Marketing Management Of Automotive Industry

The automotive industry in India is one of the largest in the world and one of the fastest
growing globally. India's passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the
sixth largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 3.9 million units in 2011.
According to recent reports, India overtook Brazil and became the sixth largest passenger
vehicle producer in the world (beating such old and new auto makers as Belgium, United
Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain, France, Brazil), growing 16 to 18 per cent to
sell around three million units in the course of 2011-12. In 2009, India emerged as Asia's fourth
largest exporter of passenger cars behind Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. In 2010, India
beat Thailand to become Asia's third largest exporter of passenger cars. The Indian Automobile
Industry manufactures over 11 million vehicles and exports about 1.5 million each year. Tata
Motors is leading the commercial vehicle segment with a market share of about 64%. Maruti
Suzuki is leading the passenger vehicle segment with a market share of 46%. Hyundai Motor
India Limited and Mahindra and Mahindra are focusing expanding their footprint in the
overseas market. Hero MotoCorp is occupying over 41% and sharing 26% of the two-wheeler
market in India with Bajaj Auto. Bajaj Auto in itself is occupying about 58% of the three-
wheeler market.

History
The first car ran on India's roads in 1897. Until the 1930s, cars were imported directly, but in
very small numbers. An embryonic automotive industry emerged in India in the 1940s.
Hindustan was launched in 1942, longtime competitor Premier in 1944. They built GM and
Fiat products respectively. Mahindra & Mahindra was established by two brothers in 1945,
and began assembly of Jeep CJ-3A utility vehicles. Following the independence, in 1947, the
Government of India and the private sector launched efforts to create an automotive
component manufacturing industry to supply to the automobile industry. In 1953 an import
substitution program was launched, and the import of fully built-up cars began to be impeded.
The Hindustan Ambassador dominated India's automotive market from the 1960s until the
mid-80s However, the growth was relatively slow in the 1950s and 1960s due to
nationalization and the license raj which hampered the Indian private sector. Total restrictions
for import of vehicles were set and after 1970 the automotive industry started to grow, but the
growth was mainly driven by tractors, commercial vehicles and scooters. Cars were still a
major luxury item. In the 1970s price controls were finally lifted, inserting a competitive
element into the automobile market. By the 1980s, the automobile market was still dominated
by Hindustan and Premier, who sold superannuated products in fairly limited numbers. During
the eighties, a few competitors began to arrive on the scene.

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 Key Players In The Automobile Industry
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Tata Motors
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd.
Hindustan Motors
TVS Motors
Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Ltd.
Ford Motor Co.
Hero Honda Motors Limited
Ashok Leyland
General Motors India Private Ltd.
Bajaj Auto Ltd.

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 MARUTI SUZUKI

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (formerly Maruti Udyog Ltd) is India's largest passenger car
company, accounting for over 50 per cent of the domestic car market. The company offers full
range of cars from entry level Maruti 800 & Alto to stylish hatchback Ritz, A-star, Swift,
Wagon R, Estillo and sedans Dezire, SX4 and Sports Utility Vehicle Grand Vitara. The
company is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan.
The company is engaged in the business of manufacturing, purchase and sale of motor
vehicles and spare parts (automobiles). The other activities of the company include facilitation
of pre-owned car sales, fleet management and car financing. They have four plants, three
located at Palam Gurgaon Road, Gurgaon, Haryana and one located at Manesar Industrial
Town, Gurgaon, Haryana.
The company has nine subsidiary companies, namely Maruti Insurance Business
Agency Ltd, Maruti Insurance Distribution Services Ltd, Maruti Insurance Agency Solutions
Ltd, Maruti Insurance Agency Network Ltd, Maruti Insurance Agency Services Ltd, Maruti
Insurance Agency Logistics Ltd, True Value Solutions Ltd, Maruti Insurance Broker Ltd and J
J Impex (Delhi) Pvt. Ltd.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd was incorporated on February 24, 1981 with the name
Maruti Udyog Ltd. The company was formed as a government company, with Suzuki as
a minor partner, to make a peoples car for middle class India.
Over the years, the company's product range has widened, ownership has changed hands
and the customer has evolved.
In October 2, 1982, the company signed the license and joint venture agreement with
Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. In the year 1983, the company started their productions and
launched Maruti 800. In the year 1984, they introduced Maruti Omni and during the next year,
they launched Maruti Gypsy in the market. In the year 1987, the company forayed into the
foreign market by exporting first lot of 500 cars to Hungary.
In the year 1990, the company launched India's first three box car, Sedan. In the year
1992, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan increased their stake in the company to 50%. In the
year 1993, they introduced the Maruti Zen and in the next year they launched Maruti Esteem
in the market.
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 In the year 1995, the company commenced their second plant. In the year 1997, they
started Maruti Service Master as model workshop in India to look after sales services. In the
year 1999, the third plant with new press, paint and assembly shops became operational. In the
year 2000, the company launched Maruti Alto in the market.

