Market Sees the Ciaz!!!

Maruti Suzuki, the household name in the Indian domestic Auto market normally lets people associate the  brand with affordable & Value-For-Money cars. And of course in the market driven by Fuel economy, Maruti is by far the best claiming the Numero-Uno position in the car market ever since its launch.With models ranging from the Vintage 800 (made to order) to the Grand Vitara, it has a portfolio of 13 and counting. The compact sedan segment, however has proved to be a tough nut to crack for Maruti - response to the SX4 wasn't that great. Let alone the premium segment.

Honda City was dominant in its own term in this segment till 2012. Hyundai rightly answered with the New Verna which took the market by storm with its fluidic design and performance. Lack of a diesel variant was seen as Honda's downfall and Hyundai enjoyed an almost monopoly until Honda came back with meeting the demands of the market. Honda now sells close to 8000 units of the City. But then it was just the beginning of what was to follow. Maruti with its ever so responsive R&D and Marketing has launched the Ciaz - the head turner in this year's Auto Expo. And guess what - the car has already made 3000 bookings in 3 days and is believed to threaten the share of City and Verna.

The new Ciaz is better-equipped and built on an all-new platform, unlike the SX4 whose styling looked quite dated. Compared the City or Verna, the Ciaz's design is safe, and yet attractive. The front fascia comprises of a fairly large hood and a 4-slit chrome grille that literally stares at you. Also, the large projector head-lamps don't fail to grab your attention. The 16-inch alloys, which come only on the top-end Z+ variant, add to the appeal. Wheelbase of 2650mm is substantially more than that of its rivals. That's not all, the sedan also gets a ground clearance of 170 mm, which is, again, more than that of its rivals. As far as its rear is concerned, it is hard to miss the striking similarity with the Honda City!

Roomy cabin and  the beige-black interiors with wooden garnish and chrome do offer some premium appeal. The top end variant gets a SmartPlay infotainment system with a large touchscreen (which is a definite miss in Verna). The boot space is a generous 510-litres, which is same as the Honda City but more than the Hyundai Verna.

The 1.3-litre diesel variant, carried over from the Ertiga mated to a 5 speed gearbox puts out 89bhp along with a healthy 200Nm of torque. The upgraded 1.4-litre K-Series petrol motor has 91bhp on tap and 130Nm of torque. Maruti will offer two transmission options on this one, a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual. Both of these engines claim class-leading fuel efficiency figures - especially the diesel motor, which is higher than that of the Honda City. When it comes to the ride, I heard that the cabin is constantly buzzin and a bit bouncy on uneven terrain at high-speeds though the HIghway ride seem to be comfortable. And finally to the thing that determines the verdict - Maruti has come up with an aggressive price that range from Rs. 7 - 11 lakhs. Well!! thats an instant hit in our market anytime and answers the 1000 bookings per day in 3 days of its launch.

Ciaz would turn out to be milestone for the company and we can expect a blockbuster this festive season for Maruti.

- DC

Courtesy - Auto Car, NDTV, TeamBHP :)

Make way for the Prince - Honda Amaze!!!

Often there is a sense of curiosity and sheer excitement when we wait for outcomes. We just wait for things to happen and there lies the surprise. Life is such. We do not know what the future holds for us. Each and every day springs in new surprises  And so, life is exciting. But when we do know whats in store for us, apparently monotony sets in. It steals away the amazement which would make things worth waiting to know. It applies to everything. Ranging from hit list to Sports to living and so on. Consider Man United in EPL. CSK in IPL. Tiger Woods in Highest Paid Athlete list. We all know these are there to stay every year and there are no surprises. There is a clear dominance in each of these right through. Yet we were in for a surprise when things unfolded last year. Man City replaced Man United. KKR toppled CSK. Floyd Mayweather punched his way to chuck Tiger Woods out. Some of us were left in shock and awe while some cherished the surprise. Surprise there is, reminds us that change is inevitable. Actually, change is good.

For years now, Maruti has been the market leader in Cars in India with Hyundai being the distant second. MUL sells close to one lakh units each month (a share of close to 45%) while HMIL sells just over a quarter of it (around 14%). The reason for MUL's dominance is early inroads, huge network and trust among customers backed by a huge portfolio catering to all segments. With it's Alto, Swift siblings and Wagon-R, MUL enjoys unprecedented success in volumes. Come what may, it defies law of competition. Any competing vehicle form other manufactures loses by a big margin to these household names from MUL. The DZire especially has reigned supreme ever since it came into the market. But it was about time that somebody upped the game in this segment and Honda seem to have just done that  with it's latest offering, leaving MUL in a spot of bother.  Literally.

Honda sales normally amounts to less than 10000 units each month (at the most in it's prime). It even hit a low of 1960 last June (thanks to the storm created by petrol price hike and desire for diesel cars). A mere share of around 3 - 4% of the pie is what it earns normally. The reason being the lack of a diesel variant in its portfolio. Quality offerings from rivals din't help Honda's cause and the Japanese car makers were left reeling down the barrel.  Apparently Honda lost its reputation and it's future in the Indian market went for a toss. After an year of resilient market study and strategics,  Honda has come up with what could be a defining move, its first ever diesel variant in India - the "Amaze" and boy hasn't it revived Honda's fortunes.  A whopping 22,000 bookings in less than a month of its launch, plucking a thick share from the leading Dzire, has meant a telling blow to Maruti.  Going by expert reviews, it  almost seems like the Amaze was designed and built just to topple the DZire from its throne. Honda has struck gold with Amaze and this was something the competition was dreading for a long time and to come up with something better definitely took a lot of doing.

More than doubling its normal sale volume with just one launch, Honda has now stamped its authority back on Indian roads. A job well done, a lesson learnt the hard way hard though but shall stay on for its success. We all do learn the hard way and its the only way we keep ourselves forward. It has meant that excelling in matching customer needs with a prompt offering is always a proven success package.  Honda has just done that, we may believe. As for Maruti, the so far unchallenged leader, it would take time and a possible miracle to rebound.

- DC