Quote:
Originally Posted by shashanka That's being a tad over-pessimistic! For starters Ssangyong, far from being relatively unheard of, is part of the Korean chaibol, with an industry-first R&D centre. And why so much patronizing & condescension about M&M ? - they don't really need it. They have sufficient breadth - and depth! - in their portfolio as well as in their in-house R&D to come up with acceptable products for our market. Agreed that the Quanto was a pain in the eyeballs, but in the TUV300's case, the nay-sayers had to eat humble pie once the TUV300 was actually there in the flesh - despite all the cynicism & flak it recieved pre-launch! It has great looks overall & if Pininfarina did actually have a hand in the TUV's rendering, one can say - a good job, well done! As I've mentioned elsewhere in the forum, after seeing the Scorpio, Carlos Ghosn (head honcho for Renault-Nissan) was moved to remark -"I have to meet the man who made this!". This story was released at the peak of the brief Mahindra-Renault marriage.
So I'd say one need not have such deep fears of M & M messing up the Tivoli for us Indian folks! |
Well sir, I surely did not mean to be decidedly pessimistic, or mean to fire shots at Mahindra. Firstly, by 'relatively unheard', I meant unheard for the general Indian public, not for the enthusiast. And for the general public the nameplate is unheard of for sure. Only because they are now owned by Mahindra and the Rexton sells through Mahindra outlets, is the Ssangyong brand starting to receive some recognition here.
As for the statement regarding the 'Mahindra DNA', I still back it. Almost all the characteristically Mahindra cars recently have had extreme designs lacking maturity, broad appeal, and falling way short of the world class. And I feel an immature design in the name of 'sporty', 'tough' or something like that isn't exactly on. We may take the original XUV, Scorpio facelift, Quanto, Verito, Verito Vibe, etc. There is not one design which is likable by all. The features may be there, the engines may be there, the service network may be there, but they still can't match up.
Tata, for example were in a worse position than them not too long ago. Their entire portfolio was either too old, or too heavy, crude, bulbous, etc. In a few years, they have managed to launch some really interesting products, get the people talking again, gain serious momentum and even get a TBHPCOTY. And where Tata have beat Mahindra in the improvement race is the execution, the attention to detail and quality. I don't see the KUV matching the Zica in terms of overall quality or finesse.
I do agree that the TUV has been a refreshing change, it looks quite good in the flesh, and had even pointed it out once in the pre-launch discussion thread. But the TUV is a different case. It is more the exception than the rule. And in that, it is already the best execution of their design language recently. One could have assumed that it is the new rule, but looking at the KUV, Mahindra are back with the 'love-it-or-hate-it' designs.
Also, the TUV is not a vehicle with decidedly premium aspirations. It is meant for practicality-hunters and small cities and towns. It is also priced a lot lower than what the Tivoli would ideally be, and is not meant to match something like a Creta in sophistication.
But the Tivoli would surely target a different audience. It also has a car like the Creta to beat. The Creta has been a blockbuster mainly down to its extremely striking, mature and balanced design. And 'mature' is not the first word you'd associate with any recent Mahindra design. The Tivoli by itself is looking extremely promising, let's see if Mahindra choose to keep it that way. And I suggested a Ssangyong branding because the Mahindra brand is also associated with commercial and rural vehicles, and doesn't have much of a reputation or brand pull in the higher-end segments. The badge worked till the XUV, but beyond that, they still don't have an upmarket premium sub-brand of their own. Ssangyong could be developed into that. Nobody knows a lot about them, their first and only car yet is the Rexton, and if this Tivoli is branded a Ssangyong and it succeeds, it gives Mahindra a platform to build upon. It has the right ingredients for it. It was not out of hatred for Mahindra.
Also, as you gave me the example of the TUV and Scorpio, let me give you an example from my side- the Xylo. That is a perfect example of how the 'Mahindra DNA' can ruin a more than decent product. The Xylo had a strong motor, lots of room on the inside, lot of features, and a softer ride than the Innova, its immediate rival. It was also a lot cheaper. But, Mahindra decided to make it all macho, aggressive, and give it the 'Mahindra DNA', ie that 'tough SUV' kind of flavour. Hence there were many unmistakable SUV cues all around the car. It clearly didn't belong in something that was meant to rival an Innova. But Mahindra being Mahindra couldn't resist themselves.
We all can see what happened to the Xylo against the Innova. The Innova still sells big, while the Xylo royally tanked in the personal vehicle market and only survives off fleet operator sales. Did it not have more power? Did it not have more features? Did it not have better third-row space? Yet it couldn't manage to touch the Innova, despite Toyota overpricing it.
The Innova kept selling because it still worked out far better as a sophisticated personal car. It owned the Xylo (and its segment) in things like design maturity, ergonomics and interior quality. Celebrities own Innovas. Luxury car owners own Innovas. Doctors own Innovas. Who among them would own a Xylo?
And with the Creta, there's just another case of the same story happening. A fresh segment, a new benchmark arrives, sells like hot cakes, and Mahindra turn up with a potent rival. And again, it just needs to be well-priced, refined and premium enough to succeed.
Now if it comes up with a toothy KUV-like grille, overdone side profile, snazzy interiors and gimmicky features typical of Mahindras; and on top of it, say 'double-oh' branding and typical OTT ad campaign (Baahubali, anyone?), will it even stand a chance against the Creta and the upcoming Brezza? I only see such a product becoming a butt of jokes on Team-BHP, and tapering off after something of a start on the sales chart.
The likes of the new Scorpio and the XUV might still have succeeded, but their success was in many cases
despite the OTT traits, and not necessarily
due to them. And even in their case, the competition has surely moved the game up. They do manage to stay contemporary for now, but if their replacements will be anything short of radical, they won't have quite the same fate as they do now.