Will Indian Buyers Still Trust Volkswagen?

[Akash1886]

Friends,

A simple but important question, VW in India has provided some exceptionally well performing cars. The enthusiasts have set benchmark with the Polo twins in terms of performance here. But in light of recent emission mishaps which has shaken VW to the roots globally including India, do you think Indian buyers still would trust Volkswagen or Will they give a second thought before buying a VW car here now? Views welcome!

Regards

Akash

 

[TSIVipul]

Indian buyers still do trust them. Although the sales have went down a bit but that's more attributed to the recent hold in sales which lead to a slightly bad taste in mouth.
I know a couple of enthusiastic guys who right now drive VW cars and are willing to again go for the VW only, no matter what the scam has been.

 

[GM88]

Yes even I being a VW owner, if the time comes and VW has a car which fills my requirements, i'll be more than willing to put my money on it. I'm sure it won't even affect the Audi brand which also uses the same diesel engine which is under the scanner. Till the time, India itself doesn't have stringent motor emission laws, I really don't think this is going to affect anyone majorly. Although, few of my Honda and Toyota fanboys friends do have a new topic to bash VW and rightly so.

 

[nmm mithra]

Yes, still people trust Volkswagen and even the non-auto enthusiast would trust because of the simpler design which the Volkswagen makes.

And i always wanted to own a Volkswagen in future.

 

[nishant5858]

If people stop trusting & avoid buying cars from VW stable just because of this "Immature" Emission scandal in our not so strict market then many of these people should also not buy cars that have scored 0/1/2 stars in the NCAP crash test (Swift, Go, i10, etc)

Here the emission norms aren't strict and people shouldn't criticize VW for this, if India was like Europe, US definitely it would have been mandatory but not so in our developing India.

Conclusion - People should look beyond this scandal and instead look at the product offering from VW which always makes Well Built, Driver Oriented Cars with Great Dynamics powered by class leading engines.

 

[ice_wise]

Yes, people would definitely trust Volkswagen. Though Vento has got boring over the years, Polo with its regular cosmetic upgrades is still a head turner and the base variants (TL and CL) are extremely value for money.

People don't care one bit about the emmissions. In India, price matters and looks matter - what if a car doesn't have safety features, has a poor NCAP rating or fails emission norms. The old Alto is a perfect example, along with Swift, i10, Polo and others.

 

[Auto_Pilot]

Yes, I see no reason that people stop trusting VW due to this issue. I own Skoda and once you experience the VW cars driving pleasure, you will not agree with anything less than VW.

Very few matches VW in build quality and driving pleasure at least in India. They already have selected admirers in India and most of them are driving enthusiasts. Oh, I am sounding like VW admirer. Well, I am actually. . Though I love Skoda more but its same thing.

 

[rselva]

Indians will naively keep trusting VW. However, given that VW is going to face working capital problems after settling fines , class action suites, exodus of key personnel and nil R&D and spare parts production, it is better to avoid VW if you are planning to keep the car over 3 years. Some people are raving about 2 star rating. Remember, a 2 star rating is of no use, as it does not rule out fatal head injuries. Only rating of NCAP 3 star and above is useful in a car.

 

[acechip]

People comparing Safety ratings to Emission scandal need to make a distinction. There is one word which I have not seen in the responses so far. VW have committed a wilful FRAUD. Car safety ratings may be so because of lower standards of build quality, but is not fraudulent by itself, unless India Safety rating program is put in place. So the question of trusting VW is an ethical and moral one, as opposed to a technical/transactional one. If the company can go to such great lengths to manipulate regulatory processes, there is something very wrong at the CORE of such an organization. That makes me not want to trust it. I am not claiming that other companies are the paragon of virtue, but it is exactly like how you cannot point the police out to others breaking the traffic rules when you have been busted. As to whether Indians bother to trust Safety/Emission ratings is a question that should be answered individually.

 

[Akash1886]

@ Acechip, totally agree with you. Also I would like to point out a important aspect, Crash Testing is done by NCAP and other such established firms. The crash test video and ratings are published officially as well and then it is left for the buyer/owner to decide and accept a particular model based on ratings. Whereas, in case of VW, until the lid from the scandal was blown off, it was selling the cars with that defeat device all over the world and tricking the buyers. Once the lid was blown off, it clearly came to light that VW's own people were a party to it in some or the other way. It wasn't without their knowledge that such a big scandal was hidden for so long. Personally I feel, Trusting a brand after such a thing is kind of difficult. Also, Whether its emission or safety ratings, both should be wisely thought of by the owners always.

Regards

Akash

 

[TSIVipul]

Well, a simple question:
Do you guys think that Ford Firestone Fiasco, Toyota Accelerator pedal issue, GM ignition switch fiasco or this new Takata airbags issue; all they were not known to their manufacturers? I know VW has got the highest brickbats around but like or hate, you can't debate; their car's aren't turning the roads red.

• The quality leader Toyota always knew there is something wrong but they still kept on going until they were caught.
• Ford Firestone tires were defective but they were recalled only after the fatalities.
• GM ignition switch is as much known to evryone as is this takata airbag issue. BTW the City of Akash also has got a faulty sensor. So sirji, when should I come to buy that car for 1.99 lac?

 

[Akash1886]

BTW the City of Akash also has got a faulty sensor. So sirji, when should I come to buy that car for 1.99 lac?

Well Vipul its just been 4 years for this car and haven't driven much so I shall keep it for at least 4-5 more years.

Regards

Akash

 

[TSIVipul]

^^But it has got a faulty airbag and safety matters a lot sirji. Let me take the risk for the safety of yours.

 

[Akash1886]

But it has got a faulty airbag and safety matters a lot sirji. Let me take the risk for the safety of yours.

Lets close the deal that we'll not go off-topic about my car's sale. Takata was an external brand that was being used by many brands including Honda. Along with other brands, Honda issued a recall to rectify. However, in VW's case, it was their own home-made engines which were at fault and they kept on selling them. They could have rectified at their end and this entire issue could have been avoided. I am not saying other brands were perfect, it is just that, they got away. But, remember Vipul, Wrong doings of any human or brand can not be hidden for long. They come to light sooner or later but once they come to light, the brand has nothing left except to run for cover.

Regards

Akash

 

[autosafari]

Well, a simple question:
Do you guys think that Ford Firestone Fiasco, Toyota Accelerator pedal issue, GM ignition switch fiasco or this new Takata airbags issue; all they were not known to their manufacturers?I know VW has got the highest brickbats around but like or hate, you can't debate; their car's aren't turning the roads red.

• The quality leader Toyota always knew there is something wrong but they still kept on going until they were caught.
• Ford Firestone tires were defective but they were recalled only after the fatalities.
• GM ignition switch is as much known to evryone as is this takata

It seems you are not getting the clutch of the issue.
The problems (even though they are potentially far more harmful to the individual drivers and passengers and other road users), are quality issues creped into the system due to negligence and errors and in some cases those companies would have opted to act late - but these things are completely different from what has happened in Volkswagen.
In case of VW, it was a deliberate attempt apparently imposed from the top to cheat the system as well as customers in top regulated markets. Apart from this now infamous well planned and organized cheating, they milked subsidies from US Government using cheat technology. apparently, they have used more time, effort and resources to develop, implement, advertise and cover up cheat technology than actual development efforts.