Ford’s Urban Discovery!

Finally we have something that we have been waiting for since it made its first appearance in the Auto expo 2012 held in the capital. Calling it the most awaited or eagerly anticipated will be quite of an understatement since it is a lot more.  Some say it as neuvo ecosport and to some in Brazil it’s known as nuvo ecosport and it took almost 18 months for ford to Indianize it so that we can call it as The Ecosport.

First things first, it’s a spectacular looking masterpiece. The rectangular Audi inspired headlamps looks brilliant and certainly a lot of chrome is used on the front to add to its flamboyant character. At the back it looks even better with good proportions. The beauty to behold but that beauty is much more than skin deep. It has got 3 engine options two with petrol and one in diesel. As you steep in your senses feel nice due to plush interiors and upholstery quality. Centre console looks staggered with so many buttons but you get used to it pretty soon. Mind you, voice command system does recognize your voice (Indian Accent). Six air bags, cooled glove box, charging point in the rear, foldable seats makes up for the less boot space and extendable tray at the back makes a lot more sense than its competitors.  Microsoft sync system is another ace on practicality.  If the airbag deploys or the fuel tank gets cut off in a crash, Sync will automatically connect to 108, convey to the helpline your car’s longitude and latitude coordinates and allows you to talk to a person on the other side.

Talking about the ride quality of the diesel - it has got the perfect balance of comfort and fun, the response you get is quick and turbo comes in at low revs, in response to which steering command and the overall drivability of the car impresses you. And you don’t have to downshift again while overtaking. And you want to just hold on a while and cruise on highway, it’s comfortable as well.

But certainly the masterstroke comes in the form of pricing from Ford. The million dollar question – Will Ford end Renault’s dream run? We would say, with petrol starting as low as 5.59 Lac and diesel ranging from 6.69 Lac to 8.99 Lac, for top end it has got a huge field to play with. Certainly it will attract every buyer who is ready to spend between 5 to 10 Lac. It has got the fun of a Swift, ease of i20, strength of Vento, practicality of Dzire and Amaze, looks that could very well counter Verna and last but not the least everything Duster gives at a much higher price. The pricing was all possible due its under 4 meter body frame and economy of scale achieved by making Chennai the export hub.

We guess Ford has got everything right; it will take Ford to an altogether different league and will establish its name like never before. No doubt Ecosport is a breakthrough ‘discovery’ from Ford which would help establish itself as a forerunner in the challenging automobile space in the subcontinent.

(Author - Anshul Chawla - Is an automobile enthusiast who love and live cars! Can be ignited at anshul_chawla@live.com)

Caroll Shelby - Motorsport Legend

Usually we write about monthly industry sales and updates along with the new car launches and since we are quite young in the business we never really got a chance to write about all time classic cars. Then on a Sunday morning we decided to go back to history write about cars that made the difference. Interestingly though we wrote about something else, someone who was behind such cars, someone who made cars with just one mission which is brutal power and till now his cars carry forward his legacy. The most renowned name in the automotive space, He is Caroll Shelby.

Born in texas, Shelby suffered heart valve leakage problems at the age of 7 and spent most of his childhood in bed depending largely on nitro glycerin pills. That’s probably why one day he decided to become a racing driver and in a decade long career as a racing driver he was driver of the year for 1956-57 by sports illustrated and also competed in 8 world championship races. And he is very well known as a co-driver in Aston martin DBR and took it to victory in 24 hours of le Mans racing. In fact Carroll Shelby is the only man to have won the prestigious Le Mans race as a driver, team owner and automotive manufacturer. Later on he found out that a small company called AC was struggling to find an engine for its racing car the ACE. Shelby strikes a deal with ford to supply the mighty V8 and that spermed to what we know as the ACE cobra and at that time it become the fastest road car for a while in England. And In America the success with cobra paved the way for many great cars in partnership among ford and Shelby.

Remember the GT40! Going further back when in 1963 Ferrari pulled back of the deal at the last minute Henry ford actually ordered his designers to built a car that could snatch the prancing horse. And in 1966, 1967, 1968 GT40 did exactly what it was born to do. Moreover what made GT40 “The GT40” Shelby had a big role to play after its suspension failure at the Nurburgring 1000km race. And since GT40 was a landmark in the lives of carol Shelby, Henry Ford and everyone associated with it, rather every auto enthusiast.

That was just the beginning for carol Shelby, Then started the era of Shelby 350 and since then GT’s have been ruling hearts from a school going kid with the poster in his bedroom to the movie producers and GT350 was itself a style statement and that is why from Jim Morrison to Bill Clinton almost every famous icon bought this masterpiece.

