Does Sales Figures of a Car Matter in Your Buying Decision?

[Raja]

Just having a very good drivability,features and dynamics doesn't make it a great car, for me at least, especially if i want a peaceful and enjoyable long term ownership experience.Along with those, i will certainly look at the availabilty of quality after sales service and the treatment given by the manufacturer to the owners of those cars as well and of course the fear of a particular product discontinued too.There would be laws in our country but I wouldn't risk myself here.

We are talking in whole not particular about you Manoj ,

anyway And so what will be your course of action ? anyway then if not linea you will go for ? Why?

And for a quick reference since we are discussing fiat take a look

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...sive-3ss-inauguration-coverage-bangalore.html

Nation wide same exercise is being followed .

Here, this customer is not making any verdict just based on those sales figures,but trying to explore more as part of his research in order to reach a final over all conclusion to decide on a car.

+100 you are right and IMHO its the perfect way . And in this research if he finds the low seller car perfect then ?

Though manza doesnot qualify here [for me] how do you attribute the success of the best seller/s in the segment[sedan in the price bracket] in comparison with Linea ?

remember I told you , better that you provide me a example and benchmark of success and failure . ?

So according to you provide what means a successful car and a unsuccessful car in sedan segment and , I will answer you question .

And btw why does manza not qualify here ?


@ Superbad- are you suggesting people ( specially new buyers ) if they have no Internet , they depend on tv, relatives ,their expreince , friends , magazines to buy a car and whichever car the tv, relative , auto magzines say right the buy or whichever they say not good they stay away from ?

 

[manojodungat]

=
And how and on what basis did you judge that ?

I thought we are discussing success [market] or failures [market]based on the sales figures.

We are talking in whole not particular about you Manoj

anyway And so what will be your course of action ? anyway then if not linea you will go for ? Why?

Who said I will rule out Linea. I said i will put in more efforts anf if there is anything alarming found, I will certainly go for it post TD, if it suits my requirments.

And for a quick reference since we are discussing fiat take a look
Nation wide same exercise is being followed .

Good for the customers and will benefit them as well, on a long run

Important what ?

Not ignoring sales figures while doing research on certain cars shortlisted according to one's requirements.

+100 you are right and IMHO its the perfect way . And in this research if he finds the low seller car perfect then ?

already stated above [ex:Linea]

remember I told you , better that you provide me a example and benchmark of success and failure?

Your example of Manza is not a market failure nor a huge success,for me.In the same segment that you have chosen, there wouldn't be any difficulty for you to find the best seller as you chose Linea on the other end.

And btw why does manza not qualify here ?

For me, in a segment with some serious competition, those combined numbers of Manza/Indigo are not convincing enough to be called a “success”[market] rather I would call it “average”,especially considering a very well capable brand like Tata. I wish them to address,which they are very well capable of, whatever the causes behind their low performing cars [unfortunately most of the passenger cars], only for those products to be perceived as good cars among people. That would ultimately result in better sales thus become “successful”[market].

 

[Iron Rock]

Mod Note :- Folks kindly ensure you are polite and nice to each other(after all TAIgers deserve it), while the purpose of the forum is to debate, but we need to learn to respect differing opinions.
There comes a time when a stretched debate becomes an eye sore even for readers to read or comprehend anything out of it - Lets avoid getting there. Lets learn to "move on" if we have to agree to disagree.

Also importantly when you post please take enough time to ensure you format it appropriately and use Multi Quote etc as needed , excessive usage of bold texts is not permitted and it reduces readability too.

 

[Superbad]

@ Superbad- are you suggesting people ( specially new buyers ) if they have no Internet , they depend on tv, relatives ,their expreince , friends , magazines to buy a car and whichever car the tv, relative , auto magzines say right the buy or whichever they say not good they stay away from ?

i am not suggesting anything, since they wont even know what we are discussing here.(remember they do not have internet access).

you had asked how those people might be choosing their cars.

i just listed the probable ways they generally choose their cars.

nothing less nothing more.

