FIRST OF TWO PARTS Aaja, isgaadimein baith jaa 1 SPECIFICATION ENGINE 1.2 P/1.3 D PRICE 4.22-6.37...

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| 11H I N D U STA N T I M E S , M U M BA IT U E S DAY, S E PT E M B E R 0 6 , 2 0 1 1

HT Correspondent■ letters@hindustantimes.com

If there ever was a benchmark for acar that made heads turn, theMaruti Suzuki Swift in 2005 was

one. And it was a phenomenon that wasnot restricted to India alone.

Even the biggest optimist would nothave imagined what a rage this carwould turn out to be all overthe world. But it was in India,that was starving for a welldesigned and packaged smallcar, where it caused mass hys-teria. Sample this. Evenbefore its launch it had 9,000 bookings.This number swelled to over 30,000

within the first fortnight, thankslargely to a clever marketing

ploy where it was used in theAbhishek

Bachchan-RaniMukherjee

super-hit flick 'Bunty aur Babli'."Swift is every marketing and sales

person's delight," says Mayank Pareek,head of marketing and sales at Maruti."For 6 years, we never had to push thecar but had to find ways to deliver itfaster to customers willing to wait formonths."

It grabbed the attention with its retrolooks and unconventional design. For

Samar Awasthi, who was thenin college and working as acall centre employee, it waslove at first sight. "I went forthe late night show of Buntyaur Babli and when I saw

Abhishek drive that car, I was hooked,"Awasthi recalls. "Buying a car was not onmy priority list but the temptation wasso huge that I booked it within a week."The car made him the toast of his apart-ment complex for the next two months."Everybody wanted a ride till a timecame when I had to start refusing," hesays. "Unless it was a girl....alone."

For a small car it gives an upmarketfeel and the quality of plastic and finishis very unlike a Maruti. It’s already

peppy engine was bettered by thenew 1.2 litre K-series engine lastyear. But the best complimentundoubtedly always comes from acompetitor. Toyota, the world'slargest carmaker, got into thesmall car segment recently and

benchmarked the Liva against theSwift. Awasthi is one of the 35,000

people who booked the new modelof Swift.

10 | special |

user’s choiceHINDUSTAN TIMES-MARS CAR SATISFACTION SURVEY FIRST OF TWO PARTS

Abhijit Patnaik■ abhijit.patnaik@hindustantimes.com

In a growing economy like ours, oneof the first signs of increased pros-perity is the acquisition of cars.Which is why, despite fuel priceshaving increased eight times in the

last one year, passenger car sales increasedby 30% according to the Society of IndianAutomobile Manufacturers, higher thanthe 25% growth the year before. Nothing,it would seem, can diminish the Indianconsumers’ appetite for cars.

The age-old mentality of ‘kitna deti hai’(as aptly captured in recent Maruti ads)has been replaced by a wider concept ofvalue for money; and in the second edi-tion of the HT-MaRS Car Satisfaction sur-vey, we capture the experiences of carowners as an indicator of which modelsdeliver the biggest bang for their buck.

August saw Maruti’s new Swift, arevamped Honda Jazz and the latestVolkswagen Jetta heat up the competi-tion. With ever increasing choice, the sur-vey aims to help customers zero-in on thecar that deserves a spot in their garage.

Perception-based surveys always throwup some surprising results, and this oneis no different. Satisfaction scores for manyof the top cars, such as the Honda Accord,Chevrolet Optra, and Maruti Swift haveincreased from last year. In the SUV/MUVsegment, Mahindra cars top the charts.

Others have not been so lucky. Fromfeaturing in the top 10 cars last year, theFiat Linea and Grande Punto havedropped out faster than a scandal-taint-ed Tiger Woods from the top rankings.Perhaps Fiat owners are not so satisfieda year after they were surveyed for thefirst time. Perennial favourite Honda Citytopped its segment again.

In this year’s survey, we doubled thesample size, from 1900 respondents to3800 across 48 car models. The parame-ters we judged car satisfaction on rangedfrom engine performance to seating com-fort. These were bolstered by the users’

experiences while buying the car— thetime taken to deliver the car, the conductof the sales staff etc. We also moved awayfrom the price-band approach of last yearto widely accepted industry classifica-tions. Why? Because of price overlaps —a high-end diesel Polo costs almost thesame as a base model Hyundai Verna, buta hatchback buyer’s perception is differ-ent from that of an entry-level sedan’s.

Satisfaction, of course, itself is a high-ly debated topic. Does it dictate car sales?After all, Chevrolet- not a market leaderin any segment- has two of their modelsin the top 10. “Surveys on satisfactionrarely follow market share patterns” saysRaghu Roy, Managing Director, MaRS,HT’s knowledge partner for this project.One explanation for Chevy’s good per-formance could be the excellent servicecontract they offer.

Average satisfaction got a score of 806in the A2(compact) segment versus a scoreof 838 for cars in the A5(Premium sedans)segment. This mirrors last year’s surveyresults—that people tend to display high-er levels of satisfaction as the cars becomebetter and more luxurious.

It must be pointed out that the scoresare of a consumer’s experience with hiscar–nothing more, nothing less. “Customersatisfaction surveys are a bit like moun-taineering- you are not comparing yourperformance with others,” says Roy.

Steer your way through the top 10 carsacross categories and segment leadersin Part 1 of the HT-MaRS Car SatisfactionSurvey.

