Wheelosphere Scoop – Shortened Logan CS Caught!

The last few months for the Logan have been terrible and Mahindra-Renault are contemplating of what can be done to increase sales. On the sidelines, one idea was to shorten it, bring it under 4000mm and then sell it at a much lesser cost while the other way was to bring in the all new Sandero hatchback that is based on the Logan Platform. We even think that stripping out the features and opening up to the taxi market might have helped but that doesn’t seem to be the way Mahindra-Renault are taking.

So, like the shortened Indigo CS, we present to our readers the Logan CS, courtesy BS Motoring. We have even found some spy pictures of the shortened version undergoing winter testing although the genuinity of the spy pictures is unknown.

Chopping off the boot and bringing it under 4000mm will chop off Rs 30,000-50,000 off the Logan’s price as the taxes are reduced to 10% from the current 18%. It qualifies as a small car in the eyes of the government and combined with the sub 1.5L K9K engine, the appeal of the Logan will be boosted. What’s more, Renault also have the option of slotting in the brilliant 1.2L HR12DE 3-pot from the Micra. This latest generation engine provides decent power of 80ps and since it is being produced in Chennai (apart from few critical parts which are imported), is a lot cheaper than imported engines. What’s more, it will return decent fuel economy as well. Will they do it? We quite think they should make use of such synergies within the alliance. After all, it costs nothing.

Over the last two years, the Logan’s performance has been nothing short of a disaster. When it was launched in mid-2007, it immediately went to the top, selling as many as 3000 units every month but fighting with a high price and plain looks, the sales started falling even before its first birthday and last month, Mahindra-Renault moved just 250 Logans – a sales disaster.

So why did this happen? We dont think it has got much to do with its looks – they are simple and straight but definitely not a reason to be turned off compared to the rear end of the Dzire. What did go wrong though, was its price – Throwing in beige interiors, brighter interior colours and no changes whatsoever to the exteriors havent done justice to the brand. Contrary to the trend, the Logan is expensive in India than in Romania (compared to localised cars that are cheaper in India). We also hear that Mahindra’s dealers are actually pushing their Scorpios, Xylos and Boleros than the Logan. We hear that a potential customer looking at the Logan is tempted to look at their SUV range, much like the Tata-Fiat dealers.

So, how to solve it? We recommend moving the Logan to Renault’s sales network once it is established. Till then, make sure Mahindra’s dealers handle Logan’s customers properly. What’s more, even before going to this, the Logan can be given just power steering and AC in the base model and opened to the Taxi market. This will nurture the growth of the brand and we do disagree with Mahindra-Renault who say that the image of the Logan would be lost in opening to taxi market. We beg to differ – Learn from the Indigo, Qualis and the Innova. Not all cars are chosen as taxis – only the worthy (rear reliable and spacious) are. However, If Mahindra do introduce a compact Logan, then they will definitely achieve success as the prices for the diesel are expected to start at just Rs 5.5 lakhs (Ex-Showroom) making it a steal.

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