 

[alexddas]

@Tornado,
Brother,The dezire story is, as you mentioned on the post is misleading and exploitation mainly done by the the dealers and the SA to achieve their targets.
The company just added a CS to the segment which is selling good now and the other moved to taxi segment.
It is the duty of the dealer to tell the real story other than misleading the customers.
I do not recommend verna or manZa to a friend as they are not selling consistently for years, the verna sales will turn down when the first sold verna's reach a 100000kms and so on.

When comes on hard earned money people sacrifice comfort for money.
A father with his hard earned money will go for a bestseller car with resale considering the risk, and a son with fathers money will go for a 140Bhp,comfort+ car and that is natural.
I had done too, i gave my dad pressure to buy me a RD350 to Rx100. And bought honda activa with my own money.

 

[Raja]

I thought we are discussing success [market] or failures [market]based on the sales figures.

The following quoted post is the very first post in this thread , hope it conveys what we are discussing

=Raja;264325]Many believe that sales figures of a particular car influences there buying decision. And it matters to them as it gives them confidence to book the car thinking if many are buying the car it must be good , or some feel a highest selling car has better resale value .

Some feel it doesn't matter to them at all as long as the car maker provides warranty and service of their car irrespective of how many units it sells . And since the car is not highest selling they in fact get better discount which is compensated for the relatively lesser resale value they might get later . They believe car must be judged by what it offers then the Sales figures .

Pour in your thoughts if it matters to you then why ? And if doesn't matter then why ?

IMP - Kindly keep the discussion healthy and friendly , while presenting and debating your views .

Manoj I hope we are clear on what we are discussing atleast now incase you were confused .

Who said I will rule out Linea. I said i will put in more efforts anf if there is anything alarming found, I will certainly go for it post TD, if it suits my requirments.

Buddy I * think maybe * we are in agreement here , some guys including me are suggesting the same , don't rule out a car based only on sales figure ( good/bad) research and find if it suits your requirements and all parameters .

Good for the customers and will benefit them as well, on a long run

Indeed .

Not ignoring sales figures while doing research on certain cars shortlisted according to one's requirements

.
Exactly again we are in agreement I think . Because sales figures only show one aspect low/ high . Further investigation and research allways helps . High selling car can be indeed best and and at the same time not good as per your requirement and vice a versa .

I agree with you ,

I *hope if * we have reached some agreement ., we reached this stage only after questioning and counter questioning each other right ? ( its allways a joy to debate respectfully with open minded , fair and unbiased , neutral guy like you my respect )

Your example of Manza is not a market failure nor a huge success,for me.In the same segment that you have chosen, there wouldn't be any difficulty for you to find the best seller as you chose Linea on the other end.

Example of verna will do ? If yes kindly read our member " allhyundaicars" post on this thread just couple of pages above .

[

B]For me[/B], in a segment with some serious competition, those combined numbers of Manza/Indigo are not convincing enough to be called a “success”[market] rather I would call it “average”,especially considering a very well capable brand like Tata. I wish them to address,which they are very well capable of, whatever the causes behind their low performing cars [unfortunately most of the passenger cars], only for those products to be perceived as good cars among people. That would ultimately result in better sales thus become “successful”[market].

I wish the same like you , just for academic discussions well there is a lot of scope for companies on how they can increase their market share and profits , it can be a good discussion and there are many threads already running on that topic . For example

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-wrong-tata-motors-open-letter-karl-slym.html

Well now as a consumer it hardly matters to me , because just because ford makes a huge profit I don't get 1 service free , Nor iam denied one because they are losing market share ( infact i might get a nice fat discount on their cars )

Its again good for shareholders and investors of those companies and for fans to think about why one company is not making profits .

Our respected member THE XOVER has summed up nicely IMHO .

I bought Petrol Indica when everyone was either going for its diesel version or petrol Suzukis! Tells you crystal clear that I don't give a damn about sales figures as a buyer.

However,as a fan of any particular brand,I like its sales numbers to be good.

