[CentreOfGravity]

At one time, customers had just a handful of car variants to choose from. Take the 2019 WagonR for example. You had all of four trims viz. LXi, VXi, ZXi and ZXi+, and two engines + two gearboxes. This was the case with most other cars too, making life simple for buyers; however, this meant that choice for the customer was limited. Hyundai changed that to some extent with cars like the 2020 i20, which at launch, had 25 variants IIRC. These variants were meaningful to the buyer and provided choice without being confusing. When Kia entered the Indian market with the Seltos, people were blown away, both by the car and the kind of variants on offer. While the choice provided was excellent, it was very confusing for an actual buyer to choose a variant thanks to the multitude of engines, gearboxes and trims.


In 2023, Tata launched the Nexon facelift with 2 engines, 6 gearboxes and 2 different feature packs namely the (S) and (+). As if that wasn't enough, they even introduced the Dark edition this year, hence taking the total number of variants to an eye-popping 97 variants! Mind you, 97 variants just for the ICE powered Nexon! Include the electric versions into the mix and you're sure to go mad. As I see it, this number will only increase once Tata introduces the CNG variant and more special editions.


On the face of it, people may think of this as a good move (I was one of them), but look deeper and you realise that choosing one variant out of a 100 is far from an easy task, even if you have clarity on which engine and gearbox you want to go with. And that - coupled with the below video which I watched a few months ago - got me thinking, does more variants necessarily mean easier choice for the customer?

https://youtu.be/VDhtUxI7SYE?t=1152&feature=shared

(Please watch from 19:12 to 33:05 to get the point)

Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate Tata (and Kia) for going the extra mile and trying to make a car for every kind of customer, but is it worth the effort? Would you rather choose from 10 well thought out variants or 100 randomly 'curated' variants (aka personas)? Tata's intention seems right, but their approach is messed up. Take the Honda City for example. It has all of four variants and one engine + two gearboxes. While I'll be the first to agree that Honda have way too less powertrain + gearbox options, won't the customer who is okay with the given options go through a far simpler process of choosing from SV, V, VX or ZX?


To make sense of which is better, I made a list of the pros and cons of offering too many variants:

Pros:

• Choice - You can specifically choose what features you want and what you don't. For example, the (S) pack in the Nexon denotes sunroof; you can go for the top variant without a sunroof if you like, or go for the base variant with a sunroof.
• Bridging the gap - In some cases, the mid variants miss out on many features, while the top variants may be out of your budget. In such scenarios, the extra variants can bridge the gap, hence allowing you stay in your budget while getting a decent mix of features.
• Exclusivity - Chances that someone else has the exact same variant as you do are very low.

Cons:

• Confusion - Who wants to spend hours in front of the dreaded brochure to figure out the right variant? KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)!
• (Wasted) Effort - Imagine the kind of effort that needs to be put in to manufacture so many different variants of one car! Not to mention the other cars that need to be manufactured. Is it worth the effort?
• Dealing with the dealers - I can only imagine the "good time" dealers will have in trying to memorise the prices, features and nuances of each variant. Also, in case someone cancels their booking after the vehicle is ready, what are the chances that someone else is interested in the exact same spec? To the dealers - all the best guys!
• Awkward conversations - Just imagine this - "Hey bro! I got the Tata Nexon Fearless S + Dark edition Petrol DCT". *Facepalm*.
• Fluctuations - Just one change to the variant lineup, and chaos is sure to erupt in the buyer's mind. Not to mention the dealerships' headache in updating the brochure, auto journos' headache in updating the audience and prospective buyer's headache in keeping track of the changes.

So BHPians, what do you think? Does "the more the better" always work? Do share your thoughts and add to this list!

[dragon_booster]

Having too many variants can cause confusion and isn't necessary. Limiting options to three or four variants is sufficient. Sometimes, even minor changes like adding or removing features such as auto-folding mirrors or hand-rests count as variants. It would be better to offer configurations instead. Let customers choose what they want, and then provide a quote based on their choices.

[PrideRed]

I personally prefer having more variants which I believe targets larger section of buyers. I see successful cars usually have very high number of variants . The XUV700 for instance starts from 14.5L to almost 27L! Downside I see is, some models are restricted to paper only or command long waiting period.

[It's Magic]

Think having more than 10-15 variants could potentially lead to confusion. It might be ideal for manufacturers to limit the number of variants to around 10, with all features evenly distributed across them.

They could also include a list of additional features that can be added into the lower-end variants in the product brochure.

This approach could simplify the decision-making process for customers and streamline the product lineup.

