[sgiitk]

When will Maruti Suzuki learn. The moment you go for a Premium Segment the buyer does not want to be associated with a Hoi Polloi label. All the global biggies use a different label and showrooms / service facility for their Premium labels - GM - Cadillac, Ford - Lincoln, Honda - Acura, Toyota - Lexus, etc. The customer wants exclusivity and nt having to wait in the same queue.

This was expected from Day One!

[supremeBaleno]

@sgiitk, this is not really about label or exclusivity. If it were, by your logic, the 2.4L engined Accord and Camry should be sold under the Acura and Lexus brands here, which is not the case.
And in a country teeming with Mercs/Beemers/Audis, what is anyway so exclusive about cars in the Kizashi / Accord / Camry range.

The issues were with :
1) initial pricing which was perceived as high. But factor in the CBU quality / customs duty / the car's atttributes / what other cars like the Laura bring in at similar or higher price and then it may not be as big a deal as it is made out to be.

2) the fuel that the car sips. In a diesel obsessed country, if you launch a 2.4L petrol, the normal junta would surely look askance at it, performance/handling etc be damned.

BTW, while tanking up yesterday, diesel was 50bucks while petrol was 71.77 - the difference is narrowing. With all the bold (and IMO correct) steps being taken on various subsidies (LPG-cylinder, ration subsidy direct to bank a/c etc), I have this feeling that we will soon be in a situation where both fuels will cost almost the same. And then hopefully issue# 2 might not be a factor anymore.

[sgiitk]

Globally Camry and Accord are not premium cars. Most taxi's in Dubai are Camry's. Maruti has the image of cheap and cheerful, as does Suzuki globally. I will not buy a Maruti Suzuki product for 10L+ as simple as that.

[lurker]

I think there are still a lot of people (especially youngsters) who are not particularly hung up on Maruti's image. If they see value, they will get it. Similarly Kizashi represents tremendous value to the segment that goes for say a Laura TSI. It is clear they want performance irrespective of the prevailing price of petrol. Kizashi makes a lot of sense to this group. Far easier to service a Kizashi than say a Laura TSI.

The Civic + Camcord segment can be a bit more mature in their tastes for a Kizashi. 90% of the Civic + Camcord segment will go for a Camcord/Civic whatever be the state of competition.

Kizashi was not developed by Suzuki as a cheap people-mover. It was meant to showcase suzuki as a decent competitor to C/A4/3series, be it ride/handling/aggression and by all accounts it has almost surpassed the competition and has achieved the task they had set out for. Now one should be excused if they would like to continue to drool over a Kizashi ...

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Globally Camry and Accord are not premium cars. Most taxi's in Dubai are Camry's. Maruti has the image of cheap and cheerful, as does Suzuki globally. I will not buy a Maruti Suzuki product for 10L+ as simple as that.

I respectfully disagree with you. One of the main reasons why the Kizashi failed even in the US market where its segment is not considered "premium", is because of the lack of dealerships and service network in the country. Now here in India we all seem to be overlooking the fact that Hyundai is selling elantras and what not by the dozens now when did they become premium eh? Hyundai just restyled and loaded their cars with kit and now they are hot sellers even in the states the sonata is selling very well. Suzuki put a lot of thought behind styling and the chassis of the Kizashi but they overlooked one crucial thing and that simply is, the diesel engine. In our market it has become a must. Even people with money are buying diesels just so that can save wherever possible. My girlfriend's family own a fleet of expensive cars and even their S-class is a diesel. The rest of the world is willing to accept a car regardless of its brand heritage (Pagani is a case in point) as long as it is very good. India is willing to accept a car as long as there is a diesel engine in it. It's as simple as that

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by LancerEvo

At what price would it make sense for a driving enthusiast to buy a 2011 Kizashi - to compensate for its low resale value and low fuel economy?

At the revised price the Suzuki Kizashi is selling for, it is a no brainer if you want a good drivers car. I think it is the best. My colleague and good friend under the handle bluu got his car for 18 on road for the cvt. At this price, there is nothing to beat it.

You need to bin the idea of fuel economy and resale value for the Kizashi. 7-8kmpl, 11kmpl will be a real world figure for the Kizashi in the city, highway cycle and this is a very good number for a 2400cc block. You should not expect more. If the car does manage to deliver for km per liter of gas, good for you.

I can't comment if the deals will get sweeter in 2013 for older cars.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Most taxi's in Dubai are Camry's. Maruti has the image of cheap and cheerful, as does Suzuki globally. I will not buy a Maruti Suzuki product for 10L+ as simple as that.

Most taxis in EU are Mercs, that does not really make them un-premium, does it ? Your not buying a 10L+ Suzuki is at best a personal preference and basically a brand-perception that you have, which need not necessarily be benchmark for the market. Get the product right and price it right - it will sell be it Suzuki or Honda. The City was the hottest seller till a year or so ago. What about it now ? Does the low sales have anything to do with the product per se ? Just that people moved to Diesel, as simple as that. Infact, why talk of only the City, what else is selling in Honda lineup today - the Accord, Civic, CRV, Jazz all are sales duds. But that is more about the company not re-packaging the products as per the changing needs.

[vibbs]

I have said this before I ll say this again, Ertiga has shown the world, that people wont hesitate to buy a Maruti even at 8-10 Lakhs OTR if the product is good. It is infact the highest selling vehicle in the 8-10 Lakhs OTR range assuming majority of the vehicles sold are diesel.