Example being,the recent sales plunge of TML,as a fan I really had a tough time digesting these low numbers of my favourite car company of 'em all!

i am not suggesting anything, since they wont even know what we are discussing here.(remember they do not have internet access).

you had asked how those people might be choosing their cars.

i just listed the probable ways they generally choose their cars.

nothing less nothing more.

You have analyzed perfectly thanx for suggesting proabable ways .

and Yes tv shows , relatives , friends their view and expreince newspaper and magzines has a big impact on buying descion of new buyers or buyers having less resources to research and it impacts the sales figures , I and some on this thread are only putting this same thought forward That it does .

And its noway the *only *indication of a great car .

And high sales dosent mean * allways * a great car and low selling means bad car vice a versa . Thanx a lot .

 

[vikyjoshi]

Herd mentality is also an important part of the discussion which is related to the sales numbers

This is one of he most important reasons along with perception why there are cars which are not so worthy compared to cars which are selling in meagre numbers are still clocking high nos month after month, year after year.

 

[manojodungat]

I wish this is my last post here, as the discussion has been stretched too far.

1.Sales figures can’t be ignored while buying a car. At the same time it shouldn’t only be based on the sales chart as well, IMHO.

2.One shouldn’t assume and attribute bluntly, “herd mentality” to the success behind a top seller and the failure behind a worst seller, as there is no objectivity in those claims.

When people start debating on topics which lack objectivity, it often gets unpleasant and become an eye sore for others.

Time to move on

 

[Gurrala74]

In the interest of the thread title and the fruitful discussion

Sales figures should not be ignored but they shouldn't and never dictate the worthiness of a car

One should never assume bluntly anything and herd mentality is one of the important part in decision making of buying car and further research is required on possibilities is right way to practice objectivity

Yes, it is common that at times we feel unpleasant when we believe in something which is not true according to the real world experiences

the debate is on !!

 

[S Class]

Re: Sales Figures – Do They Really Matter To You?

^the case of marrying and dating does not apply here.
One simply does not marry a girl who has been married a number of times or demands a less compensation .
But is attributed to the compatibility between two individuals.

No buddy, you got me wrong. I didn't say to marry divorcee but marry based on compensation in case of divorce (resale value in car).

Buying something like Vista over Ritz or Jaguar XF over BMW 5 series is more like inter-caste marriage , where people will call you idiot but you know that you are happy from within & this is what matters.

Bottom line is chalk out your priorities & liking & then see which car fits in the bill & buy it. If you buy Vista, chaps will ask why not Ritz or swift & if you buy Swift, chaps will say, why buy something so common ? Forget what the world says, go with your head & heart coz at the end of the day, its you & the car which matters & not those standing outside the car !!

 

[bhargav]

Great topic and i will post my views .

I purchased Maruti 800 thinking all are buying and suggesting it means it must be good . Then i bought Scorpio again thinking if everyone are buying means it must great and safe buy . Both cars did give me trouble . Friends , relatives, co- workers suggested to go for Scorpio because its reliable then Safari and the A.S.S will be better then Tata . Most of them never owned any of them .
My co- worker bought Safari around same time .

His Safari is still going strong with 1,15000 kms with no major problems like they were told to me . My Scorpio actually got stranded in middle of the road due to clutch failure and A.S.S guys one day even robbed by CDs when i had given car for service and most of the time soiling the interiors even after requesting many times .

Is Mahindra bad , no i wont say that but it was not even that good the way people projected me it to be .
This time again all suggested me XUV since its selling more and seen more on roads , but I have cousins who are troubled with the niggles in car and they too were suggesting XUV saying since Storme sells less it must be having more problems then XUV which actually is not true because on this forum all are extremely happy , so I decided this time i will use my own mind and decided to go for Storme atleast it is my choice and my kids choice then other selecting a car for me .

I agree i was a part of herd mentality because i never was member of any forums or a car expert myself to judge and decide which car or suv is better .