HOT WHEELS The second edition of the HT-MaRS carsatisfaction survey ranks cars according to owners’ experiencesto find out which is best for Indian roads and why.

How the surveywas doneThe HT-MaRS Car SatisfactionSurvey was carried out in May-June2011 by a MaRS team led by GauravPanakel (gaurav@marspvt.net).MaRS was HT’s knowledge part-ner for the project.3785 car owners across eight citiesand towns (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad,Lucknow, and Ahmedabad) werechosen. This year, our survey cov-ered 48 models across five segmentsas prescribed by the Society ofIndian Automobile Manufacturers.These are A2 (compact), A3 (entrylevel mid-sized sedans), A4 (execu-tive sedans), A5 (premium sedans)and Multi Utility Vehicles(MUVs)/Sports Utility Vehicles(SUVs).Only owner-driven cars were consid-ered. Thirty-six attributes acrossnine dimensions such as engine per-formance, seating and design -bothinterior and exterior- were consid-ered in assessing the scores.Purchase process satisfaction wasalso factored in. Car owners ratedtheir cars according to these param-eters on a scale of 0-1000.Parameters were given differentweights to obtain total satisfactionbased on a separate study con-ducted in Mumbai and Delhi.Our survey did not cover high-endcars like Mercedes Benz, BMW,Honda CRV etc.

expertspeak

THE HATCHBACK WITHIT ALL— LOOKS,ECONOMY AND SPEED

WITH POWER TOTHRILL AND LOOKS TO KILL

A WINNER FROM THE GENERALMOTORS’ STABLE

STYLE ANDSUBSTANCE, THIS CARDELIVERS BOTH

BENEATH A BOXYEXTERIOR, AUTILITARIAN’S DELIGHT

MARUTISWIFT

1 SPECIFICATIONENGINE 1.2 P/1.3 D

PRICE 4.22-6.37 LAKH

FUEL ECO 17.94 /21.70 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

Nisheeth Upadhyay■ nisheeth.upadhyay@hindustantimes.com

Most people stop caring aboutcomplicated terms like torque,bhp, ABS, etc on hearing about

the Honda City. It has been a perennialfavourite of the Indian car owner withgreat ride quality and good looks. "I have clocked more than 1 lakh kilo-metres over a period of sixyears in my City and it stillruns just fine. The engine issmooth and I've hardly hadany maintenance issues", saysN Srikanth, an IT profession-al based in Ghaziabad.The latest model of the City has adopt-ed an 'international' look and is morespacious than the previous ones. "It has

a larger boot and many

other storage compartments. It ensuresthat long rides aren't at all tiring", saysanother customer, Vivek Singh."I had to choose between SX4 and Cityand I chose the City because the geartransitions were smoother and it waseasier to manoeuvre in traffic", addsSingh.The price range of the car begins at R7.49 lakh and it comes with a 1.5 litre, 4

cylinder engine with a compa-ny-claimed mileage of 16 kmsper litre.With cruise control, MP3 com-patible CD/tuner, remote cen-tral-locking and immobilizer,

rear under-seat storage, seven cup hold-ers and tilt-adjustable steering column,the basic City model is packed with a lotof accessories.Divyangana Mahendra, customer rela-tions manager, Courtesy Honda, says,"Durability and safety have always beenkey features of the City."Honda provides three free services after

the sale of a car. "Free road-sideassistance was a part of the

after-sales service at Hondabut it is chargeable now",

adds Mahendra.The latest City variant

can go from 0 to 100kmph in just under 12seconds- so the motor-heads cannot blame thecompany for focusingonly on comfort and lux-ury. This baby can do a

lot more.

HONDACITY

1 SPECIFICATIONENGINE 1.5 L P

FUEL ECO 16 .7 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

Shubhi Vijay■ shubhi.vijay@hindustantimes.com

Optra debuted as the ‘new nameof luxury’ in 2003, but in itscurrent form, the Optra

Magnum, it promises to be ‘powered totake over the road’. Snazzy taglines andcurved corners are not the only factorssetting this stylish sedan apart. Whilethe 120 bhp, 2.0 litre engineappeals to car buffs, the sub-marine seats and extra legroom are making ordinarytravellers happy.

“I love the car. It gives meall the luxuries of a Civic for the price ofa C-segment car”, says Vineet Jaiswal,a Delhi- based professional who has hadhis diesel Optra for more than three

years.

“All the minute details have beentaken care of— the pick up, mainte-nance, gear transition are all fantastic.If I had to, I would rather sell my SwiftDzire than my Optra Magnum” he adds.The diesel variant finds more populari-ty with better fuel efficiency (14km/litre) and a turbo-charged engine.

The upfront Annual MaintenanceContract adds to this happiness.

Covering two years or 30, 000kms and no maintenance billsis the ‘Chevrolet Promise’.

Royalty such as the Nawabof Hyderabad have sportedthe Chevrolet brand on Indian

roads. Sumit Gupta of NikhilAutomobiles, Mumbai, gives it a 21stcentury twist. “The word I have heardfor the Optra is royal, in terms of styleand comfort.” He feels that the car hascreated its own image in the mind of thecustomers.“Optra is doing well with thecorporate customer who does not careabout the latest shape but rather the

value proposition and minimalmaintenance”, he says.

One issue with theOptra is its low

ground clearance.Gupta, however,offers a differentexplanation. “Theroads are the prob-lem. Most cars inthis segment have a

ground clearance of 160-165 cm, so does the

Optra”, he says.

