Description
A mid size car is referred to as an automobile with a size between that of compact and full size cars. The price range of mid size cars lies between Rs 3 to 8 lakhs.
1
PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE
AWARD OF DEGREE
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this project report titled “customer
experience on mid-size cars ” submitted by me to the
department of Business Management of XXXX is a bonafide
work undertaken by me and it is not submitted to any other
University or Institute for the Award of any degree
diploma/certificate or published any time before
2
Name:
Date: (Signatue!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A Good start leads to a Fine end. The ideal way to begin documenting this
project work would be to extend my earnest gratitude to everyone who has
encouraged, motivated and guided me to make a fine effort for successful
completion of this project.
am very thankful to !!!!, faculty of business management for guiding me
throughout the project. "y sincere Gratitude to the #ollege "anagement for
extending their co$operation for successful completion of my project.
A final word of thanks goes to my %arents, Friends and everyone else who made
this project possible. &our contributions have been most appreciated
3
INDE"
CHAPTER # page no
OBJECTI$ES % &
INTRODUCTION % '
NEED FOR STUD( % )
METHODOLOG( % *
CAR STATISTICS IN INDIA % #+%#,
COMPAN( PROFILE % #-%./
CHAPTER .
4
DATA INTERPRETATION % .&%-.
AND ANAL(SIS
LIMITATIONS % -,
FINDING AND SUGGETION % --
BIBILOGRAPH( % -&
OBJECTIVES
? To know the customer feeling about the attributes like looks,
comfort, space inside, fuel efficienc, reliabilit, in their product!
? To know which attribute performance is what in a particular
product!
? To do comparati"e analsis of four similar products from four
different brands!
? To know which brand reached the customer e#pectation in
mid$ Si%e cars!
5
I&T'O()CTIO&
A mid si'e car is referred to as an automobile with a si'e between that of
compact and full si'e cars. The price range of mid si'e cars lies between (s ) to
* lakhs. The mid si'e cars have the capacity to carry + passengers$ , adults and
, children. The credit of manufacturing of these cars goes to companies like$
Fiat ndia, Ford, General "otors, -industan "otors, -yundai motors, "aruti
.dyog, /an "otors and Tata "otors. 0hile the companies like$ Ford, -yundai,
General "otors and "ahindra 1 "ahindra are yet to launch their models under
this segment. This model basically target executive class.
6
&EE( *O' ST)(+
Automobiles have become an indispensable part of our lives, an extension of the
human body that provides us faster, cheaper and more convenient mobility every
passing day. 2ehind this betterment go the efforts of those in the industry, in the
form of improvement through technological research.
7
0hat actually lie behind this betterment of the automobiles are the opinions,
re3uirements, likes and dislikes of those who use these vehicles.
These wheeled machines affect our lives in ways more than one. 4umerous
surveys and research are conducted throughout the world every now and then to
reveal one or the other aspect of automobiles this section keeps you updated on
the latest and the most interesting surveys and researches conducted in the field
of automobiles, and help you draw the right conclusion5
METHODOLOG(
The study has been covered on the following steps
(ata collection, The data has been collected from main source
Secondar source, The data is collected from the product reviews from the
0ebsite www.mouthshut.com and from different websites and "aga'ines.
Sample si%e, 677
Tools used, 2ar graphs, tables and percentages.
8
C-' ST-TISTICS I& I&(I-
The ndian automotive industry is the ,nd fastest growing in the world. About *
million vehicles are produced annually in this country toady. 8uring ,779$,77:,
ndia has emerged as the ) rd largest market in the Asia %acific (egion. 0ith
various car manufacturing companies setting up their units in different parts of
the country, the production of the cars will increase at a very fast rate. The car
statistics indicate that ndia will soon become one of the top 67 car manufacturing
countries , leaving behind the ..;. #ar statistics also show that by the end of the
fiscal year ,77:$,77<, the car production capacity in ndia will exceed the mark
of , million. Thus, the production of cars will increase by <7= from the present
capacity of 6., million.