Further came the GT500 powered by another mighty V8 which delivered 540 brake horses of power also embarked 40^th anniversary editions later on with scoops and vents, twist-lock hood pins. These additions were so popular that every car modification had it. It was a common rage to see the flamboyance characteristics of Shelby GT500. last  may 2012 at the age of 89 when he died, Just before he passed away he got to see the all new GT500 powered by the supercharged V8 engine  which produces 662 bhp and 631 lb-ft of torque, and a claimed top speed of 325 km/h. It is in fact the most powerful going V8 ever made in the history.

 And carrying foreword a little bit of his legacy as he said  "Yesterday's History, Tomorrow's a Mystery, So live for today."  As an auto lover we expect carol Shelby international to take foreword the legacy.

(Author - Anshul Chawla - Is an automobile enthusiast who love and live cars! Can be ignited at anshul_chawla@live.com)

Indian Car Sales Figures - May 2013

May 2013 Sales Figures - Pan India

HIGHLIGHTS:

·        1) It was a “May Day” mode for all Auto OEMs last month. The offtake figures projected heavy stock corrections done by both dealer and OEMs to save on the inventory cost. Toyota's deputy MD & chief operating officer Sandeep Singh was found quoting - "The domestic market continues to be sluggish. We have corrected the dealer's inventory levels and have been able to bring it down to less than 30 days." The trend seems discouraging and the market seems to require great pull for the targeted sale. The slowdown has impacted dealer profitability as well and in a recent survey was found that one in five dealers in India are expected to take a financial loss in 2013 more than the double the number of dealers in 2012. The survey conducted by JD Power had this to say - "Declining profitability for dealerships in India not only highlights the impact that the slowdown in new-vehicles sales has on the viability of a growing number of dealers, but also underlines the importance placed on automakers to provide adequate support to their respective networks"

·         2) It is said that when Maruti sneezes, Indian Auto Indutsry catches cold. The situation is similar for Alto as well – when the highest contributor of the OEM defaults, the overall numbers take a hit. The top performer fell short of over 8k numbers from its average – Is it the Alto customers are upgrading to Swift/Dzire? However, Dzire dethroned Alto and rose to become the new numero Uno selling brand. Surprisingly the LUV (Ertiga) is falling short of the love from its prospects – the numbers have taken a steep fall to 4306 units from an average of 6k figures. However, Wagon R has supported well with 12952 offtake – proof that petrol-only models are giving a fight to sustain. Also the launch of Amaze did not bother the supremacy of Dzire – so, where did Amaze gather its numbers from? High-end hatchbacks I believe!

·         3) Need to appreciate the Korean Major – Hyundai on its attempts to continuously maintain its offtake. The OEM has strongly occupied the second slot and is the only automaker in the current times which has the potential to challenge the leader – Maruti. Eon, Santro and i10 maintain its average figures and re-instate that petrol cars are here for a very long run! It is extremely difficult to understand the reason on how Sonata is consistently faring 20 numbers from the past 9 months! I believe the Brand Manager has a target of 20 nos/month and is just doing his job well J Verna delivers again and emerge segment-best with over 4.7k figures.

           4) M&M is successful in achieving a positive growth in tough times. The SUV maker is backed by its old work horses Bolero & Scorpio. Scorpio proves its mettle by overtaking Duster volumes (Scorpio - 5165, Duster – 5146). No wonder it has started giving nightmare to other cars! (as depicted in the ad). However, the newer entrants XUV, Quanto & Xylo disappoint with its falling numbers. The company would be in a trouble if either Scorpio / Bolero falters. However, Verito shows significant growth in its volume over last month – 1371 numbers vis-à-vis 568 – all thanks to the Vibe shipped under Verito brand at the end of  May.

·         

      5) Honda AMAZEs all with its all time highest offtake figures and pips Toyota the FOURTH spot. Honda’s first diesel offering contributed to over 53% of Honda’s sales and shows-up as the awaited SAVIOR for the Japanese major. The company is now focusing to ramp up its production capacity to gradually increase its volumes.

Source: ET

·         6) Even Tata overtakes Toyota in May – however, the Indian manufacturer degrew by an hefty 46%. With no new products in pipeline, revamp of sales seems unattainable at the moment.

·         Toyota with its intention of rationalizing the stocks takes a hit on its volumes. However, Fortuner maintains its dominance with over 1300 units billed in May.

·         7) GM seems to be “ENJOY’ing the moment – the extremely value for money MUV has pumped volumes to the brand with its younger sibling Sail sedan – and has made the US giant grow by 40% in the month.