CHEVYOPTRA

FUEL ECO 13.5 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

Ever since its launch in India in2003, the Honda Accord hasbecome the car that has defined

its segment. A huge favourite with theupwardly mobile gentry who have themoney and wish to dissociate them-selves from the crowd of nouveau-richein India, the Accord is lovedfor both the performance ofthe famed iVTEC enginesand its looks. But most of allthe market loves the car forwhat it stands for-- statusand credibility.

“I had the option to buy a MercedesC-class or a BMW 3-series,” saysSubhash Ranjan, 49, a charteredaccountant based in Delhi. “I contem-

plated C-class for wellover a fort-

night. But the Accord makes me lookrespectable without being too ostenta-tious. The Accord makes a statementwithout trying too hard.”

It is the top of the line offering inIndia from a company that has estab-lished itself as the benchmark fordesign, style and quality. “The typicalAccord customer is a seasoned cam-paigner, who has seen and driven many

cars,” says Atul Aggarwal,managing director, ClassicHonda. “He recognises qualityand is not overawed by thefrills offered by other cars.Many people come looking for

a Civic but end up buying an Accord asit is such a compelling product.”

Honda cars are often criticised forbeing over-priced in their segments.That is one predicament the Accordnever faced. True, there are cars likethe Sonata and Superb that are pricedcompetitively and offer more features.But customers like Ranjan see theAccord in the same league as a Merc

and BMW, that are priced muchmore.

“My car maintenancecomes at a fraction of the

cost of what my friends,who have Mercs andBMWs, pay,” Ranjanadds. “If I buy another

car, it would definitelybe the next generation

Accord”, he says.

HONDA ACCORD

1 SPECIFICATIONENGINE 2.4/3.5 P

PRICE 19.60-26.97LAKH

FUEL ECO 12.88/10.7 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

Mahindra’s multi-utility vehicle,Xylo, was an attempt at a freshand peppy design that ended up

looking odd and boxy. There have beencomplaints of flimsy interior and poorbuild quality but with a price tag of R7.16-9.42 lakh, this spacious car hasproven to be a hit— in terms of salesand customer satisfaction.

Comparing Xylo with itsclosest competitor, ToyotaInnova, Rohan Singh, a busi-nessman based in Pune, said, “For theprice I paid, its worth it. Everyone whosaw my car was amazed at how manyaccessories I got with it. People told me

the handles and

interiors would be flimsy but that's nottrue. All this made me choose Xylo overInnova.”

With a 2.49 litre engine that produces112 bhp power, the Xylo comes in fourvariants and ten attractive colours. Allthe variants are equipped with thesame engine; they are different only interms of accesories and comfort. “Thecar met my expectations on mostcounts — the suspension was good, it

was really spacious and it hadsome really nice features likepuddle lamps, follow-me-home lights, etc”, says Singh.

Xylo is also a fuel efficient car and allthe variants satisfy the BS III pollutionnorms. “It gives me an average of 11kmpl in the city, driving with AC alwayson”, adds Singh.

Mahindra Xylo is a spacious vehicleand can seat eight adults comfortably.But, it lacks ample boot space.

“The rear windshield does not offer agood view while reversing. A reverse

camera is necessary for this vehi-cle,” says Rohan, adding a rider.

The Xylo is doing wellbecause people are able torelate to the Mahindrabrand. “It is an Indian com-pany so definitely enjoysmore loyalty. The low costof maintenance and spareparts also works in our

favour,” says Satpal Arora,Senior Sales Manager,

Koncept Automobiles,Delhi.

M&MXYLO

1 SPECIFICATIONENGINE 2.5 D

PRICE 7.16 - 9.42 LAKH

FUEL ECO 13.3 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 8

6,905passenger cars are sold in a day inthe country.

23.6kms per litre- average given by TataNano- best in the country.

33,118Altos sold last year- the highestacross all car models.

$ 1 bnto be invested by Ford in a new fac-tory in Gujarat.

28.4%growth in the hatchback segment inthe last financial year.

TOMORROW

Look out for other top cars across segments—hatchbacks to MUVs — in Part 2 of the carsatisfaction survey in tomorrow’s edition.

top overall1010 HONDA ACCORD

This year’s top ten cars across segments feature six newentrants- The Maruti Swift, Mahindra Xylo, Chevrolet Spark,Ford Figo and 2 Skoda’s- the Superb and Laura . For the secondyear in a row, the Honda Accord, Chevrolet Optra, ToyotaCorolla Altis and Toyota Innova remain in the top ten. TheChevrolet Optra’s jump from Rank 7 last year to Rank 3 this yearwas the biggest, aided by excellent after sales service that hasbecome the company’s mantra. Skoda’s twin sedans- theSuperb and Laura, scored well and came in at ranks 5&9respectively. The big loser this year? Fiat- both the Punto andLinea dropped out of the top ten. Perhaps, the big surprise isMahindra’s boxy yet practical MUV, the Xylo, storming into thetop ten at number 6 with high satisfaction scores.

1MARUTISWIFT

2CHEVROLET

3COROLLA

4SKODA

SUPERB

5MAHINDRA

6CHEVROLET

7FORD FIGO

8SKODALAURA

9TOYOTAINNOVA

H E R E A R E R A N K O N E C A R S S E G M E N T - W I S E : A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , A 5 A N D S U V / M U V R E S P E C T I V E L Y

Aaja, is gaadi mein baith jaa...

PARAMETERS SCALE: 0-1000

DID YOUKNOW?