In the year 2002, Suzuki Motor Corporation increased their stake in the company to
54.2%. In January 2002, the company introduced 10 finance companies (8 + 2JVs) in Mumbai.
Also, they found one new business segment, Maruti True Value for sales, purchase and trade
of pre-owned cars in India. In the year 2005, the company launched the first world strategic
model from Suzuki Motor Corporation the SWIFT in India. In the year 2006, they launched
WaganR Duo with LPG and also the New Zen Estillo.
During the year 2006-07, the company commenced operations in the new car plant and
the diesel engine facility at Manesar, Haryana. In November 2006, they inaugurated a new
institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR), which was set up as a collaborative project
with Delhi Government at Sarai Kale Khan in South Delhi.
During the year 2007-08, the company signed an agreement with the Adani group for
exporting 200,000 units annually through the Mundra port in Gujarat. They launched Swift
Diesel and SX4 Luxury Sedan with Tag line MEN ARE BACK during the year. In July
2007, the company launched the new Grand Vitara, a stylish, muscular and 5seater in the MUV
segment. The company changed their name from Maruti Udyog Ltd to Maruti Suzuki India
Ltd. with effect from September 17, 2007.
During the year, the company entered into a joint venture agreement with Magneti
Marelli Powertrain SpA and formed Magneti Marelli Powertrain India Pvt. Ltd for
manufacturing Electric Control Units. Also they entered into another joint venture agreement
with Futaba Industrial Co Ltd and formed FMI Automotive Components Ltd for
manufacturing Exhaust Systems Components.
During the year, the company made pact with Shriram City Union Finance Ltd, a part
of Shriram Group, Chennai, to offer easy, transparent and hassle-free car finance to their
customers, particularly in semi urban and rural markets.
The agreement is a joint initiative of the two companies for providing competitive car
finance to people in Tier II and Tier III cities across the country.
During the year 2008-09, the company launched a new A2 segment car, branded the A-
star in India and in Europe as the new Alto. They raised their production capacity to a landmark
1 million cars. In June 2008, the company launched Maruti 800 Duo, which is a dual fuel
(LPG-cum-petrol) model car.
In March 2009, the company launched A-star or Suzuki Alto at Geneva Motor Show
sales begin at EU. In April 2009, the company revealed new Ritz K12M engine at Gurgaon
plant.
During the year 2009-10, the company raised the capacity of their next generation K-
series engine plant to more than 500,000 units per annum. They started work on an additional
plant of 250,000 cars per annum capacity at Manesar.
The company launched their fifth world strategic model, the Ritz. They also came out
with the spacious multi-purpose van, EECO and the all new Wagon R with a K-series engine.
During the year 2010-11, the company launched refreshed variants of Wagon R and Alto
with the new K-series engines. SX4 was offered with a Super Turbo Diesel engine. The
Company launched the Suzuki Kizashi, India's first sports luxury sedan. It sports a 2.4 litre
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engine and is endowed with best in class features. The Company developed in house i-GPI
(Integrated Gas Port Injection) Technology and launched factory fitted CNG variants for five
of its models: Alto, Wagon R, Eeco, Estilo and SX4.
The company plans to establish Plant C at Manesar, which will have an installed
capacity of 250,000 units per annum. The plant is likely to be ready by end of fiscal 2012/
early 2013. The company plans to set up Rs. 1700 crore diesel engine plant at Gurgaon. They
are going to double the diesel engine capacity at their Gurgaon facility to six lakh units by
2014. Of this, Rs. 950 crore is being invested for the first phase of 1.5 diesel engines by mid
2013.
During the year 2011-12, the company has started the work to commission another
diesel engine plant of 300,000 annual capacity in Gurgaon. Production would commence in
2013 and the capacity would become 600,000 in 2014.
At the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo, the Company unveiled the Ertiga Life Utility Vehicle. The global
premiere of Ertiga marks the entry of the Company in the UV segment, which will help further
strengthen its leadership position in the industry. The Company also showcased the XA-Alpha,
a concept compact SUV.
During the year 2012-13, the company has started the work on the Gujarat site and it
expect to start production by the end of 2015-16.
During this period, Suzuki Japan has decided that India will now be responsible for the
export markets of Africa, the Middle East and its neighboring countries. The company has to
ensure adequate sales and marketing arrangements in these countries, with the help of Japan.
It also have to determine the products to be manufactured for these markets and, if necessary,
establish assembly plants overseas. This decision will greatly help the growth of its exports.
In 2014-15, Maruti launched a successful sedan, Ciaz model cars. The company has
planned to launch a premium crossover, S-Cross this year. The S-Cross creates a new market
segment which combines the comfort and luxury of a sedan with the power and styling of an
SUV. Both these products have been enriched with a number of premium features and
enhanced performance levels. In January this year, the Honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat,
laid the foundation stone of the Gujarat plant. This plant will manufacture and provide cars
exclusively to them. The first plant is expected to start production in 2017.
During the year 2015-16, Two new products introduced by the company, namely the
Baleno and the Brezza, have exceeded its expectations of demand, and both cars have a waiting
period.

