Features Mantra

Car companies are perpetually finding ways to keep their cars in the limelight and therefore work towards increased sales figures. In utopia that might work, but with customers getting smarter this procedure can result in some flack.

Take for example the latest deal from Honda Siel. The company has launched an enhanced Civic for the market. What are the enhancements one might ask. Well, the enhnacements are steering mounted cruise control switches and turn indicators on the OVRMs! The higher end car gets a reverse sensor to aid in backing up the sedan.

Earlier, Honda had done the same with the Accord, by introducing a sun roof and lights in the footwell. The Jazz too has recieved some mild treatment in the last couple months.

So the changes have been made and they are mostly minor jobs that really don't tickle the senses. Customer feedback might mention that such features are great and everything, however the true requirement would come in proper model upgrades.

I personally feel that these changes are too small and customers won't really come rushing in to buy cars just because of these features. No doubt, they are all great features, but what I am getting at is the fact that on paper customers would like to see something a little more substantial. Small changes are good, but if you want to sell cars, the change ought to be substantial. Just by introducing a new color or 1-2 features in a car does not do enough to titilate the senses.

Though midlife changes are good, I would personally prefer that manufacturers consider customer feedback and then introduce the changes at an appropriate time when they can carry out more than just 1-2 features. Further to this, timing is also necessary. If the changes have to be restricted to 1-2 features, manufacturers should wait till either the festive season or the begining of a new year to bring in these mods. In that way, the package will look more complete to the customer and should yeild better results.

Hopefully we will see more elaborate changes in the future, and if not, then at least the changes will be better timed.

Honda Civic hybrid finally here

No manufacturer has ever opted to take this route as India has a history of being a consumer driven market that thrives on a price war, therefore making such a decision didn't seem to make enough business sense.

The arrival if the Civic hybrid marks not just a commitment from the manufacturer to help curb air pollution and reduce the burden on fossil fuels, but also the fact that India is definitely a market to be taken seriously.

The evolution shows in the fact that a manufacturer like Honda, who has had a stellar run in the country with their vehicles, deems it possible to make a mark with such a technologically superior machine.

The all new Civic hybrid is literally a technological masterpiece on wheels. It comes fitted with a 3-stage 1.3 litre i-Vtec engine (which provides 3 stages of valve timing) mated to a brushless DC motor and is finally driven by an efficient CVT transmission. All three mechanisms work in perfect synchronization to offer the user an environmentally friendly car that is not just frugal but fun to drive.

It is one of the rarest combinations to find in an automobile, but Honda has made this possible with their Civic IMA (integrated motor assist) hybrid.

Priced at Rs 21.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the car is not cheap, but this is due to the fact that the Civic hybrid is a 100 per cent import from Japan, and therefore the duty of more than a 100 per cent has to be paid on it.

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