TOTAL SATISFACTION 890 880 878 874 869 863 862 860 858 856ENGINE 927 890 905 903 891 906 883 894 877 892TRANSMISSION 892 870 887 892 838 871 835 825 838 856STEERING/SUSPENSION/BREAKS 889 884 866 884 870 851 870 851 848 851INSTRUMENT PANEL & CONTROLS 885 873 876 861 880 854 845 835 876 827INTERIOR DESIGN & COMFORT 877 869 875 873 875 861 848 858 849 854AIRCONDITIONING 871 880 869 889 862 841 871 882 891 860SEATS 911 883 888 847 879 860 866 884 881 840EXTERIOR DESIGN & STYLING 878 887 872 884 844 881 895 852 867 867COST OF OWNERSHIP 865 876 872 820 876 827 835 843 812 834

HONDA CITYThe Honda City has alwaysbeen a ‘driver’s car’ and hascarried out timely but majormodel upgrades to stay aheadof competitors. It now alsofaces several aggressive newcompetitors like the VW Ventoand Maruti SX4 and two verybeautiful new saloons- the newHyundai Verna and FordFiesta. It remains the leaderamong petrol-powered entrysaloons but has lost ground tocompetitors who all offer diesel engines that are gainingpopularity.

The reigning champi-on extends its lead

MURAD ALI BAIG,Automotive expert, Freelance journalist

HONDA ACCORDThe Accord is known for itsspace, comfort and reliabilitywhich makes it a good choicefor those who are largelychauffeur-driven. Trouble-free ownership is largely thereason why owners will behappy with it. Compared toother cars in the segment,the Accord’s XL size gives ita space advantage but thelack of a diesel option is aserious handicap. The flip-side of the XL dimension isthat its hard to manoeuvreand park on congested roads.

The undisputed king,‘Accord’ing to all

HORMAZD SORABJEE,Editor, Autocar India

MARUTI SWIFTThis car is an icon and hasdone wonderfully well. It offersstunning looks and deliversdriving thrills that none of itsrivals can manage. The interi-ors are good looking, but it’s notspacious in the back and thequality of plastics could havebeen better. The Maruti philos-ophy is simple--- affordablecars, affordable spare parts,easy to locate service centresand rock solid technology. Noother car manufacturer hasunderstood the Indian psychebetter than Maruti Suzuki.

‘Swift’ly setting industry standards

P.THARYAN,Editor, Motown India / Car N Style

1985-8676,000

1986-871,03,000

1987-881,26,000

1989-901,66,000

1994-952,64,8221998-99

4,09,624

1999-00

6,38,6322005-06

8,82,2082006-07

10,76,5822007-08

2008-0912,03,733 12,20,134 2009-10

15,28,3372010-11

90,00,000

1983-8444952

Czech carmaker Skoda launches its

small car Fabia, GM launches the Spark,

based on the erstwhile Matiz

Tata Group acquires the iconic global

Jaguar-Land Rover brands

Government slashes excise duty on small

cars to 16%while leaving

rates on other cars intact

Maruti launches the Swift, which creates a

new segment of super-hatch cars in India

Korean giant Hyundai launches

Santro, which goes on to become

the main challenger to

Maruti's monopoly

The Central Motor Vehicles

Rules, 1989, made the ‘L’ sticker

mandatory for all cars with learning

drivers.

The Auto Expo, which has since

exposed Indians to the latest cars and technologies, was showcased for the

first time in 1986 at Pragati Maidan.

Car production delicensed,

setting the stage for entry of

global carmak-ers into India

Only three car producers in India

Maruti Suzuki ,Premier Padmini,

India's first small car, the Maruti 800, is

launched in December

Korea's Daewoo launches its firstsmall car Matiz.

India's own Tata Motors enters car manufacturing

with the Indica

Fiat and Honda too throwtheir hat in the ring with their

small cars Punto and JazzThe Ambassador, India’s

unofficial ‘official’ car, which was launched in 1958, gets a

new look and modern comforts

2020-21

VW and Ford launch their small cars Polo and Figo

Estimated number of cars

19,82,702

The world’s cheapest car, Nano, priced at Rs

1 lakh, is launched by Tata Motors.

Monthly sales of passenger cars in India exceeded 100,000 units

for the first time

UK car manufac-turer Standard

Triumph exits the Indian market after

operating for 4 decades

Figures represent total car sales in that year

AUTO EVOLUTIONA look at the major milestones the auto industry in Indiahas crossed since 1983 along with the growth in thenumber of cars on Indian roads over the years.

PREMIUM SEDANS (A5) SUV/MUVENTRY LEVEL

SEDANS (A3)COMPACT

(A2)EXECUTIVE

SEDANS (A4)

DISCLAIMER: THE ABOVE SURVEY DATA IS A COPYRIGHT OF HT MEDIA LIMITED AND MARS PRIVATE LIMITED. ANY USE OF THIS SURVEY DATA WOULD LEAD TO INFRINGEMENT OF THEIR COPYRIGHT AND MAY RESULT IN LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE INFRINGER.