This is one of he most important reasons along with perception why there are cars which are not so worthy compared to cars which are selling in meagre numbers are still clocking high nos month after month, year after year.

Very rightly said I agree with you .

 

[Gurrala74]

+100 Bhargav, nice explanation

I agree i was a part of herd mentality because i never was member of any forums or a car expert myself to judge and decide which car or suv is better .

Yes, I was also part of Herd mentality when I bought my M800(I was not a member of TAI), but thankfully it never gave troubles, but some day I felt that I am not able to fit inside properly and even my dad face the same problem. Then I bought Ritz, believe me every body whoever I know scolded me and looked at me as I am a idiot for not buying swift and bought Ritz. But today I am very happy with my decision and yes Ritz is not a best seller like swift, but it never matters to me.

 

[navnit013]

Egg-jack-tea-ley. Gurrala.

No matter what you say, there will be people who will prick you with the 'car is a market dud' comment.

When we bought the Sumo grande, a couple of years back, people around us bombarded us with the comments. Are you crazy, a TATA? Sumo, why a taxi? Why not Xylo? You are nuts, you chose Sumo over Innova?

Now I've done 50000kms, hardly spent 25000 on my car (excluding diesel and that crash repair). Some of those pundits were surprised by the performance of my car. AND are now telling me about the lack of resale value and **** interiors.

The thing is I made the decision and I am happy with it. Did the sale figure influence my decision. NOPE. If I were to advise anyone on buying a car, would I suggest them a car with sales figure in mind. NOPE.

 

[Gessler]

It depends on personel mindset really. Some people prefer to buy what their
friend has bought or they buy the best-selling model to "keep pace with the
rest of the world."

The best-seller may not always be the best one out there. My family had
previously owned a Ritz diesel and when we thought its time to switch over
to a sedan, we outlined the Maruti Swift Dzire, Honda City and VW Vento.

Personally I was overwhelmed by the City's front-end styling and thought it
was best when I looked up sales figures on the net. Same with many of my
friends, some of which happen to be car enthusiasts.

City is a better seller but we decided to go in for the VW and we're very
happy with its performance, long live German engineering finesse. We have
no trouble with it other than a small ground clearence problem when driving up
steep slopes. Its great value for money and looks calm and reassuring in all
situations.

We made right decision!

 

[alexddas]

I have voted a NO. The sales figures do not matter to me when buying a car.



Now that is a highly vague statement to make buddy!!! Just because a car is selling in large numbers doesn't make it risk free. None is actually!!

Have you ever thought why Alto is selling in large numbers? It's not because it is a proven car or something like that. Half of the sales would be from Tier-2/3 cities and rest would come from bikers upgrading to car and quite a few would be using Alto as their 2nd/3rd car for misc. chores.

freakdude.

I disagree with you Alto is selling because it is the best low budget car in india..
Alto is proven for years,it is worth for the money spend on it.
If it is the upgrade as you said then nano would have sold more.
People sell Alto with descent re-sale to upgrade to higher segments.

There is no risk in buying Alto,SwiftD and Innova as they are the proven best sellers in india.

@ rightnow,

I may do research and try my luck to buy any car in the market, I bought BeatD, on the price,the engine(fiat) and the service package the company offered and i am making money out of it.(RENT-A-CAR)
I bought punto on reliability on fiat and its safety features,discounts
and if it sell less also no problem i am earning money out of it.
I am planning for Sail SedanD and EnjoyD for the same reasons Highlighting on the Service package and Fiat/chevy engine.

But i would recommend my friend Alto,SwiftD or innova only, because the hard earned money they spend must not be spend on risk.
It is easy for me to recommend too as it top's the market consistently without any major issues.

@All
When comes on hard earned money people sacrifice comfort for money.
A father with his hard earned money will go for a bestseller car with resale considering the risk, and a son with fathers money will go for a 140Bhp,comfort+ car and that is natural.
I had done too, i gave my dad pressure to buy me a RD350 to Rx100. And bought honda activa with my own money.