[microscopic]

Jimny has made a great MBA case study for Volume vs Premium game and how not to botch the product positioning.

Product positioning is as important as the product itself, and Maruti has let their changing priorities affect their niche product.

[theAutomaniac]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

Thanks for this post. Maruti, not once but thrice (If I counted correctly) has reduced the prices. Nothing unfair at all, even when the dealership knew that massive discounts are around the corner and were selling the car at non-discounted rates. Absolutely fair practice by the company and its dealer.

I bought the car, and just when the 1.5 lakhs discount was introduced my car was invoiced a day before. The dealership was after me to make the payment. That wasn’t enough, a week later discounts were at 3.2 lakhs.

Let's just suppose that instead of offering the 3 lakh price discount, Maruti raised the prices by 3 lakhs, just a week after your delivery. In this case, would you have wanted Maruti to take extra payment from you because your delivery was just a week apart?

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

And yet, the same engine and size starts selling with discounts. Because people see value at the reduced price point. The shortcomings become acceptable when you pay less......

But how much can they reduce the price? Even if they price it at 10 lakhs, people will simply go ahead and buy the Thar RWD because the Thar looks bigger and nobody gives a damn about 4x4 unfortunately! IMO the only way Maruti can increase the Jimny's sales is by offering a RWD version at 8.5-9.5 lakhs, but that is too much work, and would make zero sense! Another way would be to develop an all new car with a wider track, and taller dimensions, under the Gypsy brand name!

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

We are talking about Maruti here, which is a volume player. If the Jimny does not garner enough numbers, it will be stopped sooner than later. Gypsy survived all these years only because the Govt was ordering it in bulk.

Well on the upside, India is the only production hub for Jimny 5 door so chances for a discontinuation are not as high. They will most likely restrict it to being a made-to-order car.
That said, I just don't think that the Jimny will ever sell well enough to be accepted by Maruti standards. Hopefully Maruti will just keep it as a niche car that won't be hyper focused on volumes.
Yes Maruti is a volumes based carmaker, but maybe they're trying to change ways! After all, the Jimny and Grand Vitara AWD would've never been launched here by volumes perspective!

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Well on the upside, India is the only production hub for Jimny 5 door so chances for a discontinuation are not as high. They will most likely restrict it to being a made-to-order car.
That said, I just don't think that the Jimny will ever sell well enough to be accepted by Maruti standards. Hopefully Maruti will just keep it as a niche car that won't be hyper focused on volumes.
Yes Maruti is a volumes based carmaker, but maybe they're trying to change ways! After all, the Jimny and Grand Vitara AWD would've never been launched here by volumes perspective!

Well, 3 door is produced here too, can you buy one?

I don’t trust Maruti to cater to enthusiasts. Sure, they launched some cars which enthusiasts liked, but these cars didn’t survive for long. Usually, bean counters take a final call on what stays and what’s axed. I doubt they look beyond their spreadsheets.

[Evyas]

One buys a car out of joy, out of love, out of the hope of making one's life easier. I know there are a lot of strong opinions on the forum on the Jimny - even I felt this present price that it has been 'reduced' to is the ideal ballpark - but then who can really tell? Is a MacBook worth the 1L+ they charge? Is any luxury car worth the 50-60L + that they ask for? Isn't everything we buy out of love not really 'worth it' in the practical world?

Maybe all cars, but for sure a Jimny, I have learnt, is an emotion. No matter how many cars I drove, no matter how many I booked (3!) I kept coming back to the Jimny. There is just 'something' about it that I have been trying to put into words.

Do these 'discounts' hurt me - not really. Would it have helped to have the car at this price when we were out looking? For sure. But then as with love, you don't worry about the consequences. You just go ahead.

So have been getting calls for the last couple of days suddenly from all the Nexa people with the discount offers. To be fair, I only consider the 1.8L I've been offered as a dealer/showroom discount since the 'Maruti loan discount' (approx 1.5L) is another hoop I will not jump through. So to say it's 3.3L less is a combination of a lot of things, which for me seems disingenuous. The Jimny is at a discount - hurray for all those who were hoping for the prices to be within a certain limit before the heart and the head aligned.

I'm happy people will be able to buy it now and I hope people who don't like it or find it not 'manly' enough leave this beautiful little car to the admirers of its absolutely wonderful abilities and design. So glad there will be some more Jimnys on the road thanks to the discounts. And like everything in life, may the Jimny find its way to the houses where it will be loved and cherished.