The car market in India is fast growing,there are multiple choices for customers,

all in line with fast changing aspirations of Indian customers because

they want the global best. O S A M U S U Z U K ICEO, Suzuki Motors

Our country-wide customer outreach programme, service network and customer care approach have helped us win the confidence of our valued customers.K A R L S LY MPresident and Managing Director, Chevrolet

We have diligently worked towardsbringing in technologicallyadvanced cars with futuristic andcontemporary designs and superiorperformance.TA K A S H I N A G A IPresident and CEO, Honda SIEL Cars

GRAPHIC: PRASHANT CHAUDHARYTEXT: SUMANT BANERJI

COROLLA ALTISThe Corolla is the benchmark of fuss-freemotoring. A comfortable back seat and apeppy engine is what makes it appealing.Compared to other cars in the segment, theCorolla isn't as luxurious or exciting but itsuser-friendly nature and utter reliability hasmade it popular. The 1.8 L engine is prettyswift. It is easy to drive in the city thanks tothe engine and nimble handling. The 1.4diesel engine, though quite sluggish, offersgood economy.

Shubhi Vijay■ shubhi.vijay@hindustantimes.com

The car that is “full of life” has beeninfusing joy in the Chevrolet fami-ly since 2007. More than 34,500

Sparks were sold in March 2010-April2011, 5,000 more than the number ofVolkswagen Polos sold in the same peri-od. “The Spark’s performance is unpar-alleled,” says Renjith R. Pillai, BrandHead of Trident Automobiles inBangalore. According to him, 30 lakhSparks are running globally, whichmakes it a firecracker from theChevrolet stable.

Sunil Malhotra, 47, a sales managerat Hero Honda in Delhi, boughthis Spark in 2009. Having atechnical bent of mind, he wasimpressed by the gear shift.“The test drive made my day.I was thinking of buying thei10, but the Spark has a digi-tal trip meter and tachome-ter and when I took it for aspin, I instantly settled on it. It isa wonderful smooth ride.” Thesmall car tag doesn’t bother

him either. “It has all the features of a bigsegment car.”

Chevrolet’s three year/one lakh kilo-metres warranty has strengthened theSpark's prospects. For the environmen-tally-conscious buyer, it has an LPGoption as well. With an engine thatmaximizes on power and torque at lowspeeds, the effortless driving of this carin city traffic indeed reinstatesChevrolet’s ‘drive home a relationship’tagline.

| 11H I N D U STA N T I M E S , M U M BA IWE D N E S DAY, S E PT E M B E R 0 7 , 2 0 1 110 | special |

user’s choiceHINDUSTAN TIMES-MARS CAR SATISFACTION SURVEY SECOND OF TWO PARTS

CHART TOPPERS In part 2 of the HT-MaRScar satisfaction survey, we take a look at topranked cars across five segments- from com-pact cars to premium sedans.

expertspeak

Refinement and reliability define this car

HORMAZD SORABJEEEditor, Autocar India

TOYOTA INNOVAThe sheer ‘bullet proof’ reliability of theToyota power train has made the Innovathe unchallenged leader. Its competitorssuch as the Tata Sumo, M&M Bolero andChevrolet Tavera look crude and cheap.It is so spacious, comfortable andeconomical that many families are usingit as a personal car. The Innova's solidutilitarian value has made manycustomers overlook its rather staidstyling. Many also appreciate how safe it isat high speeds on long distance travels.

Miles ahead of the competition

MURAD ALI BAIGAutomotive expert, Freelance journalist

A WINNER FROMCHEVY WITH A ‘SPARK’IN ITS STEP

CHEVYSPARK

2 SPECIFICATIONENGINE 1.0 P/1.0 LPG

FUEL ECO 13.5 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

Cruising to the top in style18,02,251Number of registered cars in Delhi in2009, the highest in any state.

13,030Number of cars sold by NissanMotors in India in 2010.

36percentage increase in sales of carsin the A5 segment last financial year.

9,66,447number of cars sold by Maruti Suzukiin India between 2010 and 2011.

14.88percentage fall in Fiat India’sdomestic sales in 2010-11.

top COMPACT (A2)55 MARUTISWIFT

This is the biggest automobile segment in Indiacomprising 73% of all cars sold in the country. All smallcars barring the Nano and Maruti 800 fall under thiscategory. This segment has grown at a red-hot 28% in2010-11 and is witnessing the maximum number of newlaunches. The upwardly mobile consumerist classes arelooking for a car—be it the first car for their college goingdaughter or a young professional’s membership to thecar-owners’ club. This segment captures a milliondreams, though the overall satisfaction scores havemuch room for improvement. We featured the segmenttopper, the Maruti Swift, yesterday. Here is a look at theremaining cars in the top five.

1CHEVROLET

2FORDFIGO

3CHEVROLET

TOTAL SATISFACTION 880 862 860 843 828ENGINE 890 883 894 866 837TRANSMISSION 870 835 825 810 827STEERING/SUSPENSION/BREAKS 884 870 851 838 844INSTRUMENT PANEL & CONTROLS 873 845 835 851 824INTERIOR DESIGN & COMFORT 869 848 858 849 823AIRCONDITIONING 880 871 882 842 820SEATS 883 866 884 811 827EXTERIOR DESIGN & STYLING 887 895 852 871 829COST OF OWNERSHIP 876 835 843 834 815

Zehra Kazmi■ zehra.kazmi@hindustantimes.com

When the Ford Figo waslaunched in March 2010, indus-try-watchers anticipated that it

would be a game changer for the com-pany. A small car was crucial for Fordto navigate the choppy waters of theIndian car market. Ford’s gamble seemsto have paid off- it sold more than10,000 Figo’s in January, 2011.

“I was going to buy the i20 but mymove to Ford Figo has been smooth. Forthe kind of services Figo gives, I wouldhave had to pay almost R 3 lakh extrafor another brand”, says Lt. Col.Dilip Krishnan Nair, whobought his Figo over a yearago.

