Siena may trigger another price war
By Dinesh R Iyer, with Ashok Raskar | 09 Mar 1999
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Ind Auto Ltd, subsidiary of Fiat of Italy, is expected to announce the launch of the Siena, in both petrol and diesel versions soon. The car will be priced very competitively at around the Rs 5.5 to 6 lakh mark.
The Siena will offer features such as body-coloured bumpers, front and rear fog lights, power steering, power windows, rear seat belts (a first for Indian cars) and heatproof glass as standard equipment. Most of the standard equipment in the Siena is offered as optional equipment in competing models such as the Honda City and the Mitsubishi Lancer.
The petrol version of the Siena will be powered by a 1,242-cc engine that gives an output of 72 bhp @ 6,000 rpm. Speed-wise, the car matches the best cars in its range, even after taking into consideration its weight of 1,035 kg due to the thicker and consequently heavier steel used in its body.
The diesel version will be powered by a 1,698-cc engine that renders 64 bhp @ 4,500 rpm. The diesel engine is shared with the Uno Diesel, with the addition of a Garrett turbo-charger that helps increase the power output to 64 bhp. This version of the Siena is expected to be priced around Rs 6.5 - 7 lakh, which will make it a couple of lakh rupees cheaper than the diesel version of Ford India's Escort.
The Siena is expected to trigger off a price war in the mid-range car segment. Ind Auto has already demonstrated its aggressive intentions with the steep cuts it announced in the price of its small car Uno with a view to tackle Telco's Indica. The Siena could dictate terms even to established leader Maruti whose base model Esteem-LX is priced around Rs 5.5 lakh. Considering that Siena is offering as standard equipment what most others give as options, the mid-range segment is definitely in for a serious accessory war. The prices of most models in this segment should go for a spin, as they happened in the small car segment.
The Maruti Esteem accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the sales in this segment. With the Siena's price tag, Maruti will be extremely uncomfortable.
The first round of booking is expected to commence sometime in March. The company has not announced the number of vehicles proposed to be offered in the first round.
The Siena is part of Fiat's world car project that envisages a common platform for all segments. For example, the Siena is built on the same chassis as the Fiat's best-selling Palio hatchback. The company aims to use this approach to lower costs worldwide while assuring quality in all markets.
In India the Siena will be manufactured at Ind Auto's Ranjangaon facility in Maharashtra. This plant is expected to be completed by the last quarter of the year. In the meanwhile Fiat will assemble the Sienas from CKD kits at its Kurla plant in Mumbai.
The Siena will offer features such as body-coloured bumpers, front and rear fog lights, power steering, power windows, rear seat belts (a first for Indian cars) and heatproof glass as standard equipment. Most of the standard equipment in the Siena is offered as optional equipment in competing models such as the Honda City and the Mitsubishi Lancer.
The petrol version of the Siena will be powered by a 1,242-cc engine that gives an output of 72 bhp @ 6,000 rpm. Speed-wise, the car matches the best cars in its range, even after taking into consideration its weight of 1,035 kg due to the thicker and consequently heavier steel used in its body.
The diesel version will be powered by a 1,698-cc engine that renders 64 bhp @ 4,500 rpm. The diesel engine is shared with the Uno Diesel, with the addition of a Garrett turbo-charger that helps increase the power output to 64 bhp. This version of the Siena is expected to be priced around Rs 6.5 - 7 lakh, which will make it a couple of lakh rupees cheaper than the diesel version of Ford India's Escort.
The Siena is expected to trigger off a price war in the mid-range car segment. Ind Auto has already demonstrated its aggressive intentions with the steep cuts it announced in the price of its small car Uno with a view to tackle Telco's Indica. The Siena could dictate terms even to established leader Maruti whose base model Esteem-LX is priced around Rs 5.5 lakh. Considering that Siena is offering as standard equipment what most others give as options, the mid-range segment is definitely in for a serious accessory war. The prices of most models in this segment should go for a spin, as they happened in the small car segment.
The Maruti Esteem accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the sales in this segment. With the Siena's price tag, Maruti will be extremely uncomfortable.
The first round of booking is expected to commence sometime in March. The company has not announced the number of vehicles proposed to be offered in the first round.
The Siena is part of Fiat's world car project that envisages a common platform for all segments. For example, the Siena is built on the same chassis as the Fiat's best-selling Palio hatchback. The company aims to use this approach to lower costs worldwide while assuring quality in all markets.
In India the Siena will be manufactured at Ind Auto's Ranjangaon facility in Maharashtra. This plant is expected to be completed by the last quarter of the year. In the meanwhile Fiat will assemble the Sienas from CKD kits at its Kurla plant in Mumbai.