Somebody opined earlier, that Suzuki overlook the importance of Diesel for Kizashi. Well they didnt. Kizashi just happens to be a product designed with US market in mind. It was not designed with India in mind, but India can be its saviour if maruti manages a coup and gets a good diesel to fuel it and price it in the near abouts it is selling now. Had Kizashi been launched at this price initially it would have seen a totally different story. A Kizashi at 11.5 Lakhs is a no brainer against a corolla (P) or a Honda Civic. What else do these two provide over the Kizashi other than the percieved Brand value?

I just hope Maruti keep selling this car at this range for some time. In 10-11 months I will be looking for a new car mainly in 8-10 Lakhs range, but if this deal for Kizashi exists till then, I would stretch myself and go get it.
EDIT :IMO Suzuki should not try to mimic Honda and Toyota here in India by charging undue premium for their vehicles. They should play their game the best way they know. That is by providing value at the same time improving their overall quality, there by creating a brand that takes the fight on to the Honda and Toyota stables but at a price that makes them much more value. That if they could do, would be truly legendary and fitting for the market leader position they have in India.

[VeyronSuperSprt]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I am simply amazed that you have managed to compare a Skoda Rapid to a Suzuki Kizashi. Cars from two different ends of the spectrum. You might want to drive a Kizashi extensively before ruling it out.

The purpose for comparing cars from different ends is to see what works for me and not someone else. Requirements out of a car differ from person to person. So if someone doesn’t like the Kizashi, he doesn’t like it and your opinion may be different.

There are a lot of people out there buying Indica’s and Nano’s because it works well for them. I might think it is a bad car – so what ? It doesn’t matter to the guys buying Indica’s and Nano’s that you or me think it is a bad car no matter what the arguments are. And given that they’ve put their money where their mouth is instead of expressing opinions, it means that they think the car is good enough for them. Maybe, they can’t afford a car with better features / performance whatever but as long as they can’t buy the car, it doesn’t work for them.

I like the Kizashi having driven it extensively but my Laura TSI gives me more petrol head thrills than a Kizashi ever will.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I will not buy a Maruti Suzuki product for 10L+ as simple as that.

If you were to choose between similarly priced Civic and Kizashi, what stops you from buying Kizashi which is a superior product and is backed by more widespread service network in the country?

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by Guna

If you were to choose between similarly priced Civic and Kizashi, what stops you from buying Kizashi which is a superior product and is backed by more widespread service network in the country?

I think the market is more focused towards unbiased youngsters. True petrol-heads who review a car, and not the emblem on its hood

[TheARUN]

Spotted a KIZASHI today, my first spotting. The car did not look brand new, wonder if the Owner had paid 22 lakhs for the Car, must be feeling so cheated now with the price reduction

Also, the million dollar question is, would this be the price the KIZASHI would be selling at from now on or is it a distress sale from MARUTI to clear the stock of cars and pull the plug on the KIZASHI

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Guna

If you were to choose between similarly priced Civic and Kizashi, what stops you from buying Kizashi which is a superior product and is backed by more widespread service network in the country?

The Kizashi is a CBU and that might the reason why I'd stay away from it. Parts may be hard to come by and when they do, they'll be pricey. Not that the Civic will be much cheaper, I presume? We've owned a Civic for 6 years and we're very happy with it in terms of reliability and availability of parts. I suppose it should be decent even 6 years down the line. Fingers crossed.

The Kizashi will probably spend more time in the service-center is my guess. It depends on the case. And this despite Maruti's phenomenally networked service-centers.

Also, the Kizashi is a depreciating disaster. Not that the Civic would hold its value exceptionally. But the Civic will command a little more given its popularity.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The Kizashi is a CBU and that might the reason why I'd stay away from it. Parts may be hard to come by and when they do, they'll be pricey. Not that the Civic will be much cheaper, I presume? We've owned a Civic for 6 years and we're very happy with it in terms of reliability and availability of parts. I suppose it should be decent even 6 years down the line. Fingers crossed.

The Kizashi will probably spend more time in the service-center is my guess. It depends on the case. And this despite Maruti's phenomenally networked service-centers.

Also, the Kizashi is a depreciating disaster. Not that the Civic would hold its value exceptionally. But the Civic will command a little more given its popularity.

Actually you are quite mistaken the Kizashi could be compared to the grand vitara and no one has any issues with either in terms of after-sales. First off things tend not to go wrong with the cars since they were built in a better factory but when they do, prices of parts for the Kizashi are still cheaper than the equivalent Honda or Skoda perhaps not the hyundai, even though they are imported. Parts are all readily stocked and every service center knows how to deal with these cars.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Actually you are quite mistaken the Kizashi could be compared to the grand vitara and no one has any issues with either in terms of after-sales. First off things tend not to go wrong with the cars since they were built in a better factory but when they do, prices of parts for the Kizashi are still cheaper than the equivalent Honda or Skoda perhaps not the hyundai, even though they are imported. Parts are all readily stocked and every service center knows how to deal with these cars.

I'm not sure if it applies to some crucial components. I don't know how competent Maruti is with regard to the Kizashi. On a similar note, a friend owns a 10 year old Esteem MPFI and he had met with a bad crash. He's okay, but the car required 1 lakh worth repairs. The service-center took one and a half months to bring the car back to its previous condition. Samurai has enjoyed a hassle-free Vitara ownership. So the Kizashi shouldn't be too much of trouble. On the other hand, Jaggu's CRV has been giving him lots of issues apart from being hard on the wallet. And that's because its a CBU.

What I'm trying to say is, it could be a case to case basis.

By the way, our Civic costs not more than 4k to service. The only other car in the segment that is cheaper to maintain is the Corolla. I highly doubt the Kizashi will be that cheap for general upkeep.