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 MARUTI SUZUKI BALENO

Maruti Suzuki has finally decided to foray into the premium hatchback segment,
where it was conspicuous by its absence, with the launch of its newest product offering,
Maruti Suzuki Baleno. Going by the looks, aggressive pricing and host of exciting features,
Baleno is expected to give tough competition to its peers in the segment such as Hyundai,
Honda and Volkswagen who have dominated for long. What makes Baleno so attractive to
the analysts and market experts, who see it as a giant killer? Is it worth all the hype and the
hoopla? Lets see, how Baleno stands out in the crowd.

Looks Can Kill

Maruti has never been known as a maker of good looking cars. The cars might be efficient,
the features might be exciting, but appearance of the cars has never been the top priority for
the company. Baleno begs to differ in this aspect. What looks good is really good,
completely applies here, as the car has got superior looks. It is based on the liquid flow
design, as termed by the company, which gives the car a curvy, smooth visage yet retains the
stylishness.

As the old saying goes Bigger is better, and it seems like Maruti has clinched on to that
philosophy as well. Baleno is bigger in size as compared to other hatchbacks in demand, like
its competitors i20 and Honda Jazz.

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Sasta par accha
The aggressive pricing of Baleno has been the talking point amongst the analysts. The price
of Baleno starts from Rs. 4.99 lakh for the petrol variant (about Rs. 30,000 cheaper than the
i20 base variant) and Rs. 6.16 lakh for the diesel version. This gives the model a competitive
edge, as several analysts feel that the pricing might be a game changer in this segment. With
fuel economy of 21.2 kmpl(petrol) and 27.39 (diesel) and ABS and airbags as standard
across variants.

World-class interiors
Maruti has upped the ante in the premium hatchback segment with a range of features that
will attract the customers to purchase the vehicle. Perhaps the most innovative out of the lot
is Apples Car Play on the dashboard, with the help of which, the user can place the most
popular iPhone functions on the big screen, thus bringing a lot of comfort for the drivers. It
also provides enhanced control and interaction through Siri. Sadly, the non-Apple users will
have to wait until the company launches the Android version of the platform.

A commendable feat for the vehicle is that it has ABS and airbags across all variants. Baleno
also comes up with multi-screen speedometer display of 4.2 color TFT for better visibility,
coupled with touch screen audio so that the driver has less manual intervention. The driver
can adjust the driver seat as per its height.

It is lighter in weight as compared to the competitors as well as its own variant swift.
According to the press release of the company, Baleno is coming up with the total of 9
variants across 4 trim levels-Sigma, delta, zeta and alpha, 2 engine options, and 2
transmission options.

Final Word
Baleno is targeting the new premium hatchback segment which is currently dominated by
i20, Polo and Jazz with an aim to be in the number one position. The companys top
management has always maintained that they are aiming for leadership position in the
segment.
The company is confident about the cars design, fuel capacity and consumption rate,
competitive price which is one of the USP of this premium hatchback apart of being a tech
updated and bigger car.

One of the important marketing strategy of Maruti for Baleno has been that although the
dealers can sell Baleno only through Nexa network, which is available in 36 cities with 80
outlets (same for S-Cross), the regular Maruti Suzuki dealers can also take the dealership and
pass on the customer information to the nearest Nexa outlet.