The domestic sale of passenger cars has increased significantly over the years.
A graphical representation of the domestic sale of cars will give you an insight
about the present market situation prevailing in the country>
9
n the recent years, ndia has emerged as one of the major bases for
manufacturing small passenger cars. At present the ndian automotive industry
boasts of being the ) rd largest manufacturer of small cars . According to the car
statistics almost <7 = of the cars sold in this country come under the segment of
small cars. A number of car manufacturers like> "aruti .dyog, Tata "otors,
-yundai, -onda, Ford, -industan "otors, Fiat, General "otors etc offer various
new model of cars now and then. t is expected that the various automobile
manufacturers will be investing about ? 9 billion in ndia, between ,779$,767.
As per the car statistics, export of passenger cars from ndia has also grown
considerably over the last decade. A graphical representation of car export trend
will help you to make an in$depth analysis of the present status of the ndian
automotive industry>
10
0ith new strategies being implemented and more investments being made in
ndian automotive industry the production as well as the domestic sale and
exports will increase substantially.
A graphical representation of the total sale trend of passenger cars @including the
domestic sale and exportsA is given below>
11
%assengers Behicles
@%B/A
From April$
4ovember
7+$79
From April$
4ovember
79$7:
Total
"arket
/hare @in
=A
The 4et
#hange
between
the period
@in =A
Total
number of
exports in
April 79$
7:
"aruti .dyog ,,:C):7 ,,C6,6*, 9,., *.6 ,),7+)
-yundai "otors ndia
Dtd.
*C,7<9 6,7<, 7:: 6C., ,7., :*,)<+
Tata "otors C9,+7, ,+,)+* 6:.: $,.< 6,,679
-onda/iel cars ndia
Dtd.
,),6*: ,+,)+* +.+ 9.6 )6
Ford ndia %vt. Dtd 69,7,: 67,96, 6.C $)7= C,C,*
.tility Behicles
"ahindra and
"ahindra Dtd.
+C,*C< 96,9+7 +,.< ).) 6,*<*
12
Toyota
;irloskar"otor%vt Dtd.
,+,+7+ ,+,C*) ,7.< ,.+ 7
Tata "otors Dtd 6C,C:< ,6,:67 6<.C *., C79
General "otors ndia
%vt Dtd.
<,77* 6,,7,< 67 <6.: 7
"aruti .dyog Dtd . ,:*, ,+<, , $<.* 9+
-yundai "otor ndia
Dtd.
,99 6,7+, 7.C )7*., 7
"ulti$%urpose Behicles
"aruti .dyog Dtd. +,,)** +),*9* 677 ).9 <)6
"ahindra 1 "ahindra
Dtd
6) 7 7 7 7
"edium and -eavy
#ommercial Behicles
Tata "otors <C,:6+ <),9)* :6.6 $<.: +,*7<
Ashok Deyland
,<,9<< )),+7: ,<.< ,6.6 ,*,9
Eicher "otors
*,7+) *,<77 <., *., )6*
/waraj "a'da
),9<) +,7*7 ).+ 6+., 669
Dight #ommercial
Behicles
%assenger #arriers
Tata "otors
9,*)9 :,*66 +:.* 6:.< 6,7C:
"ahindra and
"ahindra ,,)79 6,C:7 6).9 $69 669
/waraj "a'da
6,6<* 6,)69 C 66.: 6,
Force motors Dtd.
