The global meltdown has everyone worried but all is not lost. It is raining bargains, and even though auto sales tend to be sluggish at year-end, it may be a good time to pick up that car you have been eyeing for a while.Maruti Suzuki is celebrating 25 years and offering a discount in all its models. The mini giant Maruti 800 is offering a saving of Rs 7,500 to Rs 35,000 on the Zen Estillo. There is a discount on all models. Check with your local dealer. They offer an exchange bonus also of Rs 10,000 on the Wagon R and Zen Estillo. Informatively, the Wagon R is the largest selling car in its class.
The Tata Indigo CLS-GLE is available for Rs 3.76 lakh. There is a cash discount of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 in all its models.
Honda Civic, one of the best sellers and performers in its segment, is offering a package worth Rs 38,000. You will have to find out from the dealer what this package entails.
GM’s U-VA is available for Rs 3.99 lakh, and comes loaded with new features. The service conditions, not only for the U-VA but also for other models like the Spark, are very attractive. The Spark costs only Rs 2.66 lakh. The company offers a package of three-year/100.000 km maintenance and free labour and spare parts. This means you just drive in for an oil change and filter change and drive out. No payment. Any replacement of parts from a windshield wiper to clutch or disc pads—anything—will be at GM’s cost. Sounds great. Test drive a U-VA and you will get a T-shirt autographed by Saif Ali Khan. What more could you ask for?
Skoda is offering a 9.99 per cent interest rate on their Skoda Superb Elegance and Skoda Superb Comfort. Both cars come with a 2.5 litre V-6 engines and tiptronic (read automatic) transmission. The Superb Elegance will cost Rs 22,35,000 and the Superb Comfort will cost Rs 20,67,000. The Comfort does not have a sunroof, leather upholstery, electric seat adjustment, cruise control, multi-function steering or zenon head-lamps, which are standard on the Elegance.
Volvo is offering two options. The Volvo S 80 D5 worth Rs 38 lakh can be yours for a down payment of Rs 4 lakh only. If you put down Rs 18 lakh, the EMI is Rs 55,555 for a 36 months’ period. The interest rate works out to 5.2 per cent. The first 50 customers will get a satellite navigation system with a rear view camera for free.
BMW offers a no-down payment deal. Monthly interest-free instalments work out to only Rs 33,333 for 15 months. Interest rates start as low as 5.38 per cent. This applies to the three series only. Check out what is available on the other models. For sure, you will get an attractive offer.
Fiat, still struggling to find a hold in the Indian market, is offering the Palio Stile for Rs 3.14 lakh. The Palio Stle (with1.6-litre petrol engine) will cost you Rs 4.14 lakh. The diesel version with the multijet 1.3-litre engine will cost Rs 4.33 lakh. The plus side of buying a Fiat today is that sales, service and spares are all supplied by Tata Motors.
Hyundai is offering Rs 40,000 off on their models. The rebate may differ from variant to variant. The Santro is available at the 10-year-old price of Rs 2.99 lakh.
The New Ikon from Ford has an introductory price of Rs 5.19 lakh for the 1.4 duratorq diesel vehicle, and Rs 4.59 for the 1.3 Rocam petrol version. It also boasts the best-in-class warranty, 100.000 km or two years. Ford also offers free insurance for one year, an exchange bonus of Rs 10,000 plus a MP3 player free.
At a time of global meltdown, Maruti Suzuki rolled out its nextgen compact, the A-Star, mainly to do battle with Hyndai’s 1.10. It is an export-oriented model and could face problems in Europe. However, the meltdown could actually be in favour of the A-Star. Consider this, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has certified the A-Star fuel consumption at 19.5 km per litre. As a belt-tightening exercise, people may opt for the A-Star.
The A-Star has the all-new KB series engine. It is 998 cc. The introductory price starts Rs 3.47 lakh. This includes A/C and power steering for the low-end LXi variant. Mid-variant VXi costs Rs 3.74 lakh and the top-end model ZXi is for Rs 4.11 lakh. It is the first global car manufactured in India for the international market.
The recent happenings in Mumbai will definitely have an impact on car sales in that city. Besides, December is not the month for sales. People are still shell-shocked and are not venturing out to buy cars. Sluggish sales will definitely have a negative impact. For you, the buyer, it may be a good time to negotiate a
deal.
Happy motoring.
