitious target of unseating Toyota and becoming the largest Automobile Manufacturer in the world by 2015.Not only in terms of sales but also in terms of profitability,quality and customer satisfaction even.The key driver for this would be emerging markets like India and China.

Although Skoda is doing pretty well in India ,VW as a brand is not present in India in a big way.VW are happy with Skoda's success and want to cash in further by introducing VW branded vehicles in the mainstream market.However what was not yet clear is which vehicles they would bring in for India.Now CEO Martin Winterkorn says that the days of one car for the entire global market is over and nowadays customers demand different models according to the local taste.So the same car may not do well in one market while it would be doing really well in another.VW will now develop country specific vehicles.

While I do not totally disagree with this conclusion I sincerely hope that VW does not mean that markets like ours should get stripped down ,outdated vehicles or what is known as vehicles developed for the third world countries.Consumer needs have changed now and even in countries like India we expect the best.

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]

Skoda reduce prices of the Octavia.

Skoda have reduced prices of the octavia.The octavia now starts from Rs.9,90,000 onwards.This is for the Octavia ambiente.What the features available in the ambiente at these prices I am not sure but you get the 1.9TDi engine and 2 years unlimited kilometers warranty.

About time Skoda reduced prices of the Octavia considering it is an obsolete model internationally.The newer generation Octavia is sold here in the Indian markets as the Laura.However even now I know of more than a few disappointed folks who where expecting much more of a drastic price cut for the Octavia.

Also Read:
Next generation Skoda Octavia due in 2009

Would the Honda Jazz be actually priced at 4.5 lakhs

After the Fabia its now the Honda Jazz which is the talk of the town .There was a lot of expectation from the Fabia somehow the pricing has left most disappointed[Mind you it would be foolish to write of the Fabia just yet, not because its a Skoda with legendary build quality but because it is supposed to take you from Delhi to Mumbai on a single tank of fuel[ok a bit exaggerated]]

Now after some reports that the Honda jazz would be available for a price tag of Rs. 4.5lakhs a lot of attention has shifted towards the Jazz but is that actually possible.For starters if any company enjoys a better image than Skoda its Honda so by that logic Honda should move a bit more further ahead as far as the pricing is concerned.But don't think you need to be worried Honda know the importance of numbers in the Indian market and I really doubt the Jazz would be more expensive than the Skoda especially since Honda does not have the diesel engine advantage.

With each passing generation Honda and Toyota vehicles keep getting expensive.With a newer generation Honda city we can surely expect a rise in prices about Rs 25,000-50,000 more than the present generation.What this means is that leaves a significant gap for Honda in the Rs. 5-7 lakh category and this is precisely where the Honda jazz will come into play in the Indian market Hopefully for this price range the Jazz comes loaded with all the bells and whistles and hopefully that includes its famous ingenious luggage carrying abilities.

So don't look at the new Jazz as a cheaper alternative to a Skoda Fabia but more as a cheaper alternative to the Honda city[next generation one].

Wake up from your slumber Skoda India

Has the Skoda Fabia been launched in India.Yes you see a dozen odd ads TV but if you have a look at the Fabia website you would be asking this question.

The Fabia website still has the special preview request on it.From the beginning Skoda india website has not been great but this one really takes the cake.Skoda also take great pride in the premium tag by not putting a price tag to their cars on their Indian websites,you need to call their dealers for that.Guess thats their idea of making you feel special.

Come on Skoda outsource your website development stuff to someone else.And yes so far Skoda don't seem to think the Fabia is part of the Skoda family cause there is no real mention of it at the car showroom in the Skoda india website.Now is that intentional,that's for you to decide.

Skoda Fabia pricing

So the pricing is out,the fabia will start from Rs.5 lakhs ex-showroom and go all the way to a staggering Rs.7.7lakhs again ex-showroom price.The car would be available with 1.4Lpetrol as well as diesel engines and a 1.2Lpetrol engine[this particular engine would be available only at a later date].

So is this car overpriced.The reviewers so far have gone ga-ga over its build quality and of course the legendary trait of skoda diesel engines being fuel efficient.This car is no different and gives you everything you want to.Although it is a small car it does it job of pretending to be a big car very well.So who do I expect would go for this car,for starters the Honda city crowd.This car is ideal for the city,exceptional build quality and ofcourse the skoda brand is of equal importance if not greater than the Honda badge.Then you cannot forget the fact this is a diesel and would give you exceptional FE.What is against the car is the lack of a boot/trunk[not that customers in this segment would actually need that space] and the high maintainance costs usually associated with a skoda.However I have a feeling that the fabia could do what the Sx4 could not, make the Honda camp consumers switch camps.Yes the car is priced a touch on the higher side,this car is certainly not aimed at the value for money buyer it is more for the brand conscious buyer but I am sure a number of manufacturers would be praying for the fabia's success since they too plan to launch hatches around this price tag.