Source - ET

·         8) Ford registers a degrowth of 34% and the OEM seems unshaken by that – no wonder when you have the most awaited launch of the year – ECOSPORT to be launched in June’13.

Kindly find mentioned the sales figure for the month of May'13 –

TOP 20 Selling Cars

Amazingly Amaze!

With the low sentiments in industry, there comes in a catalyst to galvanize fortunes for the Japanese car maker and certainly will effect auto industry in a good way. Honda entered the Indian auto market way back in 1998 and since then we have liked almost every single offering from them. Ain't we? We rely on the Honda brand certainly because of its benchmark petrol engine and the prestige it gets along.

Now it’s time for Honda to love us back (The brio concept) and amaze us with its diesel offering. Since past few weeks Honda amaze is the buzz of the town. Looking at the exterior of the car in the first place itself you like it because of its congruous proportions. It makes you believe that it’s a sedan, not a boot attached with a hatchback. The front chrome grill distinguishes it from the brio and fog lamp sculpture on the bumper makes it look wide. The chisel streak on the side gives it some character and at the back tail lamps gives a hint of derivation from Honda city.  As you step inside interiors are taken straight from brio without any tweaks, which is a bit of let down. The real differences when you sit behind you never get a feeling that you are in a sub 4 meter saloon. Be it under thigh support or head room it’s the best in the class.  And 400lt boot again impresses you with space Honda has carved in with its proportionate designing.

Under the bonnet is the 1.5litre diesel engine which is a result of Honda’s Earth dreams Technology. It churns out 98bhp and 200NM of torque and above all it gets pretty friendly on your pocket with 25.8km/lt of fuel. As the commercial says you are eating chips and are not getting fat. Right on the money, you get the power and the mileage both best in the segment. Honda uses very special engine oil called 3D engine oil and honestly we don’t have much to say about it since they are Japanese.

Now when you drive the car it is smooth as expected, comfortable but not quite as expected. And the surprising part is when you turn ignition off the car shakes violently which remains a concern. It’s these small bits that effects a great deal. Since Honda has got almost everything right. Now with aggressive pricing for a product like this, it is bound to keep Honda busy running on full capacity and its showrooms crowded for a while. Moreover it will make other car makers busy either trying to justify their counter parts or developing strategy for the new ones.

The entry level sedan from Honda’s stable which would “Badlegi Honda ki Duniya!”. The much awaited FIRST diesel offering from the Japanese major has put Honda back into the race and has left nothing to Desire J

(Author - Anshul Chawla - Is an automobile enthusiast who love and live cars! Can be ignited at anshul_chawla@live.com)

Indian Car Sales Figures - April 2013

April 2013 Sales Figures - Pan India

HIGHLIGHTS:

Source: ET

·         Let’s all observe two minutes silence considering the debacle Industry has observed in April 2013. The race to put forward a respectable score for F13 (April 2012-March 2013) had led most of the OEM’s to push maximum number of vehicles to dealers in March 2013. The ripple effect was seen immediately in April – these are the brands who experienced their worst offtake figures in last 6 months or even a year in many cases! – Chevy (Spark, Beat, Captiva), Ford (Figo), Mitsubishi (Pajero Sport), Honda (Brio, Accord), Hyundai (Accent, Elantra, Santa Fe), Mahindra (Verito, Quanto, Xylo, XUV 500), Maruti (Alto, Ertiga, A-star), Nisaan (Micra, Evalia, Sunny), Renault (Fluence, Pulse, Scala, Koleos), Skoda (Fabia, Superb), Tata (Nano, Indigo+Manza, Safari+Storme), Toyota (Liva, Innova), VW (Vento, Passat).

·         Ufff, the list was never ending. If you observe, there ain’t a single OEM which has escaped the tide. The blue-eyed brands - be it the from Ertiga to XUV500, or Innova to Elantra have taken a hit. The only respite being the stellar performance of the newcomers – Sail sedan is slowly gaining ground and Honda has literally AMAZEd us all! The mantra for 2013-2014 is quiet simple – it’s not ‘Only the best survive’; but it is ‘only the NEWest survive!’. Novelty is the need of the hour and the OEMs with the new product in the kitty would have a significant advantage over competition. A glance on the upcoming products of the year which are set to change the game for the respective OEMs – Ford Ecosport, Chevrolet Enjoy, Mahindra Verito Vibe, Tata Nano Diesel, Manza CS, Skoda Octavia, Mercedes A-class, CLA, etc

·         For April 2013, domestic sales of Maruti Suzuki amounted to 90,523 units, a marginal rise over the 90,255 units it sold in April 2012. This was led by the ‘Dzire’able performance of its swift sibling. The brand has launched a mega campaign across 30 cities – Dzire Mileage Rally to fight for its turf against Amaze. Also a special top-end variant ‘REGAL’ was launched to up the premiumness of the brand. Its new found LUV has shown signs of distress – the brand Ertiga which was hovering around average ~7k nos has dropped to ~5.1l figures. The A-star has lost its sheen. Even the Alto figures left much to desire for!

