SKODA - moving forward

[Othello]

good to know that HA is ramping up the A&P for the brand for eg. the Class 95 launch. However, their pricing strategy leaves much to be desired. Understand that the OMV is the main culprit. Given that it seriously inflates the selling price, I'm bewildered that they did not seek strongly to bring in the lower spec version. I dunno, maybe their hands are tied, they were pressured. But 84K for Octy 1.4 ?? I dun care TSI or ZTI, its freaking expensive !!

 

IMO, they are still very naive to think that pple will buy becos its value for $$$ (issit still ?). Without addressing the current limitations/weaknesses of their operations/support, they have simply believed that just because of their VAG linkage, the car will automatically sell well . Well, the MK1 Octy and Spb are already good cars. Already built with VAG parts, price lower but people still did not bite. The old vRS can be a monster as the older members can attest to but still it sold in limited numbers. The new one ? LAGI worse, sold 2/3 ? So now, becos of the DSG, it suddenly became GOOD again ?

 

Well, VW selling like hotcakes due to the iconic Golf leading the way. But skoda ? I doubt so.

 

Well, given the current pricing, I dun think I will consider a skoda for my next car. Put it bluntly, why get a Octavia if I can get a Jetta ? Mind you, the Octavia is just a facelifted model, not even a new model.

 

And given that VW QC remains suspect (hear lots of stories over at vagsg) , what then of skoda ?

 

I wonder whats all the fuss about.

 

I empathise with Tashi about HA totally ignoring this community. Their only involvement is using this forum for Q&A !!

 

Enuff said. sorry for being lor sor .....

[Fortress]

You are right about being a part of the VW family car, but it is NOT build like one. Pardon me, it seems that the Octy I, was built like a tank (just the body) but with parts are nowhere near the acceptable stage.

 

5 years of driving, failures listed here;

a. Speed sensors - all - 20 months

b. Speedometer/tachometer/the whole dashboard - started 3.5 years

c. ABS - twice - 20 months and 4 year

d. Gear link - can accept wear and tear but they have designed it to fail instead of a simple ball joint with pins. 2 and 4 years

e. bearings - front - 3 years

f. Suspensions - front - 3 years

g. Aircon - wear and tear - 3 years

h. Window - failed within 2 years None of the electrical ones works, manual one ok.

i. Brake disk warp - 20 months

j. Radiator fan - 3 years wear and tear, a bit early

k. windscreen wiper - under warranty 6 months.

l. central lock - 3 years - can accept wear and tear.

m. vacumm and fuel hose - 2 years, wear and tear??? just need to add a clip to hold it in place.

n. signal relay, 3 times in 5 years !!!! - it seems the VW made in China lasted the longest and cheapest - S$28...Skoda asked for S$136, Audi asked for S$56.

o. Fuel pump - once in 2 years and they said wear and tear???

p. Roof failing - wear and tear

q. reverse sensor failed - 3 years.

 

The good things were the booth is big, and none of the lights failed before, good when you got hit from someone, light on tyre wear, good at corning. Good for 1st year driving and demolition car thereafter.

 

SKODA - Should Kick Off this Dummy Auto, which I did.

 

3 things that they might need to look at, pricing, quality and after sale service....or it would be "To je škoda" can mean either "It's a pity" or "That's a Skoda" in Czech.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Fortress

[Othello]

SKODA - Should Kick Off this Dummy Auto, which I did.

 

thats a new one !

 

Your one and limlien's ones should be catalogued as case studies ...

 

[Fortress]

Unfortunately, wise there is such a law in Singapore call the Lemon Law (understand that there is one in the US)....which would address Skoda appropriately.

[Genie47]

I'm a sucker for Ockam's Razor.

 

The ideal family car should have:

 

1. No ABS. Complicates things. I just want brakes to stop. Crashing a family car zooming around? You should not be speeding around in a family car.

2. Carburetted. To hell with EFI. Makes for more stuff that can go wrong like the injectors and fuel pump.

3. Power windows only in the front. Behind handomatic. I don't like kids playing around with the power windows. In fact, I can count the times I wind the rear windows down.

 

That's all. A whole lot less to worry about.

 

Damn! Miss that dirty carburetted engine in the Starlet. Got me to places and didn't quit.

[Fortress]

You are absolutely right...I wish that the car didn't not have an ABS, so that it will not blink at my when I drive. Handomatic window, least i can wind it down when i need....yup miss those purist stuffs...

 

What I meant by crashing around was trying to find a nice way to say the car is great for demolition car race.

[Beanoyip]

I'm quite sure my next car would not be a Skoda if it's continued to be price around the VW range. Just doesn't make sense imo.

[Othello]

precisely. Ok, at least the superb is something diff. But the base model Octy 1.4 will always be compared against the Jetta.

 

well, OMV high due to more factory fitted stuff ? TOO BAD LOR ... I have no doubt they prolly sell a few vRS, but Octy 1.4 ?? it'll be one RARE car.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Othello

[Tashi]

Bro, here's some data pulled from MCF's sister site for reference and comparison based on the same rough price range. The actual showroom sales prices could be different, and of course, specs and fitted stuff and performance are different. But good for comparison purposes. There are alot of other models of various marques which have much lower price range but they are not reflected here.

