[TallBoy]

I manage a company in the agri-input sector. We have pan-India operations with the majority of our Sales team based out of B & C towns across the country. They travel extensively and their work takes them to villages and farm lands. Most roads that they travel on are fairly motorable and even if there is an odd plot of land that seems inaccessible, they can easily park at a distance and walk down.

We now need to augment them with some vehicles as the team is expanding. In the earlier instance, we purchased diesel Brezzas for the managers and petrol powered Swifts for some of the executives. We now have to buy 12 vehicles in the next quarter - 3 for managers and 9 for executives.

These will be self-driven vehicles and a five seater is more than adequate. The average usage of these vehicles is around 4,000 kilometers per month for the managers and about 2,000 kilometers per month for executives. The first Brezza that we bought in November, 2016, has done around 2.35 lakh kilometers and is acting up quite frequently of late.

While I wish there was a Toyota CSUV that I could go for blindfolded (I have used Innovas in succession from 2007 till date), there is none!

Which vehicles would you recommend for the managers and which ones for the executives, considering the total cost of ownership over a 4-5 year period? Our budget is a maximum of around 12-14 lakhs for the managers and 7-7.5 lakhs for the executives.

For executives, we also give them an option of using their own car and reimbursing them at a rate of Rs.9 per kilometer. If you think that would be a better option instead of the company owning a 7 lakh asset and bearing all the running costs, please suggest so. For managers, we have decided to give company owned cars.

This is my first thread on T-BHP and hence excuse me for any errors.

Thank you for the patient reading and advice.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[AYP]

Originally Posted by TallBoy

Thank you for the patient reading and advice.

You haven't specified the fuel preference which you have. Are you open to all the fuel options including CNG and diesel?

It'd be much easier to advice you after getting to know your fuel preference.

Also, is 'utility' of the vehicles the only thing which you are interested in or are you willing to compromise on this slightly for an overall 'better feeling' car? E.g. WagonR vs Ignis.

[AkMar]

Given the usage, diesel makes sense. For the managers you can go for Nexon or Altroz Diesel. Nexon has been in the market for long enough, so there is less to worry about Tata reliability issues.

Getting a diesel in Executives budget will be difficult. So you can look at the Marutis here. Ignis/Swift/WagonR, you won't go wrong with any of these. If CNG is available in the areas where the vehicles are used, WagonR, Celerio CNG are your options

[SNA411]

Bolero Neo for the under 12 lakh category.

The cheapest diesel car on sale in India is a Hyundai Grand i10 nios diesel, and it costs 8.3 lakhs on road.
So the other car at 7.5 lakhs has to be CNG. Wagon R cng sounds pretty good to me, unless luggage space is a criteria.

[TallBoy]

Originally Posted by AYP

Are you open to all the fuel options including CNG and diesel?

Also, is 'utility' of the vehicles the only thing which you are interested in or are you willing to compromise on this slightly for an overall 'better feeling' car? E.g. WagonR vs Ignis.

Fuel preference: It is Petrol or Diesel. Availability of CNG is still a question mark in many areas.

Utility vs. Better feeling: A slight premium (10%?) Is perhaps fine for a better feeling vehicle, but otherwise utility is the key.

[Emvi]

Given your set of requirements, Bolero Neo or Nexon Diesel is what I would suggest for your company managers. Among the two, Bolero would be my pick just for the vehicle's ruggedness and utility.

And for the executives, your Plan B(reimbursing travel expense) seems apt IMO.

[BlackPearl]

Mahindra Bolero for executives and Bolero Neo for managers will be good I believe.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by TallBoy

We now need to augment them with some vehicles as the team is expanding. We now have to buy 12 vehicles in the next quarter - 3 for managers and 9 for executives.
Which vehicles would you recommend for the managers and which ones for the executives, considering the total cost of ownership over a 4-5 year period?

Welcome to the forum.

Foremost, you must understand that the asset you will give to employees has to be cared for the same way they will do their own. But unfortunately, it does not happen, and you will find new cars turning into shambles down the lane.

I suggest you consider buying these in your company name and deduct the basic amount, for example, Ex-showroom prices divided into 60 instalments, without any interest/ road tax or insurance. Cars will be run in the company name and maintained by the company but transferred to employees after completion of instalments. If they find EMI a little higher, they can keep a balloon payment at the time of sale. If an employee leaves early, they can pay company overheads and take the car, or in case they don't want to take the car, you can pay back a portion of the monies they paid.

This helps maintain the cars in great shape and keeps the employees engaged with you. In addition, they can use the vehicle for personal use without any hindrance and will feel proud socially.

Now, coming to what car, I don’t have much experience in this segment but can recommend you to stick either with Toyota or Maruti only. Both have strong work ethics and very tight control over the dealers.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Given the requirements, You should stay away from Koreans.

If you can stretch or manage a decent discount then the Amaze Diesel is a good option or else the Altroz Diesel is the only option. For your managers, the Bolero Neo or Nexon or XUV3OO are decent options.

If you are okay with petrol, then Scross for the managers & Ignis for the rest of the executives is a decent proposition but it would be very heavy on your pocket given the fuel prices now.

Alternatively, If CNG availability can be checked then Ertiga and dzire CNGs make a strong case.

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

I suggest you consider buying these in your company name and deduct the basic amount, for example, Ex-showroom prices divided into 60 instalments, without any interest/ road tax or insurance. Cars will be run in the company name and maintained by the company but transferred to employees after completion of instalments. If they find EMI a little higher, they can keep a balloon payment at the time of sale. If an employee leaves early, they can pay company overheads and take the car, or in case they don't want to take the car, you can pay back a portion of the monies they paid.

Excellent suggestion by Turbanator above.

In cars I would suggest Wagon R for executives and Bolero, Nexon or Brezza for managers. Wagon R is a very comfortable car for long drives and reasonably ok in rough roads given the price band. 20 years back I did a lot of rural marketing in the old Wagon R.

[IshaanIan]

Depends on whether a body on frame construction is required for rough terrain or whether a monocoque chassis will do. If ladder frame is required then I think this is precisely why the Mahindra TUV exists if monocoque is fine then there's a good reason why the Vitara Brezza is so popular.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Originally Posted by TallBoy

Which vehicles would you recommend for the managers and which ones for the executives, considering the total cost of ownership over a 4-5 year period? Our budget is a maximum of around 12-14 lakhs for the managers and 7-7.5 lakhs for the executives.
.

Bolero neo for the managers and new Santro petrol for the Executives. With your kind of extensive running, these vehicles would be beneficial in the long run.

You can also think about having a lease agreement with a transport agency and get cars on lease. Service, Insurance etc is all their responsibility and you can focus on things that matter the most.

[KPR]

I know there will be many suggestions on cars in this thread. Before that 4000 km driving per month for managerial role in rural India looks like a dream job for me.

[Sheel]

Suzuki Ignis - Executives.

S-Cross or Urban Cruiser or XUV 3OO - Managers.