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 Comparison with Close Competitors of Baleno

The close competitors of Baleno (premium hatchback series) are Hyundai I20, Honda Jazz and
Volkswagen Polo. These were the leading cars of their segment before the arrival of Baleno.
As it entered into the market, the segment demanding for premium series started changing
their decision and switched to Baleno. Here, I have tried to show some basing differences that
makes it different from all other cars of its segment.
New Maruti Baleno vs Elite i20 vs Jazz vs Polo Price Comparison (Petrol
Version)
Maruti Baleno Hyundai Elite i20 Honda Jazz 1.2 Volkswagen Polo 1.2
1.2 Petrol 1.2 Petrol Petrol Petrol

INR INR
INR 5.35 INR 5.33
Sigma 4.99 Era 5.36 E Trendline
lakhs lakhs
lakhs lakhs

INR INR
INR 5.94 INR 5.96
Delta 5.71 Magna 5.90 S Comfortline
lakhs lakhs
lakhs lakhs

INR INR
INR 6.49 INR
Zeta 6.31 Sportz 6.41 SV Highline
lakhs 6.57 lakhs
lakhs lakhs

INR INR
INR 6.84
Alpha 7.01 Sportz(O) 6.76 V
lakhs
lakhs lakhs

INR INR
INR 7.03
CVT 6.76 Asta 6.99 S AT
lakhs
lakhs lakhs

INR
INR 7.33
Asta (O) 7.18 VX
lakhs
lakhs

Magna INR
INR 7.89
1.4 9.02 V AT
lakhs
Automatic lakhs

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New Maruti Baleno vs Elite i20 vs Jazz vs Polo Price Comparison (Diesel
Version)
Maruti Baleno Hyundai Elite i20 Volkswagen Polo 1.5
Honda Jazz 1.5 Diesel
1.3 Diesel 1.4 Diesel Diesel

INR INR
INR 6.54 Trend- INR 6.68
Sigma 6.16 Era 6.47 E
lakhs line lakhs
lakhs lakhs

INR INR Com-

INR 7.18 INR 7.31
Delta 6.81 Magna 7.01 S fort-
lakhs lakhs
lakhs lakhs line

INR INR
INR 7.69 High- INR 7.92
Zeta 7.41 Sportz 7.56 SV
lakhs line lakhs
lakhs lakhs

INR INR
INR 8.14
Alpha 8.11 Sportz(O) 7.88 V
lakhs
lakhs lakhs

INR
INR 8.63
Asta 8.11 VX
lakhs
lakhs

INR
Asta (O) 8.30
lakhs

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New Maruti Baleno vs Elite i20 vs Jazz vs Polo Specs Comparison

Maruti Baleno Honda Jazz 1.2 Hyundai Elite Volkswagen

PETROL
1.2 Petrol Petrol i20 Petrol Polo 1.2 Petrol

1.2 litre/1.4
Displacement 12. litre 1.2 litre 1.2 litre
litre

Power 83 bhp 89 bhp 82 bhp/99 bhp 74 bhp

115 Nm/132
Torque 115 Nm 110 Nm 110 Nm
Nm

5-speed
5-speed 5-speed
Transmission manual/4-speed 5-speed manual
manual/CVT manual/CVT
AT

18.7 kmpl/19
Mileage 21.4 kpl 17.19 kmpl 16.47 kmpl
kmpl

Maruti Baleno Honda Jazz 1.5 Hyundai Elite Volkswagen Polo

DIESEL
1.3 Diesel Diesel i20 1.4 Diesel 1.5 Diesel

Displace-
1.3 litre 1.5 litre 1.4 litre 1.5 litre
ment

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 Power 74 bhp 99 bhp 89 bhp 89 bhp

Torque 190 Nm 200 Nm 220 Nm 230 Nm

Transmis- 6-speed man-

5-speed manual 6-speed manual 5-speed manual
sion ual

Mileage 27.39 kpl 27.3 kmpl 22.54 kmpl 20.14 kmpl

The diesel Baleno is the most underpowered car of the lot. Yet, it is only marginally more
fuel efficient than the Honda Jazz.

Its been a while since the new Baleno has been on sale here. While we arent too fond of the
slightly quirky looks, the audience seems to have loved it. The nose, in particular, looks a bit
odd with its Swift-like headlamps and inverted trapezoidal grille. However, we do like the
headlamp detailing with its projector unit and LED daytime running lights and even the
bumper looks pretty sporty. The other three hatchbacks have been around for some time now
so everyone is familiar with their design. However, we like the European styling of the Elite
i20 and the Polo looks a tad bit more appealing than the van-like Jazz.