Ford Figo was thesuperstar of Indian cars in2010, rounding up the autoindustry honours. It wasalso chosen as the ‘IndianCar of the Year 2010’ by a juryof automobile experts. TheFigo’s spacious interi-ors have earned a

resounding thumbs-up from the con-sumers. “They introduced it as a smallcar but it isn’t. The boot space is almostas big as the Honda City. The people inthe back seat are as comfortable as theones in front,” says Nair.

Figo owner Rajeev Menon, a RegionalCoordinator at Volvo, who lives inMayur Vihar, Delhi, is a fan of the car’sgear changing system.“The AC coolsvery well but I would like to see the Figoimprove on themileage”, hesays.

A CONSERVATIVEEXTERIOR WITH ASPACIOUS INTERIOR

FORDFIGO

FUEL ECO 15.6 /18 KMPL

NO. OF SEATS 5

Zehra Kazmi■ zehra.kazmi@hindustantimes.com

The Chevrolet Beat zipped acrossthe Indian roads in 2009, tippingGeneral Motors’ annual sales in

India over the 100,000 mark the nextyear. The advertisements featured agrasshopper-green model with a taglinethat said- ‘Plan Ahead’. As petrol pricessky rocket, the company seems to haveplanned ahead by launching a dieselversion this July.

Vivek Singh , a customer care man-ager with Apex Auto in Gurgaon says,“The enquiries for the dieselvariant have increasedtremendously in thepast few months. Mostpeople in this segmentwant to shift to dieselalternatives now.”

The Beat has cer-tainly added style tothe Indian hatchbacksegment. With itscrisp lines, slick frontand sporty black spoiler,the car scores high

on the style quotient. The Beat’s lookswere the main reason why SadiyaAftab, 22, a student, bought it. “Ithought it suited my own look- bright,young and funky.”

One downside is the resale value.“The resale value is lower than othercars in the same segment,” saysChevrolet dealer Sunil Kumar of RegentAutomobiles. Despite this, the Beat is ahard car to beat.

THE TALE OF ABRIGHT, YOUNG ANDUP'BEAT' CAR

CHEVYBEAT

4 SPECIFICATIONENGINE 1.2 P

PRICE 3.5-5.5 LAKH

FUEL ECO 18.6 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

The Polo was introduced globally forthe first time in 1975 and has been a stal-wart in the Volkswagen stable ever since.Launched in India in 2010, this stronglybuilt European car easily won over peo-ples' hearts in the country.

“Polo’s design is clean and stylish andits performance and driving experiencehave been really good,” says Ankit Tripathi,an MBA student in Pune.

The fuel efficiency is almost the sameas claimed by the company. “I am get-ting about 12 kms per litre with A/Calways on. This translates toRs. 5/km fuel expense,”adds Tripathi.

A large boot and suf-ficient rear legroommake the car comfort-able. Also, the quality ofupholstery and plasticsis good. "The suspen-sions are really good sodriving on bad roads issmooth", he adds.

There have,

however, been complaints of engine noiseand excessive vibrations in the basic model.Mr Binny, customer relations manager,Bhasin Motors, Delhi, says, “Customerssay that the engine makes a lot of noisebut that's just a sports feature of the carwhich they are not used to."

According to him, Volkswagen also givesthree years of free after-sale service toPolo customers.

THE PEDIGREED POLOWHIZZES ONTO INDIANROADS

VWPOLO

5 SPECIFICATIONENGINE 1.2 P/1.6 P/1.2 D

PRICE 4.6-7.1 LAKH

FUEL ECO 17.2/17.2/21.07 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

The biggest reason why I bought the SX4 was the tremendous package and

high value-for-money that it offers.

M A N I S H A M B WA N IVP, Aristo Human Solutions

The Accord makes me look respectablewithout being too ostentatious.

Mercs and BMWs are bought by people with money eager to

make a statement.S U B H A S H R A N J A N

Chartered Accountant

Spark is a really handy car. It hasalmost all the features available in a

big segment car like Aveo. I am willingto go to a hundred people and

tell them how good it is.S U N I L M A L H O T R A

Sales Manager, Hero Honda

My job demands that I travel a lot. My Innova is the best. It is a

stable, solid car that does not require

much maintenance.S AT PA L C H A U D H A R Y

Businessman

Figo drives really smooth. I onceasked my wife,

‘Do you know I am driving at 140 kmph?’

She couldn’t tell at all!D I L I P K R I S H N A N N A I R

Lieutenant Colonel

consumerspeak

DID YOUKNOW?

THINKSTOCK

DISCLAIMER: THE SURVEY DATA ON THIS PAGE IS A COPYRIGHT OF HT MEDIA LIMITED AND MARS PRIVATE LIMITED. ANY USE OF THIS DATA WOULD LEAD TO INFRINGEMENT OF THEIR COPYRIGHT AND MAY RESULT IN LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE INFRINGER.

In part 1 of the survey onSeptember 6, a quote was incor-rectly attributed to Suzuki MotorsCEO O. Suzuki. The quote was fromShinzo Nakanishi , MD and CEO ofMaruti Suzuki. We regret the error.

Spotted an error in Hindustan Times? You canalert us of any errors in the paper by e-mailinghtreporters@hindustantimes.com Our mailing address is: Hindustan Times House,18-20, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi-110001.We will be happy to correct ourselves.

correctionYESTERDAY

■ Top-ten cars across segments.■ Honda Accord bags top honours.■ Swift, City, Optra and Xylo top the chartsin their respective segments.