[Raghu M]

Having more variants and possibility to customize makes more sense. No one looks at brochures anymore, it's all online and the way car websites have been designed these days, it's just awesome to look at a car of choice with the required variant/engine/transmission. I would like a high end trim but with a manual transmission, I don't get that easily in many models. What do I do? Have to compromise on the choice of model or even change the brand altogether. In fact, I would go a step ahead and suggest customization. High end trim, manual, with sunroof. Mid variant, with panoramic sunroof with a TC gearbox. Low end variant, DCT and sunroof etc. That would definitely give more choice and spoil the customer. Of course car companies will take time to deliver but isn't that the case already?

[vattyboy]

Fewer variants can reduce confusion, like the examples of Maruti's Lxi, Vxi, Zxi, and Zxi Plus, Hyundai's E, Ex, S, S+, Sx, and Sx(o), or Mahindra's Mx, Ax3, Ax5, Ax7, and Ax7 L.

However, I find Tata's practice of having 20-25 variants in every model quite confusing.

[sen2693]

I feel customisation will be a much simpler way of going about it than listing so many variants. Yes, as an industry we are far from it today and I know nothing about the manufacturing process to judge if it is easy or not to enable such a capability. But if it can be, then it would make life simpler for customers. They will have a choice to be objective, like do you need sunroof, yes or no? Do you need alloys? Yes or no? Dual tone? This will also help people who are not satisfied with any of the current variants for one reason or another.

Or atleast, it could be like a Q&A or river flow sort of thing where you answer few questions like the above ones I mentioned to list out the variants for you.

[ron178]

A lot of the confusion can be eliminated by presenting minor differences as options on a checklist instead of as separate variants. For example, sunroofs, ADAS, etc.

I'm a stickler for not having unnecessary 'Plus', 'O', etc. variants that mean different things on different cars. Case in point: on a Tata Nexon I have to add the sunroof with a +S but in a Škoda Slavia I can delete it with an NSR. In the Mahindra XUV700, 'E' means it does have ESC. In the competing MG Hector, 'EX' means drop the ESC. It would be so much simpler if the variant names were just one word/alphanum and the options were really that -- options, not separate variants.

I do like VW and Kia's approach of having two kinds of trim lines for different buyers and simple variants within them (or at least in the case of VW). That spreads the range across many price points, caters to different buyers, and also keeps the variants discrete enough.

[The21st]

I have a simple solution.

Those who find it confusing, assume that only 3 variants exist and ignore everything else. In the case of Seltos, just look at HTK, HTX and X line. Meanwhile, let others who want more customised options, enjoy the widespread variants.

People are fine when Porsche let you customise everything and charge exorbitant money. I, personally find this variant distribution of Hyundai group as a mini Porsche experience. If you have a clear idea on what you want in a car, variant selection is easy.

[ghodlur]

Too many variants actually adds to the confusion during the car selection, I am of the opinion that variants should be very few, maybe max 4-5. Anything more than that is a headache. Those who have bought Tata cars would surely agree.

[S.MJet]

Voted Yes.

I don't think there is any harm.

Just because few of us get confused does not mean the options should not be made available.

I see this as a win-win for both customers and OEMs.

For customers, it gives vide choice to fit individual requirements and budget.

And for OEMs it expands target market and increases sales.

[GTO]

End of the day, I have to buy one variant and I'd like to get a wide choice to pick exactly what I want. The representational image of the Seltos is spot on - Kia was very proactive with variants at the time of the car's launch, and quickly added new ones based on customer feedback too.

On the downside, yes, it is very confusing. We had commented as such in our Official Review then.

If I go to a restaurant & have to eat 1 dish, I'd like the menu to have 50 items instead of 20. The probability of me getting what I want is much higher in the former.

[ramki.grandhi]

I've selected "yes" option. But I would prefer to have just one version of the car, ie base version and have multiple packs of features available at the cost, so that i can choose exactly what I want. Seriously, I would prefer to have 6-8 air bags, ESP etc than 32 inch tv or air purifier.

[DHARM]

Voted "Yes" as in India Car makers don't offer selecting features individually similar to International markets so if they give more variants it helps to reduce your buying price and no compulsion to buy unwanted features for e.g. if you don't need sunroof and option to buy a variant available without that but with all other features then it saves money

[Virtualaman]

Thanks for the poll.

I think it's great that manufacturers (such as Hyundai / Kia) offer a gazillion variants to choose from.

At the end of the day, if I'm spending close to Rs 10-20 Lakh hard earned money, I would want to have as much choice as possible. Yes, it's a tricky thing to fathom the complex brochures, but if I'm spending that amount of money, I don't really see it as an issue. The reality is that many of us, as working professionals, spend way more time on more complex work related decisions on a daily basis. So choosing a car variant isn't a more complex decision.

The possibility that I will find a variant that meets many of my requirements (if not all) is way higher with more choice than less. it's that simple!

Having said that, yes, 100% agree that there is a lot of room for manufacturers to better 'present' the variants in a simple and logical manner in their brochures. Put on your thinking caps guys (at the marketing departments)!