,,79C ,,*<< 6C.* )C.< 9C
Goods #arriers
13
Tata "otors
)7,C99 ++,)*7 9*.C +).+ 6,,+:6
"ahindra and
"ahindra ,),9
,),<)6 )6.9 7.< 6,:77
/waraj "a'da
,,:<6 ,,,CC ) $6).C ,7+
Eicher "otors
),76C ,,C9+ ).C $,.6 +96
CO./-&+ /'O*I0E
1undai Cars in India
-yundai started as a construction company and was founded by #hung Fu$yung
in 6C+<. As it stands today, -yundai "otor #ompany is /outh ;oreaGs largest and
worldGs sixth largest automaker. -ead$3uartered in /eoul, -yundai started itGs
operations as an automaker in ndia in 6CC* with the /antro which went on to
become one of the largest selling cars in the country. The ;orean company
continued on the success of /antro by launching the stylish /onata and the
Accent but the Terracan and the Elantra failed to capture the buyerGs imagination.
/till going strong with the current line$up which also includes Get' %rime, and the
successfull Berna, -yundai will enhance itGs existance with a new Elantra
sometime next year. 0ish them luck5
14
Santro : The Sunshine Car
Brand : Santro
Company : Hyundai Motors
Agency : Saatchi & Saatchi
Santro is a fine example of successful branding. t is a classic example of
successful mar!eting in ndian context. Santro "as launched in ndia in #$$%.
&hen Hyundai "as contemplating its foray into the ndian mar!et' it "as
planning to launch a C segment car ( Accent) . But ho"e*er' Hyundai
changed its strategy and launched Santro in the tough small car mar!et.
Santro is the ndian *ersion of the successful Hyundai model Atos. Hyundai "as
faced "ith lot of perception issues prior to the launch of Santro. The issue "as
"ith regard to the country of origin. ndians "ere unsure about +orean products
especially automobiles. Hence the first tas! "as t o ensure that ndian consumers
de*elop a positi*e association "ith +orean car ma!ers. Second issue "as
de*eloping a corporate image for Hyundai. Since cars are high in*ol*ement
product' customers "ill ma!e a choice loo!ing on the ma!er' ser*ice support'
spares a*ailability ' ,uality etc. Hence the launch of Santro should also launch the
corporate brand Hyundai. Third issue "as about the design of Santro. Santro "as
designed to be a tall boy car and initial product testing re*ealed that ndians
didnot li!ed the tall boy design. So the unen*iable tas! for Hyundai "as to ma!e
ndian consumers li!e Santro. The fourth issue "as the grip of Maruti on the
ndian car mar!et. The B segment "as dominated by -en "hich has pro*ed itself
to be a reliable "or!horse. -en "as the preferred and logical upgrade to %.. and
the car "as considered to be the most reliable and po"erful in that segment. To
con*ert the potential -en users to Santro "as really a nightmare for any
mar!eter.
Hyundai mar!eters had a tough tas! ahead. A lot "as dependent on Santro/s
success. 0or the brand launch' Hyundai roped in Saatchi & Saatchi as the ad
agency.
15
Thus came the first commercial : &atch the first Santro commercial here : Santro
#
The ad introduced +im and Shah 1u!h and a glimpse of the car. +im "as the
Hyundai official "ho "anted S1+ to be the brand ambassador for Santro. The
name +im "as chosen "isely because the only familiar +orean name !no"n to
ndians "as +M .The ad introduced the brand and the company "ith a subtle
statement from +im : &e settle only for the best.
The first ad "as follo"ed by teaser ads "here +im tries to con*ince S1+ that
Hyundai is serious about ndia' the ,uality issue and the brand Santro.
&atch the t"o launch ads : Here & Here. These ads really created a hype in the
mar!et about Santro. Teaser ads are dangerous and expensi*e. 2angerous
because if the teaser failed to clic!' the entire product launch "ill land up in
trouble . Another issue is that the brand should follo" up the hype built by teaser
ads. n the case of Santro' the teasers "ere intelligently made and clic!ed.0inally
came the launch ad "hich sho"ed Shah 1u!h "ho represented the ndian
consumer saying 3 am Con*inced3 to +im. Shah 1u!h fitted perfectly to the
promotional scheme of Santro. Along "ith the launch came the criticism.
