DriveBlog

The Euro'pain' angle

Respective spokespersons (read CEOs) of the various car companies continue to differ in opinion on how badly the rise in prices due to the adoption of new Euro III technology will hit demand. Maruti may have good reason to be worried as steep hikes could mean anything but good for most of their models, which are at the entry-level, more price-sensitive end of the market. And there's no better example of that than the M800.

Update: The new and improved M800 will now not only conform to the latest emission norms but will also sport spiffier interiors, headlamps and come in 3 new colours. All this, of course, at an added price.

This rise needn't get you down...

OK, so we all expected the price-ups. It's now the turn of the Santro Xing (XE) and the Accent to cost more (again?). Each of them will now be dearer by Rs. 8000. But experts insist that this is something that neither the car-makers or the customer need worry about. Thanks to some borrower-friendly finance schemes and the inevitable freebies that continue to get thrown in, the hiked up prices are not likely to affect either the automaker's volumes or the customer's EMI. Manufacturers also insist that the rise in prices are due mainly to the addition of new features: what may have once been an add-on is now being included as a standard part of that car.

Leaving you a'maze'd...

I'm going to be AWOL for the next couple of days, so here's something to keep you busy in the meantime.

Auto Replies - 2

It's been a while since we hit those 'Which Car?' hotspots, so without further ado, here are some of those questions which I'm sure some of you would have identified with at some point or the other:

• Would you rather do without having to grapple with the clutch and a gear lever when you drive? Like things a little more uncomplicated? Here are some of the choices you have when it comes to automatic transmission. But be warned: there is a flip side.

(Drive)Blog of the Day

Ah, the simple joys of life! So what if I'm getting ground into the dust by a couple of gentlemen holding forth on seafood and policy reform respectively?⁺ Today it's me (and just me) that gets to be Blog of the Day at Blogstreet India.

⁺ Hey, if my suffering is too much for you to take, you could still vote and make it go away, you know? =)

Fabialous News!

With 2004 being a busy year, Skoda Auto India had decided to put off the launch of the Fabia till sometime this year. The Volkswagen group company is now sticking to its guns - dangling the prospect of a Fabia launch for anytime before the end of the first half of 2005. But whether they will launch the hatchback, sedan, sports or combi variant is still anybody's guess.

But bets are being placed on it being the hatch⁺, which along with the soon expected Swift*, the possible Aveo (pics here) and the Panda, and the already available Getz and Fusion, should add a whole lot of excitement to the premium hatchback market in India.

* Update: Looks like the Swift will hit the roads only after June.
⁺ Double Update: Then again, some say that the company seems keener on the sedan.

The Wheels of Bureaucracy

Indian babudom will now get around in style. Maruti has secured approval from the Central Government to launch, at just over Rs. 3 lakhs, a much pared-down (how does a non-AC car in New Delhi make any sense?) version of the Esteem sedan called the 'Standard' that has been accorded 'official staff car' status for government officials. Now where does that leave the Amby?

Indulge your 'Zen'ses

Own a Maruti Zen? Then you might want to sign up for The Zen Customer Meet. Car races for the family, drive-in movies and a day of 'rejuvenation for the body, mind and soul' are some of the activities that Zen owners can take part in as part of the celebrations for the Zen being adjudged the 'Best Premium Contact Car' in the Total Customer Satisfaction 2004 Study.

From the B(r)andwagon

Autobytes from the Ninth Annual Business Standard Brand Derby:

"Interestingly, the best and worst relaunches in this round of the Brand Derby are from the automobile industry. While the Derby applauded the return of Hyundai’s Santro as the Xing and Honda’s City, the Petra (neé Fiat Siena) was dismissed summarily as old wine in new bottles.

While 74 per cent felt the City was very successful and 73 per cent felt the Santro Xing was very successful, only 1 per cent believed the same about the Petra. Incidentally, these are the highest and lowest ratings among all the 15 brands that were considered in the relaunches segment."

Of all things new...

In terms of new product launches in the Indian automotive industry, the year that just went by and the year that's on its way in.