As far as driving reviews have ,not yet driven the car yet but there seems to be a large amount of turbo lag as far as the diesel engine is concerned but then I really wonder if customers would complain about that considering the savings in their fuel bills.

Skoda India to Launch cheaper 1.6L Skoda Octavia

Skoda want to cash in further on the popularity of the octavia and now want to target consumers from the lower segments.Skoda now plan to introduce a cheaper 1.6L variant of the octavia.Though no mention has been made of whether it would be a petrol or diesel engine,in all probabilty it would be a petrol engine only[FSI or MPI not sure about that].

This move has been preempted by the recent price reduction of the Skoda laura in the form of a new variant the Ambiente[Ex-showroom price between 12.90lakhs to 13.21 lakhs depending on city ]which would have cannibalized sales of the Octavia.

Mr Karsten Bogun, Managing Director of the company, said: “We are looking at various updates on the Octavia, it ranges from style to powertrain but it would be premature to talk about it; we have not finalised anything on it as yet.”

However it would be interesting to see if Skoda manage to price the octavia on par with the Honda city,what Skoda need to keep in mind is thats its diesel engines are the main reason for the popularity of the Skoda brand apart from the German build quality,a diesel engine from skoda at that price level would be a killer blow.Also Skoda may have to compete with its inhouse rival the VW Jetta with VW too having similar plans.However one thing is clear this aging model is not going to die out in a hurry.

[Source:Hindu]

Related post:
Skoda India Launches the Laura Ambiente

Skoda India Launches the Laura Ambiente

Once more Skoda launch another variant of the Laura.This time its the Skoda Laura Ambiente which is priced at Rs. 13.21 lakhs[ex-showroom] making the laura now look an extremely value for money proposition.

From an initial OTR price tag of nearly Rs.20Lakh to the now about Rs. 14 lakh OTR ,the Laura certainly has come a long way,yes a few features have been trimmed off but I guess Indian consumers would be more happier with this Base version than the Rs. 20Lakh Laura.I expect the Laura sales to pick up further however this would also mean the end for the present older generation Octavia is nearing with sales going to take a further hit from its sibling,the Laura.But that surely should not worry Skoda.

The new variant still comes with two airbags, traction control system (ABS and ASR), rear-parking sensors, and automatic wipers with rain sensors.The Hindu have reported a 1.7L PD TDI diesel engine but have checked with skoda and the engine remains the 1.9L PD TDI one only.

[Source:The Hindu]

PS:The picture is of a Skoda Laura VRs,I wish Skoda launches that soon in India.

Related post:
Skoda India pricing of the Fabia announced,not to discontinue the Octavia as planned earlier

Toyota claim the next generation corolla is the hottest ever-Here's some of the reasons why

The new corolla is going to hit the indian shores and we have talked about its camry like exteriors,now a bit more with regards to the interiors and features.

AB-i is standard on all new Corolla models, and delivers uncompromising stopping power in virtually any conditions.AB-i braking system combines Anti-skid Braking System (ABS), Brake Assist (BA) and Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD).



Now heres something the new corolla owners would like to show around a bit,


The Smart Entry and Start System -No need to physically use your key to unlock and start the car. Simply have it on you, and the car unlocks when you use the door handle, and starts at the push of a button.



The top end corolla will come with HID Auto-levelling headlamps, headlamp cleaners, rain-sensing wipers,16” alloy wheels and a flat rear floor, multi-function trip computer and anti-glare electro-chromatic interior mirrors,lexus like optitron combimeter, 6 speaker MP3 compatible CD player,Aux-in, steering wheel audio controls, Bluetooth compatibility.7 Airbags wonder how many that will become to when it comes to India.

It would have a six speed manual but auto -gearbox enthusiasts may be in for a disappointment with a 4 speed auto-gearbox.



Probable engines[for India]:
Diesel
2.0L D4D
Power-126bhp
Torque-300Nm

Petrol
1.8L Dual VVT-i
Power-130bhp@6,000rpm
Torque-173Nm@4400rpm

Dual VVT-i meaning valve timing is adjusted on both intake and exhaust valves,toyota claim this improves fuel efficiency and this car could even give the honda city[a C segment car] a run for its money in this area at the same time it is very powerful as D segmenter's should be.

For india however expect a lot more beige in the interiors:


Now thats a lot of toys ,have to see how toyota manages the pricing for India without compromising too much on the features cause toyota really need the corolla to click this time round.There's a car very much in this mold the skoda laura now again and again I ask would toyota do a skoda[sell both older generation and newer generation cars side by side].

Update 1:The dual VVT-i engines will not make it to markets like India.

Update 2:
Expect toyota to be miserly with the toys it gives in the Indian corolla.

Exterior pics here:
New toyota corolla to head to India

Skoda all set to return to australia

After moving out since 1983 skoda is looking to make a comeback in the australian markets by the end of this year[2007].

Skoda will sell the octavia[as sedan as well as wagon] and the roomster in australia.