FORD FIGOThe reason why the Ford Figo has caughtthe fancy of an average Indian middleclass family is that it’s affordable. It is afine blend of performance and dynamics.Both petrol and diesel versions are fun todrive. The interiors are roomy and practi-cal, though the quality could have beenbetter. The Figo design is not radical orfuturistic, but it is definitely pleasing tothe eye. With an engine capacity of morethan 1 litre, customers feel that they havebought a small car with a big heart.

Performance and dynamics blend together

P.THARYANEditor, Motown India / Car N Style

THIS OFFERING FROMMARUTI IS A POWER-PACKED RIDE

As the lone car in its segment, the TataNano arrived in March 2009, in a showerof hype and epithets. It was dubbed the‘people’s car’and ‘small wonder’, but mostimportantly, it was the ‘World’s CheapestCar’. With a price tag of R 1, 00,000 (ex-showroom price R 1, 40,880, New Delhi) –the lowest in the world – the Nano prom-ised millions of middle class families a carwithin their reach. But the fairytale storyran into hurdles. Despite massive book-ings, production delays and safety con-cerns affected the car’s image and sales.Two years on, it appears that the people’scar has fallen short of the sky-high cus-tomer expectations. The Nano scored atotal of 798 points in the survey, while theindustry average across all other seg-ments is much higher at 828 points. Thisis not surprising, considering that it is anultra cheap no-frills car, shorn of all theniceties. Yet, the low satisfaction scoresindicate that the middle class is aspiringfor something more, something better.TheNano’s affordability still remains a magicaldraw, though safety concerns need to beaddressed. As the number of thesecanary-yellow cars rises, a Nano revolu-tion might just be around the corner.

ZEHRA KAZMI

STANDING ALONE, STANDING TALL?

Love it or hate it, but you just can’tignore it. Atleast if it is India andthe car is a Maruti.

The superlative success of the Swiftdeveloped a new ambition and confi-dence in Maruti to punch above itsweight and target bigger cars. The SX4is the result of that ambition.

It is a car that is unlike mostother sedans in India. Billed as

the man amongst cars, itlooks and drives like one

as well, with a com-manding road

presence,

powerful engine and high groundclearance. The car is also loaded withfeatures and is priced in a way onlyMaruti can.

“The biggest reason why I boughtthis car was the tremendous packageand the high value-for-money that itoffers,” says Manish Ambwani, 33, vicepresident at HR consultancy firmAristo Human Solutions. “The car ispowerful, has a lot of space and highground clearance. Also I have alwaysowned a Maruti so I was waiting for acar like this.”

Maruti's known expertise at offeringthe low-priced sales and service becamea key differentiator in a cost-consciousIndian market. Though the Honda City,that tops the segment in this survey,remained the market leader, SX4 literal-ly eliminated the others like Ford Fiestaand Chevrolet Aveo.

Launched with a new diesel engineearlier this year, it looks set to scalegreater heights.

MARUTISX4

PRICE 7-9 LAKH

FUEL ECO 15/21.5 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

COROLLAALTIS

PRICE 8.0-1.14 LAKH

FUEL ECO 15.22/21.43KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

The Skoda Superb is the elegantway to move. Drop the gear andthis baby swoops forward like a

spaceship on afterburners— quiet andincredibly fast.

Vivek Aggarwal, a businessmanbased in NCR, loves the car.

“I am very happy

with the looks and the performance. Ihad an Accord before this and it’ssteering was not as responsive orsmooth,” he says.

The controls and gadgets are logi-cally placed and easy to operate. “Thiscar is full of gadgets like the massive,full-colour touch screen on the centreconsole. The geek in me made me buyit,” Aggarwal adds. Priced between R18-26 lakh, this five-seater sedan iscurrently the largest and most luxuri-ous model in Skoda's lineup.

Although the car is known to havecomfortable interiors, Mr AnandKapoor, a realtor, has complaints, “I

bought the Superb in 2009 and start-ed facing problems with the aircon-ditioning soon after. The car spenta lot of time in the workshop.”

However, Mr Aggarwal has asolution to this problem. “Push theaccelerator, wait for the turbo tokick in and watch your complaints

disappear”, he says.

SKODASUPERB

FUEL ECO 13.14/13.7 KMPL

NO OF SEATS 5

The Innova, Toyota's hugely suc-cessful multi-utility vehicle, cameas a replacement to the equally

successful but dated Qualis in early2005. Till then the segment was largelydominated by the likes of MahindraBolero and Scorpio and to some extentthe Tata Sumo and Safari. All thesevehicles were diesel-driven and mostlyused for commercial purposes. Toyotaspotted an opportunity in India thathad its roots in a common link betweenIndia and Japan.

Both these countries have a tradi-tion of joint families, which meanslarge, closely-knit groups that oftentravel and go on vacations together.The MUV segment is a hugely populat-ed one in Japan and Toyota's expertisethere is natural. Due to low affordabili-ty levels, however, Indians did notquite have the means to own a big but

practical vehicle. By the turn of lastcentury however, things started tochange.

“There is no vehicle like the Innovain India but that is not the only reasonfor its success,” says A K Singh, execu-tive director, Galaxy Toyota. “Even ifyou have a more expensive car like theCamry, it cannot do what the Innovadoes: accommodate 7-8 people in com-fort without compromising on the feelof luxury.”