4nderstandably the criticism "as to"ards the tall boy design of Santro . There
"ere reports "hich called Santro the
4gly car. Santro ans"ered that through its performance. ndian consumers
experienced a ne" "ay of dri*ing comfort. More than the campaigns' it "as the
performance that made Santro a runa"ay success. &ith in 5 years of launch '
Santro became the second largest selling car in ndia displacing -en. Those "ho
"rote bad about the tall boy design began to "rite
about the ad*antages of this tall boy design. Santro "as initially positioned on the
design aspect. t turned its biggest disad*antage into an ad*antage. But later '
Santro "as positioned itself as a complete family car. The brand "as targeting
those %.. users "ho "anted to upgrade into the B segment. The target mar!et
"as the 67857 yrs middleclass ndians. All through these years' Hyundai also
16
came out "ith product impro*ements and upgrades. Santro -ipplus "as
launched focusing more on the 9ippy nature of the car. But then came the
competition. Maruthi launched Alto and &agon 1 and came ndica "hich
displaced Santro from the second position. The brand "as also facing the issue of
loo!ing dated. t "as time for Hyundai to reposition the brand.
Hyundai changed Santro completely in :..6. The entire design "as changed and
ne" Santro "as launched as Santro ;ing. Santro ;ing launch ad also featured
S1+ and +im. Santro ;ing ga*e a ne" life to Santro. The car loo!ed more
spacious and the loo!s "as contemporary. Santro along "ith the ne" loo!s also
changed its T< from 678 57 to :7 86.. The brand felt that Santro should be
considered as the first car rather than the upgrade. The brand "anted to appeal
to the first time car buyers . To catch the young buyers' the brand "as positioned
as 3Sunshine car/ . Santro roped in =riety -inta also as the brand ambassador.
&atch the commercial here : Sunshine car Sunshine "as communicating t"o
intangibles : 0reshness and youthful attitude. The brand "as mo*ing to a 3
Change your life 3 positioning. =riety "as the sunshine girl. The big idea "as that
Santro "ill bring sunshine to your life. A car that can change the life of a young
ndian.
As usual the campaign and the ne" Santro "as a big hit. Along "ith these
campaigns' Santro also ran some ads focusing on promoting the brand as the first
choice rather than as an upgrade. The last campaign of Santro "as highlighting
the *irtues of a Santro users. &atch the campaign here : Santro"ale
The campaign "as to portray Santro users as smart and intelligent and the ad "as
pitted against a similar campaign of &agon 1 .
After nine years of launch' Santro is facing its maturity stage in its =>C . The sales
ha*e stagnated and price "ar from Maruti and a sle" of launches li!e Che*y
Spar! ' ha*e hurt the sales of Santro. Santro is also ban!ing on price cuts and
sales promotions to stay afloat. Hyundai has recently launched a ne" brand i#. to
ta!e the place of Santro. &ith the imminent launch of Tata/s # la!h car in :..$'
Santro may be used as a lo" priced flan!ing brand for i#. in future.
Santro is the best example of managing a product lifecycle. Santro has managed
to !eep its mar!et position by regular upgrades' product changes ' relaunches
and repositioning. t has been consistent in deli*ering excellent ,uality and
functional performance through out its life. The brand is still a preferred upgrade
for many middleclass car users.
?n this context' "ish to cite a personal experience at the dealership experience
had "hile choosing my car. in,uired about Santro as"ellas Alto at respecti*e
17
dealers in Cochin . &hile the Maruti dealers "ere constantly follo"ing up "ith
offers and schemes' "as surprised to find that Santro dealer "as least interested
in ma!ing a sale. Complacency has already crept in at the dealer points ( my
perception). 4nderstandably so because sales "ere happening "ithout much
effort. As a mar!eting professional' feel that Santro is losing some #. @ sale
because of this laidbac! approach of its dealers.
Santro still has lot of fuel to !eep itself going. But for that Hyundai may ha*e to
!eep the price do"n so that potential Alto users can strech a bit and buy Santro.
