Rohit from Saharanpur, Lakhwinder from Ludhiana, Vivek from Jamshedpur, Bhushan from Mumbai, Ram Meher from Delhi, Adarsh from Udupi and many others all across India are undergoing the same trauma.
They are not getting delivery of their favourite car. They booked a Baleno after getting mesmerised by its looks and features like Apple carplay. But now after paying more than a lakh (for priority booking) they have been waiting for the last three months. And the wait could go on for another six to eight months.
Many of them booked the car for either their own weddings or as gifts. Alas, weddings can’t be held up for a car.
This is not just the case of Maruti Baleno, even cars of Hyundai, Honda and Ford are giving their customers a nightmare in terms of delay in delivery.
Hyundai’s new blockbuster Creta is blocking the car’s delivery for 3-4 months.
Ford’s Ecosport has a waiting period of one and a half months.
Honda’s City will make you wait for one to two months.
Maruti usually has long waiting periods associated all its new launches. And it’s only hightened for the Baleno because India is the only country where this car is made and exported to other European and Asian countries.
But Creta , Ecosport and City seem to have faltered in their homework. Customers may crib, complain and fret but would still wait for a Maruti - something other brands can’t take for granted.
The passenger car industry has been going through a slump for the past three years but signs of revival are beginning to emerge. Car companies will need to pull their socks up, to take advantage of this renewed interest.
(Sonia Singh is a veteran Automotive Journalist in India. She was the popular face behind India’s biggest auto show ‘Chake Pe Chakka’ on Aaj Tak.)
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