It is Innova's upmarket feel andToyota's credibility that gives it thedecisive edge. The Scorpio, its biggestcompetitor, looks good and driveswell but does not have the refine-ment and finish of an Innova.

“My job demands that Itravel a lot and I alsohave a huge family,”says SatpalChaudhary, 56, whohas a constructionequipment businessin Gurgaon. “It is astable, solid car thatdoes not requiremuch maintenanceand can carry morepeople and luggage thanany other vehicle”, hesays.

TOYOTAINNOVA

PRICE 8.4-12.4 LAKH

FUEL ECO 11.4/- KMPL

NO OF SEATS 7

HIGH ON COMFORT,LOW ONMAINTENANCE

SKODA'S SUCCESSFORMULA: LUXURY ATA BARGAIN

COMFORT AND CLASSWITH ENOUGH ROOMTO SPARE

A wide ranging category that consists of affordable sedans like Maruti Swift Dzire, Hyundai Accent and ToyotaEtios to the more fancy ones like Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Ford Fiesta. It is the second largest segment inIndia with a share of 18.4% of total car sales. Last year, it grew faster than small cars at over 32%. People intheir late 20s and 30s with a young family and in need of bigger cars buy into this segment. While Honda Citytops this segment again, the Maruti SX4 records a big jump to number two.

This segment is the stepping stone to luxury vehicles in the country andcomprises of cars such as Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis and VolkswagenJetta. It accounts for less than 3% of the overall market and is growing at alower 12% growth rate. People with easy money looking to differentiatethemselves from the motley crowd and the nouveau-riche comprise its buyers.

top 55 top33

CHEVYOPTRA

1COROLLA

2SKODALAURA

The top of the lot, this is the domain of the Mercs, BMWs and Audis thatrequires the best from the likes of Honda, Toyota, Skoda and Volkswagen tobe considered in the same frame. The low affordability of these cars meansthat it accounts for less than 1% of all cars. But, this is a fast growingsegment with a 36% jump in sales in 2010-11. Strictly for the seriously rich.

top PREMIUM SEDANS (A5)33

HONDA ACCORD

1SKODA

SUPERB

2HYUNDAISONATA

Traditionally a segment only for the commercially oriented, it has witnesseda sea-change in the last decade. Large families and larger incomes havedrawn people to this category of vehicles that ranges from a Bolero, Innovato a Tata Sumo. It accounts for a 12% share of all passenger vehicles sold inthe country and a large chunk of its customers come from the hinterland.

top SUV/MUV55

M&M XYLO

1TOYOTAINNOVA

SCORPIO

SAFARIM&M

BOLERO

54HONDA

1MARUTI

2CHEVYAVEO

3SWIFTDZIRE

FIESTA

TOTAL SATISFACTION 856 852 847 829 822 878 874 858 000 000 890 869 855 000 000 863 856 848 842 825ENGINE 870 875 836 844 847 905 903 877 000 000 927 891 874 000 000 906 892 862 894 886TRANSMISSION 828 869 837 832 830 887 892 838 000 000 892 838 850 000 000 871 856 815 881 892STEERING/SUSPENSION/BREAKS 869 851 845 820 818 866 884 848 000 000 889 870 851 000 000 851 851 842 847 828INSTRUMENT PANEL & CONTROLS 852 855 877 824 808 876 861 876 000 000 885 880 846 000 000 854 827 838 826 787INTERIOR DESIGN & COMFORT 842 843 844 845 818 875 873 849 000 000 877 875 854 000 000 861 854 829 840 781AIRCONDITIONING 872 854 841 834 833 869 889 891 000 000 871 862 829 000 000 841 860 864 852 829SEATS 855 854 783 863 818 888 847 881 881 000 911 879 870 870 000 860 840 886 809 812EXTERIOR DESIGN & STYLING 868 851 903 833 820 872 884 867 000 000 878 844 880 000 000 881 867 851 803 806COST OF OWNERSHIP 846 827 851 780 804 872 820 812 000 000 865 876 818 000 000 827 834 828 819 788

CHEVROLET OPTRA

SKODA LAURA

HONDA ACCORD

HYUNDAI SONATA

Abhinav Goel, 31, went to the USfor the first time in 2007. Duringthat trip, he was chauffeured

around in a Toyota Corolla taxi, somuch so that by the time he returnedto India six months later, he had madeup his mind to buy the car for himself.

“I travelled in many Corollas

there and found them to be comfort-able, reliable and sturdy,” he says. “Ibought the new Corolla Altis inDecember 2008 and it is a completelyno-nonsense workhorse and has neverfailed me.”

With over 35 million Corolla's on theroads worldwide, it is globally thelargest selling car ever and one bigreason why Toyota became the largestcarmaker in the world. In India it wasan early entrant in 2003 and so farover 70,000 cars have been sold. Atypical Toyota car, it is recognised forits practicality, refined engine, space

and rock bottom maintenance costs. “I have serviced everything

from a Morris to a BMW 5-series,” says Mohd. Faizan, 63,who owns a garage in Delhi’sJama Masjid area. “We jokeabout the Altis that unless itmeets with an accident, it will

rarely require a part change.”

MOHD. ZAKIR / HT PHOTOS

ENTRY LEVEL SEDANS (A3) EXECUTIVE SEDANS(A4)

FIRST OF TWO PARTS Aaja, isgaadimein baith jaa 1 SPECIFICATION ENGINE 1.2 P/1.3 D PRICE 4.22-6.37...

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