[Staraptor]

Things that I'll be okay with, wrt cost cutting in the top variant of a car:
a) Lack of soft touch plastics on the dash/non-contact areas: As long as the the quality of the hard plastic isn't cheap/creaky or with visible panel gaps, having hard plastics in non-contact areas is acceptable as per me. (Eg: XUV700 has acceptable plastics, but Hycross doesn't.)
b) Lack of sunroof: Have a Kia Seltos with a single pane roof. It's used maybe three to four times a year. Absolutely non-essential, and wish more car manufacturers did a Punch EV wrt sunroof.
c) Connected car tech: Absolutely non essential.
d) Paddle shifters, as long as the AT gearbox is tuned well.
e) Rain sensing wipers: Good to have, but definitely not needed. Auto headlamps though, for me, is a must have feature.
f) Powered tailgate: Again, good to have, but hydraulic assist tailgate makes it nearly 0 effort even in cars without one.
g) Auto up/down for all windows: It's pointed out in nearly every car, but how much effort does it take to hold onto the power window switch for 3 seconds more?
h) Wireless charging: Less efficient for the phone plus heats it up. Can't even place car keys there. Absolutely avoidable.
i) All digital instrument cluster: Again, looks good, but I think the old Seltos'/current Scorpio N's analog dials with a big MID in middle also works beautifully. Is a good compromise if the cost is lower.
j) Reclining rear seat especially if it's within 5°
k) Cooled glove box: Haven't felt the need.
l) ADAS: Manufacturers should offer the same variant with/without ADAS.
m) Powered seats in a sub 20L car.


Essentials as per me: At least 4 adjustable headrests (5 preferably), 6 airbags, ESP, TC, electronic aids, auto-dimming IRVM, auto headlamps, rear washer/wiper, defogger, rear camera (360° preferably), parking sensors, good underthigh support- front and rear, good AC, compliant suspension, ICE with navigation and Android auto/apple carplay, adequate performance even when fully loaded, and a safe body structure.

[gtr_amg22]

The only cost cuttings I am ok with are -

1. Not providing 135 degree recline (MG Windsor)
2. Small, usable touch screen instead of big, laggy ones (MG Hector)
3. Analogue dials instead of flashy unusable digital ones (Korean twins)

Cost cutting I am not ok with -

1. Hard plastics instead of soft. (Maruti)
2. Weak platform (Again Maruti)
3. Downsizing engines (Maruti once more)
4. Compromise in safety eg: less airbags, no adjustable headrests etc., (Maruti, Renault, Citroen)

[pedrolourenco]

At the end of the day the big manufacturers from developed countries decide which country gets what. No matter what we think they will do it. If they cut costs the local manufacturers will also do the same. There is nothing we can do about it.

[Auto_guy_101]

Manufacturers go ahead with their cost cutting after significant research, with the idea that they are able to tick a majority of the boxes a customer wants. In 2024, it has reached a level where brands like Tata have a few dozen variants of their cars, with the top end sometimes priced 2x the base model, just so that they can cater to a very wide audience.

But for me the cost cuttings that really hurt are:
- The likes of VW Skoda 2.0 missing one touch windows which the older cars already had.
- Selling a base model car with less than 6 airbags or lower than 4 star rating (I'd say a 5 star rating should be a minimum for a 1.5L and above engine)
- Thin sheet metal
- Poor HVAC systems
- Tyres on normal cars. I really wish manufacturers found a way where I can take delivery of a new car with some Michelin or Bridgestone rubber and don't have to deal with finding a buyer for the MRFs or Apollos. The 4 tyres would cost them just about 20-30k extra to upgrade without economies of scale.
- Lack of 4 discs on many cars.

Cost cutting I'd be perfectly fine with:
- Sunroof
- ADAS
- Wireless Android auto or Apple Carplay. These heat up the phone, often have choppy connection and are usefull only for shorter drives where we mostly already know the route and can play songs with ordinary bluetooth.

[skb1811]

Originally Posted by shresan23

. I actually prefer the former. If your cost cutting idea helps me, why not?

I agree with most of this, now only if 'cost cutting' ACTUALLY reduced the cost of the vehicle..

And, voice commands, what's the point when the sunroof switch/window switch is literally 3 inches to your side, the effort you put to use the Voice Command switch/button, you could use it to operate what you want to operate in the first place. (And saves you a bit of breath, from repeating the sentence over and over again because VC most of the time doesn't work as you intend it to.)

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by Electricpig

I was shocked to see the sheer number of unnecessary features!...-Electronic seat adjustment every time the engine is started and stopped.
-Automatic hydraulic opening and closing of Boot door....

Cost cutting you are okay with, but please don't term those features as unnecessary. Whether we want or not, every feature has a purpose or an user who finds it useful.

The welcome feature where the seat goes back on entry and exit really helps to create space for easy ingress and egress. This was super useful in older low slung cars, maybe not as useful in todays cars with higher seats. Also it needs electric adjust steering wheel for that wholesome easy entry/exit experience.

About electrical opening and closing of boot door. With the opening and closing action of boot doors getting heavier in modern cars, electric assist helps to keep it easy, whether your hands are free or not.

[Electricpig]

Originally Posted by DicKy

Cost cutting you are okay with, but please don't term those features as unnecessary. Whether we want or not, every feature has a purpose or an user who finds it useful.

The welcome feature where the seat goes back on entry and exit really helps to create space for easy ingress and egress. This was super useful in older low slung cars, maybe not as useful in todays cars with higher seats. Also it needs electric adjust steering wheel for that wholesome easy entry/exit experience.

About electrical opening and closing of boot door. With the opening and closing action of boot doors getting heavier in modern cars, electric assist helps to keep it easy, whether your hands are free or not.

I don't doubt that these features would be found useful by SOMEONE out there, no! But for ME personally, they are not needed and hence, I wouldn't have a problem if manufacturers did away with them in favor of cost cutting.
However , I understand your point, that these might be very necessary features for some people

[IshaanIan]

Interesting thread. Here are my submissions:

Fabric Seats- I infact love these over leather seats as they feel more comfy in hot weather, are more silent and one does not have to worry about parking the car in the sun.

Halogen Lights- at least on the inside I like my car’s cabin to feel cozy and not like a laboratory

Skinny Tyres- in this day and age of efficiency and downsizing, I applaud efforts made by manufacturers to have their vehicles perform decently well on skinny tyres. Less rotational mass = more fun.

Flush type door handles- like the ones on the XUV 700 and other flashy new cars. As long as it is trendy and aerodynamic, I suppose I can forgive manufacturers for incorporating this although I personally prefer regular door handles myself but I do not mind seeing this on a lot of new cars

Plain Plastic Gear Knob- If the gearbox is good I don’t care what shape the knob is moulded into or whether it comes embellished in chrome.

Flimsy Aircon Vents- When buying a car used, it serves as an instant indicator of how carefully the previous owner has interacted with the interior. Typically a car with flimsy air vents that haven’t broken, also has side bolstering that hasn’t collapsed, interior plastics with no nicks and chrome that hasn’t faded away.

ADAS and Auto Headlamps and Wipers- I can handle all these tasks by myself thankyou very much.

Blank Switches- Gives one neat spots to add controls for any added aftermarket features. For example if I wanted to have a town and country horn like some older cars used to come with, I’d add a toggle switch onto one of these blank switches.