On the inside, though, the Balenos cabin is very refreshing featuring a cool looking centre
console and a black colour scheme. Interior space offered by the Baleno stands at par with
the other three here. Among the i20, Jazz and Polo, the Jazzs interiors are a bit low on
quality and we arent a big fan of the design either. But it does have the maximum amount of
headspace. The Polo features a neatly laid dashboard layout with high-quality materials but
loses out on cabin space. Among these three the Elite i20 offers the best blend of space,
design and quality.

Features
The current industry standards in terms of equipment list have been set very high by manu-
facturers. While Baleno, i20 and Jazz come loaded with features, its the Volkswagen Polo
that falls a bit short. There are no essential features missing from the car, but its competitors
offer a lot more at a similar price. All cars feature an automatic climate control, integrated
stereo with Bluetooth, USB and AUX support, steering mounted controls, etc. As part of a
recent update, Hyundai has added a new touchscreen AVN to the Elite i20 which means the
Polo is the only hatch here that does without any such system. The Maruti Baleno is the only
car which comes with Bi-Xenon headlamps and LED daytime running lights.

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New Maruti Baleno vs Elite i20 vs Jazz vs Polo Verdict

Clearly, the competition is tough, but the Maruti Baleno has managed to pull buyers away
from its established rivals. This is majorly due to its fresh looks, a strong set of features, ag-
gressive pricing and Marutis unmatched after sales service and support. The audience seems
to love the Balenos looks, which surely are slightly unconventional. All said and done, the
Maruti Baleno comes across as a well-rounded product that ticks most of the right boxes.

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 Marketing And Promotion Strategies- NEXA

They say that 'Rome was not built in a day,' and quite rightly so. To build
something endurable, one has to invest considerable amount of time, thought
and money. A similar story went into the making of Maruti Suzuki Nexa, the
brand's premium dealership in India.

Maruti Suzuki is the most loved car brand of India for its great value, fuel
efficiency and huge service network. As per reports, the brand controls over 45%
of the Indian car market with its small cars. Some of its popular products involve
Maruti 800, Zen, Swift, Dzire, Alto and Van (Omni).

However, over the years, the brand has not been able to foray into the premium
car segment despite repeated attempts with products such as Kizashi and Vitara.
Some of the reasons for this failure are attributed to reasons like Maruti Suizuki
being known as affordable, fuel efficient and great value providing car brand.
Secondly, it has not been positioned as high-end brand, and hence so people ask
- Why should I pay such a high price for a Maruti Car?
However, lately, Maruti Suzuki has returned with a fresh attempt to enter the
high-end car segment with the launch of first of its kind premium retail network
- Nexa. In recent times, Nexa is one of the biggest bets from the Maruti Suzuki in
the Indian market.
What is Nexa?

Nexa is a retail network from Maruti Suzuki that caters the high-end consumers
who have gone beyond their first cars and are now looking for an experience. It
offers a high level of sophistication and is based on the principles of exclusivity,
pampering and listening to the consumer.

But creating Nexa was a mammoth task for both the brand and Hakuhodo India
team, the agency entrusted with the responsibility of creating Nexa. On to the
drawing board, the agency had to revisit the entire journey of customer's
experience while buying a Maruti.

Elvis Sequeira, COO, Hakuhodo India, shares that they aimed at creating a
different mindset and imagery for Maruti. "Nexa is for a well-travelled consumer
who is digitally savvy, updated and seeks a world class experience while buying a
car. After research, we found that the Maruti's popular retail channel is not
equipped for it and hence a separate channel was needed," adds Sequeira. S
Cross was the first car launched at Nexa and was followed by Ciaz Hybrid and
Baleno Hatchback. Sequeira points that the cars sold from Nexa will not be sold
at the popular Maruti dealerships.
As Maruti Suzuki is a pan India brand, Nexa needed to have a similar presence.
The thought posed several questions for the stakeholders as Nexa wasn't meant
cannibalize Maruti's existing small car market and it shouldn't disturb the

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dealer-brand relationship.
Sequeira pointed that Nexa's idea got a great response from both brand and
agency. "We had to get it completely right because if we did not, then it would
have hampered the brand's image, which it had created after years of great
services," shared Sequeira.
"The biggest problem in designing Nexa was that it could not just be better than
an existing model. It had to be completely different, something that was never
thought and done before," elucidated Sequeira.