Did MSIL drop the ball on the pricing? Yes. Are they being silly by constantly shifting the price goalposts. For sure. But a Jimny is a Jimny is a Jimny. Those of us who REALLY want it, will have figured a way out to get it. And the others are now helped by the price drop. Isn't that lovely!

[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Let's just suppose that instead of offering the 3 lakh price discount, Maruti raised the prices by 3 lakhs, just a week after your delivery. In this case, would you have wanted Maruti to take extra payment from you because your delivery was just a week apart?


!

Increasing the price of Jimny by 3 lakhs?

Really!?

[TorquePull]

Local Nexa dealer says Jimny is now built to order, just like Gypsy used to be. I guess, once the stock gets over, there won't be much discounts.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Let's just suppose that instead of offering the 3 lakh price discount, Maruti raised the prices by 3 lakhs, just a week after your delivery. In this case, would you have wanted Maruti to take extra payment from you because your delivery was just a week apart?

There is no need for Consumer Protection Act then.

The buyer and the seller as two parties have one thing uncommon. While the seller knows all about the product being sold, the buyer is making an informed decision based on some assumptions. This is where consumer protection sets in.

When the buyer made the purchase on date X and the product was found to be defective on X + 5 days, it is quite evident that the seller sold a sub optimum product.

Similarly, when the price was dropped drastically within X + 5 days, the seller knew that the price of the product being charged is in excess. Although it appears legal, but the wish of the consumer to get a refund is valid and can be contested in a court of law, even when price protection was not offered by the seller.

This drop for 2023 manufactured cars was understandable, but this sharp and significant decline in price for 2024 manufactured cars is unjustified for consumers who purchased the same car a month before.

[Love4Cars]

We live in an open market where prices are determined by supply and demand. As a consumer, it is my choice to buy a product at the current price (assuming a hike soon) or wait (assuming a discount is coming). Then there is the need/timing of when do I need this product. No one pointed a gun to buy the product now, as a consumer I can excercise my choice.

On the other side, as a business how I price my product at any given point in time is my right. There are several factors that go into the same. Maruti may be clearing stocks to discontinue Jimny for all we know just like Hyundai did for Kona in recent months.

Sudden price changes exist for multiple products and services like Theatres, Hotels, Mobile phones and cars too.

Even Skoda offered amazing discounts around 24th March this year but I didn't read anyone complaining on that thread. You buy at the price applicable when YOU agree to that VALUE at the time of purchase. That value changes for person to person. Stay happy with what you bought. Remember, there are folks who even paid premium (on top of full ex showroom) on Jimny too last year!

[xway]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

This is the reason the Jimny failed in India. The market doesn't understand utilitarian, working class vehicles anymore. The interiors are designed to be washed down after an off road session. You'll find similar quality interiors in the Jeep Wrangler / Rubicon.

Yes the interiors are rugged and hard wearing. Some of us appreciate that but I'll concede, it is not for everyone. We are too used to "cars" and have forgotten the concept of Jeeps.

I'm 6'2" and daily drive the Jimny without issues.
The car is a 4 seater. You cannot seat 3 in the back legally so that was never under consideration.

Please define what a proper off roader is. Eagerly awaiting to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for the comments, you are a veteran and also a Jimny fan, while
I am no expert but shared what I felt when I tested the Jimny as soon as I heard the mouthwatering discounts.
You perspective seems to be from a Jimny owner while mine is from a prospective buyer seeking his moneys worth before taking the plunge, so perspectives differ.

While many of your points I understand but not all, the bottom line is that it was and is overpriced even Maruti realized this and so do the buyers, due to size, look, space or quality whatever but the value proposition is totally missed, so I felt. As someone already pointed out its love and heart based decision for Jimny, and I am
not in love with Jimny was trying for arranged marriage, but that didnt gel with between me and Jimny

Case rested.

[Turbolove]

Originally Posted by omar

Handling - Jazz
Speed - Jazz
Suspension - Jazz ( Jimny ride is quite bouncy)
Space - Jazz
Refinement - Jazz (the Jimny engine was loud and rough)
Off Road Capability - Jimny - No questions about it
Looks - I like the Jazz, but also like the Jimny
Road Presence - Jimny
Technology - Jimny

If the Jimny cannot beat a car, which is a decade old and worth not even 30% of the value, it simply does not make sense to get it. I am sure a lot of regular people have done this comparison and could not come to terms to justify the price.

If you're comparing a ladder frame suv with a monocoque hatchback, you already are not the target audience. All the pros of the Jazz that you listed are not meant to be the strong points of most ladder frame suvs. Jimny's target audience knows its strengths and appreciate it for that and accept that it won't have strong points like speed and handling.

