This was inevitable. You just CAN NOT survive in this market, especially in the C-segment without a diesel engine – what with the prices of petrol rocketing skywards by the minute. After ruling the C-segment of the Indian car market for more than a decade with the City, the Japanse carmaker has been displaced from the top spot. With the advent of the new Verna, we anticipate the situation to get even grimmer for Honda.
For the month of March and April, VW sold 6,839 Vento cars, as compared to 4,315 Citys that Honda managed to push out of its showrooms. There’s a lot to fret for Honda, with sales in almost all the segments dwindling down, but if they manage to get some diesel mills for their cars, I’d call it a lesson well learnt. If not, arrogance.
VW has been going absolutely ballistic with their Vento. Be it features, pricing, engine options, ot just sheer aggressive marketing – they have been going to the customer with a mission. To top it all, they actually have a very good product at hand.
Not that the Vento has all its corners covered. It’s quite an expensive car the moment you drive it into the authorized service bay. Both service and spares are quite expensive, but that what most customers realize a few months AFTER they have signed the cheque.
The City without doubt is reliable as the Sun, but seems like we Indians have eventually decided to ask for a bit more than just that. What would you go for if you had to buy a petrol car? Please let us know