The Hospitality Factor

After a research, it was established that consumers (while buying cars) missed on hospitality.
Hence, the concept of Nexa was derived from the hospitality, banking and aviation
industries, which knew well about one-on-one interaction with the consumers. "For Nexa, we
roped in people from banking, aviation and hotel industries as they knew hospitality nuances.
Later, we trained them in selling cars," shared Sequeira.
With product at the center and hospitality surrounding it, the designing teams were clear that
the Nexa representatives will have to partner consumer throughout the lifetime of the car.
"Consumer should know his relationship manager and vice versa," shared Sequeira.

The design team thought of consumer from the time he thinks of the car, visits the facility
and purchases it. Hakuhodo India focused on 19 different aspects in this journey.

It begins with the Valet Parking offered to every visitor. "Consumer mostly visits a car
showroom with his family. While the entire family gets down, one of them is left to drive and
park the car in the usual scenario. At Nexa, we save this trouble," shared Sequeira.

The agency trained people on how to greet consumers when they enter. It designed the area
where they will sit, how they will see the car and what drink will be served, how the
relationship manager will begin the discussion, and a private space to discuss the financial
things.
"In our research, we found that the to and fro movement of the backend staff clutters the
showroom, so we kept them away at Nexa. We designed the dresses of the staff at Nexa
according to the ranks. While the theme of the dress was same, but there was a slight
difference in the shades. At Nexa, no staff is allowed to be in casual. We had to manage the
supply of cloth and design. It was a difficult task," shared Sequeira.
Interestingly, unlike the other popular showrooms, the design team decided to keep
only one car per model. "We designed the technology to show the consumer on how different
color looks on the car," shared Sequeira.
While technology was at the centre in designing Nexa, the design teams worked towards a
paperless outlet. The idea was to provide information around the market and the car on
digital platform.
A Hakuhodo team from Japan helped in setting the lighting in the showrooms right. Instead
of using the flat light, they focused the spotlight on the car using professional light to give a
majestic look to the car.
In usual situations, the car is delivered outside the showroom but at Nexa the design teams in

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association with Japanese Hakuhodo team, decided to do it inside the showroom as they
wanted other customers to get the feel of it. "Some of the points that were discussed and
raised while designing the delivery were about emissions, space, oil stains, health effect on
the staff and heat measure. We installed filters that sucked Carbon Monoxide, managed the
cooling systems and employed other measures to ensure that the car could be delivered
inside Nexa," shared Sequeira.
The teams also designed a protocol to escort a consumer with least inconvenience to
the nearest Nexa if he lands up in a popular Maruti dealership for purchasing a car that was
sold at Nexa.

And finally, the theme of the outlet was kept black and white prestige monochrome. The idea
was that the only spot of colour in the showroom should be the vehicles displayed in its full
glory.

Overall, the Nexa experience has been designed to be less intrusive, less red-tape, less
paperwork than what is absolutely mandatory. It has been designed to answer customer's
questions and not push information through. "We understand our customers want a seamless
experience across web, call centre, showroom and service centre. He wants to be able to
define how, when and where he interacts with NEXA. He is slowly rejecting a colourful 24
pager for an e-brochure and is very protective of how much information he wants to share
with a brand. Today, a customer asks, 'why do you want to know my address and full history
when I have come just for an enquiry?'" shares Sequeira.

Promotions

The real challenge before Maruti was that people should not confuse Nexa with a new car,
which honestly, people did in the beginning. So, in order to avoid that, Hakuhodo India used
exterior of the showroom in the teasers. "This is the first time in the Indian scenario when a
brand is promoting its retail network via advertising," shares Sequeira.

They launched three teasers along with three films in order to build around Nexa. The
campaign showcased about the grand experience that a consumer gets at Nexa.

The teams claim to have achieved half the positioning and now the brand knows which
product will go to Nexa and which will not.

Late Move?

While other players have established its dominance in the premium and high-end cars
market, Maruti aims to re-enter with Nexa. Is it the right time or is Maruti late?

Sequeira points that now is the right time for Maruti to enter this segment. "Today people
have enough disposable incomes and are ready to dispose money. Five - ten years, Indians
were not ready for such an experience. And secondly, earlier people kept cars for a longer
duration, today they keep it for a shorter duration, which keeps the brands on the heels to
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connect with the consumer," shares Sequeira.

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