FYI, the same comparison as above will hold true for the current Thar and say an old Duster or Swift, does that mean the Thar is an inferior product and shouldn't sell ? the market seems to think otherwise.

[rahul4321]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

This is the reason the Jimny failed in India. The market doesn't understand utilitarian, working class vehicles anymore. The interiors are designed to be washed down after an off road session. You'll find similar quality interiors in the Jeep Wrangler / Rubicon.

I completely fully agree to this. People today have forgotten the good old days when utilitarian / robustness / built for a specific purpose features were given more importance over fancy designs and superficial bells & whistles.

I ride a Himalayan 411 which is a utilitarian working class off-roader and love it. I would never want to sell it off and upgrade to a bells & whistles loaded offroad motorcycle because I just love the simplicity of the 411. That is also what the Jimny is.

On a lighter note: I bought the Jimny Zeta MT for 11.24 On Road in December 2023 and was feeling mighty chuffed with myself. Now, I feel like if I had held on for another 6 months, I would have been able to knock off another 50k off the price. But just imagine - how the owners who bought the Jimny at full price would be feeling now? Maruti not only managed to p**s off the full-price buyers but also the buyers who bought it at the lower discounted prices. What a bunch of numpties.

[omar]

Originally Posted by Turbolove

If you're comparing a ladder frame suv with a monocoque hatchback, you already are not the target audience. All the pros of the Jazz that you listed are not meant to be the strong points of most ladder frame suvs. Jimny's target audience knows its strengths and appreciate it for that and accept that it won't have strong points like speed and handling.

FYI, the same comparison as above will hold true for the current Thar and say an old Duster or Swift, does that mean the Thar is an inferior product and shouldn't sell ? the market seems to think otherwise.

Would you say the Thar is selling for its off-road capabilities? Would you then say is incorrect for the Thar RWD to be launched?

If target audience for the Jimny are only off road enthusiasts, then Suzuki have achieved their objective, as most would have already bought one at launch.

The fact that the market is reacting positively to the price cut is testament to Suzuki not wanting limited sales. Many have purchased the car even though they don’t need one, after the cut.

Suzuki had a golden opportunity to create either a value for money lifestyle vehicle or offer a more powerful engine. They failed at both. They are now trying to achieve the former.

[Turbolove]

Originally Posted by omar

Would you say the Thar is selling for its off-road capabilities? Would you then say is incorrect for the Thar RWD to be launched?

If target audience for the Jimny are only off road enthusiasts, then Suzuki have achieved their objective, as most would have already bought one at launch.

The fact that the market is reacting positively to the price cut is testament to Suzuki not wanting limited sales. Many have purchased the car even though they don’t need one, after the cut.

Suzuki had a golden opportunity to create either a value for money lifestyle vehicle or offer a more powerful engine. They failed at both. They are now trying to achieve the former.

The Thar had one major selling point besides its off road capabilities, its road presence of a big butch suv, this became more evident after the success of the RWD.

The Jimny was never positioned as the big butch suv, but as a capable off roader, and as you said it succeeded in selling to that audience however niche they were.

How positively did the market react to the Jimny's discounts? yes the sales increased, but not dramatically into the thousands. In Dec 23 with the discounts the sales increased to 730 units that month only, an increase from November but nothing to write home about, most of the Jimny enthusiasts who were on the fence due to the high pricing ended up buying it, like myself.

I'm quite sure July sales will also be higher than the previous months, but I highly doubt they would even reach the 1500 per month mark given that no matter how much the discount, the Jimny is still a very niche vehicle that will appeal to a very small audience. I'm guessing that enthusiasts on the fence will again be the majority buyers with the current discounts.

[omar]

Originally Posted by Turbolove

The Thar had one major selling point besides its off road capabilities, its road presence of a big butch suv, this became more evident after the success of the RWD.

The Jimny was never positioned as the big butch suv, but as a capable off roader, and as you said it succeeded in selling to that audience however niche they were.

The Jimny was positioned as a competitor to the Thar. This was evident with the large initial stock the dealers had picked up, their initial snobbish behaviour, their supposed limited monthly allocation and waiting lists.

Suzuki would have continued to sell at the same price if they were happy with the niche volumes. They clearly didn’t plan for the market to see the car for what it is: a car which is less appealing than the Thar (at least at the initial price point).

I am happy to see they are trying to correct that.

[Aakash118]

Got this quote from my dealer today. And if I book right today, free accessories worth 25k are promised. When I said that I don’t want the accessories, they offered 20k more discount. Looks a good deal, thinking to book by evening after calculating my finances.