·         Hyundai has shown strength in its character by growing significantly in tough times. The Korean auto major reported 4.30 per cent rise in total sales at 56,954 units in April 2013. Eon & i10 are contributing steadily and the petrol price rationalization has helped the brands. i20 figures average has seen a dip, can we call it an AMAZing effect? Verna repeatedly delivers its fluidic performance! Accent is in its last stages of the life cycle. However, it is interesting to note the consistency of Sonata volumes – 20 nos repeatedly from past 8 months!

·         The third largest auto maker had a real tough time – its flagship XUV 500 saw a 29% drop in Month-on-Month offtake volumes. Is this the sign of the cheetah slowing down? Verito again proves its name wrong – how can a product with such ability & truth fall? Who could imagine that its distant sibling – the Duster with the same engine and similar interiors has become the largest selling SUV! Quanto on the other hand seems living the weekend life and is not being accepted by the people who consider the weekdays more important! The elder brother Xylo also had a meek month and the platform volumes has seen a considerable dip in overall. Has the Igatpuri strike taken a toll on the volumes?

·         Bolero proves again why it is the most loved SUV of the country with an easy 9766 figure. Scorpio also establishes on the reason for it being the most feared SUV with reliable 4.4k mark.  

·         Tata Motors jump back to 4^th place as a part of the fate and not design. Thanks to TKM for the 37% degrowth and allowing Tata Motors the position. Indica+Vista brand seemed to supported the OEM by contributing to 50% of the OEM volumes. Sumo which was averaging @ 2.8k figures at one time has gone down drastically to 1.7k volume. Storme wasn’t able to bring any kind of storm in the market. Aria & Nano have become perfect examples of how not to market / price an excellent product!

·         Toyota registers a 37 per cent sales decline in April 2013. The company sold 9,007 units in the domestic market in April 2013 as compared to 14,378 units in the corresponding month in 2012. This was heavily attributed to the decline in its Innova volumes. No reason to be surprised here! – the brand has touched 8.4k in March’13 and hence the rationalization HAD to happen in April. Etios siblings contribute equally to the decline – the refreshed avatar haven’t changed much for the brands. Fortuner still remains strong with over a 1.1k mark.

·          Honda experiences an AMAZing comeback. The OEM has left no stone unturned in terms of marketing its FIRST diesel offering in the sub-continent. With over 22000 bookings within weeks of its launch, it surely has left nightmares amongst its competition - right from Manza to Dzire!

·         ‘Make the right move’ my friend – says Fiat India. But the customer yet again is not moving towards the potent brands. Punto & Linea still suffer from low acceptance in the market.

·         With over 80% of Renault volumes being achieved through Duster sales; it becomes pretty evident how a single RIGHT product can change the OEMs fortune. The brand has surprised us all and has easily become the most accepted SUV for the year.

List of Top 20 Brands of the month –

TOP 20 Selling Cars

Indian Car Sales Figures - March 2013

March 2013 Sales Figures - Pan India

HIGHLIGHTS:

Source : Business Line

·         Levying heavy tax would discourage the acceptance of the road-occupying, extra-polluting SUV’s? Mr. Chidabaram – Indian consumer has outrightly snubbed your decision. The SUV sales figure for the month of Mar’13 would shame the Finance Minister. This not only proves that the SUV’s still enjoy the equity of higher value proposition among Indian car buyers, but also highlights that the SUV-craze is here to stay. Bolero, Fortuner & Innova registered their all-time best sales figures. Scorpio, Pajero Sport, Rexton, Xylo & Sumo performed abover average as well!

·         March 2013 had an another advantage – lot of customers purchasing the vehicles for depreciation purpose. Also all OEM’s had to achieve the Financial Year targets as well. This was the last chance for these OEMs to ramp up the offtake numbers to project a happy picture for the FY. See the stock value of OEM’s rising based on the financial years performance? I bet Yes.