 

Chevy Captiva 2.4 Premium (A), $88+K

Chevy Epica 2.0 (A), $86K

Chrysler Sebring 2.4 Ltd (A), $85K

Dodge Caliber 2.0 (A), $90K

Fiat Bravo 1.4 T-Jet Dynamic (A), $89+K

Honda Civic 1.8 VTI-S (A), $87+K

Honda Stream 1.8 T (A), $88+K

Mazda 3 Hatch 2.0 (A), $84+K

Mazda 5 2.0 (A), $85+K

Mitsubishi Lancer EX 2.0 GT (A), $81 to 83+K

Nissan Qashqai 2.0 (A), $86K

Nissan Teana 200 XL (A), $89K

Opel Astra Sedan 1.8 (A), $84+K

Peugeot 308 1.6 Premium 5dr (A), $82+K

Skoda Octavia 1.4 (A), $86+K

Skoda Octavia Combi 1.4 (A), $88+K

Skoda Superb 1.8T (A), $88K

Ssangyong Actyon 2.3 Super Luxury (A), $83+K

Subaru Forester 2.0 X (A), $80+K

Subaru Legacy 2.0i (A), $89K

Subaru Outback 2.5i (A), $89K

Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.4 4WD (A), $88+K

Toyota Picnic 2.0 Deluxe (A), $86+K

VW Golf 1.4 TSI DSG (A), $87+K

VW Jetta 1.4 TSI DSG (A), $83+K

VW Jetta 1.4 Sport TSI DSG (A), $88+K

 

 

[Virus]

Went test drive today. Felt the workmanship better the VW. Is that why VW can push down the price?

[Tashi]

hey mate

The problem is not so much the car itself, but the brand perception and various experiences by existing or older adopters. Anyway, wife commented our current Spb1 is good, and no need to change. If we must change eventually, she said we will move to another brand (we have identified what they may be), which I concur.

 

blessings

 

[Fortress]

Hi bro, why is the Octavia costing the same as the Superb...anything special about the Octy.

[Tashi]

hi dear bro

I really have no idea. I merely compiled the stats from the car mart site.

 

blessings

+

Edited September 2, 2009 by Tashi

[Beanoyip]

The Superb pricing of 89k was during launch, I reckon now its almost 100k for the basic model.

[Othello]

believe the SPB pricing is for the MK1.

[Othello]

bro, tts a long list indeed. All kinds of cars too .... lets see what happens to HA ....

[Koolaba]

Hi bro,

 

Allow me to share some of my thoughts.

 

The Mk 6 Golf is actually a heavily revised version of the Mk 5. The chassis is carried over from the Mk 5 to Mk 6 (same wheelbase is one tell-tale). During my stay in Europe in 2004-05, I have chanced upon auto magazine reports about the impending release of the Mk 6 Golf, complete with sketch drawings (which resemble the current Mk 6 to a great extent). The main motivation for the shortening of the product life cycle for the Mk 5 is the complexity of construction i.e. VW required more manhours to assemble such a vehicle. The doors of the Mk 5 were cited as one of such areas which were complex to build due to the large number of parts.

 

Time equates to cost in the manufacturing industry.

 

In fact, if you look closely at the doors of the Mk 5 and Mk 6, the design is very similar. Other than the new dashboard design in the Mk 6, you will still find several parts lifted from the Mk 5 e.g. the centre console with rear a/c vents.

 

In all objectivity, I would classify the Mk 6 Golf as a facelifted Mk 5. VW's marketing arm considers it as an all-new model though.

 

The Mk 5 Golf and Jetta suffered from QA issues due to the very likely variance in production quality standards at different sites of assembly in Mexico, South Africa. For Skoda, the models on sale in Singapore are all assembled in Czech Republic. The disparity in quality standards is kept to a minimal. In fact, some German motoring journalists have commented that the general build quality of Skodas is better than certain VW models, even in their homeland.

 

With regards to the current pricing of the facelifted Octavia 1.4 TSI, I do agree that the pricing is not agreeable to the masses. If one solely considers the OMV vs selling price (without consideration of the Skoda branding locally), then it is a no-brainer to get this car. The Thai-made Camry 2.0 has an OMV of around $26k, yet people are willing to pay $93k for it.

 

It will be more prudent for HA to offer a decently specced Octavia at a lower price, with less goodies which are usually classified as options in other markets e.g. GPS Colombus system, adaptive bi-xenon headlamp, electric seats. To capture would-be VW Jetta buyers to the Skoda camp, HA should seriously consider bringing in Octavias with similar specifications as the locally available Jetta, which will lower the OMV. If the price of this lower OMV Octavia is priced a good $10k cheaper than a similarly specced Jetta, it should be a convincing proposition for buyers to consider a Skoda.

 

Having voiced this concern to HA, I do hope that the next batch of less generously specified Octavias will be priced more affordably.

[Virus]

If remember correct, the Octy 1.4TSI spec is quite high. All items are factory fitted. They have a comparison against VW Jette 1.4 TSI in the price list, the paper with my colleage.

 

1.4TSI 122 bhp 7-speed DSG (with Paddle swift)

Bi Xenon adaptive head light, with auto leveling

Headlight wiper

Cruise control

Steering wheel Audio control

Dual zone climate control

Electric seat

GSM III bluetooth

Alcantra leather

Belona touchscreen headset, 6 disc changer with 12 speakers

Distance display reverse censor (front 4 - rear 4)

4 or 6 airbags (forgotten)

Hill-slope drive off (forget the actual name)

ABS, ESP, Brake assist, Hydraulic different lock assist (dunno what's that).

16 alloy rim

Edited September 2, 2009 by Virus