·         However, in concise for F13 – Indian Automobile Industry has been in one of the most difficult times. We have seen the most promising OEMs (name Tata, GM, etc) tumbling in their sales charts and the market has aptly thought a lesson – ADAPT & EVOLVE is the key and being agile is the need of the hour. The growth trajectory of every OEM was dependant on having an exciting NEW offering in the portfolio – the product being a SUV/MUV can be the icing on the cake.

·         “The slowdown of economy is impacting vehicle sales. Against large base of last year, there was a sharp drop in conversion of enquiries in the absence of any positive stimulus andsentiments," HMIL Vice President (Sales and Marketing) Rakesh Srivastava said. Any proof on why Indians are termed ‘sentimental’? Yes, negative sentiments can shake an entire industry in the country. The point to be noted is decline in Enquiry levels and also poor conversion ratio of the received enquiries.

·         Maruti Suzuki – Can you believe that Maruti Suzuki posted a de-growth after selling 1.19 Lakh units (including exports)? The situation would have been worse if the UV portfolio wouldn’t have been introduced with Ertiga. The Life Utility Vehicle has proved to be the life-line for MS. Ertiga clocked >6k numbers after a long time. Maruti introduced discounts for the first time for the star model. Dzire exceeding the offtake numbers of Swift – this was predicted well before. Value consciousness has gone to a different level. The increase can also be attributed for MS focus on increasing Dzire supplies in lieu of the launch of Honda’s Amaze. Alto creates a new benchmark in the industry - It's been only four months (124 days to be precise) that Maruti Suzuki launched the all new Alto 800, and the model sold over 1 Lakh units. Wagon R, Alto, Ritz volumes prove that petrol models have regained traction and still can emerge victorious.

·         Hyundai had a lackluster performance – with extensive promotion and schemes i10,Eon, Santro, i20 & Verna had average numbers. To mark crossing of 12 lakh sales worldwide of the model Hyundai launched a special edition of i10 (i Tech). Santro had a surprise to offer – with over 4k numbers sold, the model had its best volumes in past 6 months.

·         M&M had its own set of highs and lows – while Bolero clocking its ever highest billing volumes, Quanto & XUV 500 saw its 3 consistent decline in past 3 months. The volumes of Quanto went below Xylo’s number – not exactly a good sign. XUV 500 had a earnest recall for replacing some parts and was appreciated by all – but did it affect the new customer confidence? The decline in its volumes posed a serious concern for the OEM. Rexton offtake figures were laudable – the brand has gained respectable volumes of over 450 numbers consistently and has proved to be a worthy opponent to the mighty Fortuner.

·         Toyota surprised us all – Over 8k figures for Innova proved that the new kids in the block (say Duster, Ertiga or XUV) couldn’t shake the old stalwart. Fortuner had a mean smile for the increased excise duty – over 1.7k numbers for the premium SUV is just WOW (the volumes are higher than its half priced Storme!). 30 nos. for Landcruiser – It happens only in India J The upgraded Etios and Liva siblings ensured 70% & 129% growth month-on-month for the brands respectively.

·         Amaze is the new mantra for Honda. The OEM just amaze’d us all with its stellar performance among all brands. Brio, City & Accord had its best offtake in past 6 months. However, the news of discontinuing Jazz & Civic was a blow to Honda lovers. But, the invent of diesel engine is the day we all were waiting for. Honda is ensuring its leaves no stone unturned in terms of promoting its new baby – iDtec diesel engine. 2552 nos of Amaze has already been shipped to all dealers (launch scheduled on April 11). The product is expected to turn the fortunes for the auto maker – and promos speak for itself.

·         Renault has Dusted off the competition in the right spirit – Duster, Fluence & Scala have their best till date offtake figures. The OEM has started off in the perfect dream fashion.

List of Top 20 Brands of the month -

Could Scorpio's new commercial been better?

The new ad shows the mighty muscular saving the day! That too in the night ;) It is first time the brand has not emphasized on the 'Nothing else will do' philosophy. The ad is more focused on projecting the off-roading traits of the car and shouts of being the bully to the sports coupe. Storyline does not have anything new to offer and is very predictable! The shots are badly taken and the light projected from the headlamps seem all animated. This is what I'm talking about -

The ad looks something like this (Director's cut) -



Mahindra Scorpio's ad have always been famous for its flashy, flamboyant style and had a certain amount of class in it. The brand communication was very clear - "a vehicle of class over substance" and made it a car of  desire rather than a mode of transportation. Who could forget this ad -



However, we love to see the TVC from the brand after a longgg time and wished to have retained the 'Nothing else will do' philosophy. Lets hope the Scorpio fans love the ad and the ad helps the brand get more fans :)