Tata Cars in India
The ndia #ars. They understand market and ndian roads better here. -ave
been successful in creating right brand e3uity and share. Hffering very practical
and economic cars are their prime motive and they are doing well with it.
-owever Tata cars cannot be considered as perfect by any means. They have
expertise in diesel technology and lack in petrol. -ighly successful ndicaGs latest
petrol version !eta is TataGs biggest hope.
Tata Indica
18
Tata ndica : Truly more car per car
2rand > Tata ndica
Agency > F#2 .lka
#ompany> Tata motors
2aseline > more car per car
ndia is a lucrative market for automobile manufacturers. f we believe the fancy
numbers floating around regarding the industry si'e, this is a market no one can
ignore. Fighting with all the big names in the auto industry is our very own Tata
"otors. Det me be patriotic and say I we have done itI. 0e have our own ndian
#ar> ndica. 0ell &ou may say that the design was outsourced from 8EA TAD&
so this is not 677= ndian. would say that TataGs are smart so they outsourced
it.....Any way as hypocritic as we are by birth, although we say I sare jahan se
acha I , we were ruthless towards ndica. Everyone looked down upon this car
from Tata talking about all the negative points about the performance and writing
off this dream of an ndian to build an ndian car.8espite the initial setback with
ndica, Tata motors reworked on the engine and relaunched ndica as ndica B,.
4ow indica is the second largest selling car in ndia.ndica is positioned as
avaluefor money car. have said in my earlier blog that this is a proposition that
will always work on ndian consumers, provided the promise is delivered.ndica
delivered its promise. t promised that it will give more car per car and delivered
that.The success of this proposition had an interesting side effect @ positive of
courseA. Tatas have discovered its vision > deliver more value at a reasonable
price. The recent launches prove that Tatas have imbibed this Ivalue for money I
proposition . The latest products like /afari 8icor and ndigo give many features
which were seen only in premium cars.
19
*ord Cars in India
World's third largest auto-maker after Toyota ad !"# $ord is head-%uartered i
&ear'or# "i(higa) *ery $ord fouded the (om+ay i 1903 ,hi(h o, e(om+asses
res+e(ted glo'al 'rads like -i(o# "er(ury# .aguar# -ad /o0er ad 1ol0o ad also
e2oys a oe-third (otrollig iterest i "a3da) &e'utig i 4dia i 1998 ,ith the $ord
5s(ort# it ga0e e6(itig +rodu(ts like the 4ko that re+la(ed the former i 2001# 'ut still
has to e6+erie(e great sales um'ers) "odeo# $usio# $iesta ad the 5dea0our feature
i the (urret lie-u+ ad $ord is tryig to u+ its slee0e to 'e(ome a 0ery formida'le
'rad i 4dia)
20
Ford kon > The Fosh "achine
2rand > kon
#ompany>Ford ndia
Agency>F0T
Ford kon is a brand with a class. This brand has redefined the car marketing in
ndia. Daunched in 6CCC, kon in a way rejuvenated the fortunes of Ford "otors
in ndia. Ford came to ndia with a dated model like Ford Escort.Escort was
launched in 6CC9 and was one of the first international brand to enter the midsi'e
sedan market. Ford kon was launched in the event of phasing out of Escort.
/ince then kon has been a major player in the entry level sedan market with a
share of over ,7=. The most interesting aspect of the brand is in its positioning.
kon dethroned the position of Esteem in the # segment through its breakaway
positioning.
Till ,779 kon has sold over 677,777 cars and has occupied a special space in
the highly competitive car market in ndia. Ford kon is actually an ndian
adaptation of the highly successful European Fiesta model. 2ut knowing the
ndian market with the Escort example, the company decided to design and
ndian car for ndian consumers. Thus born the brand kon.
The company virtually adapted the whole product to suit the ndian consumer
taste and also ndian driving conditions.kon was one of the first examples of
Global brand getting Docal in the automotive industry.
Hnce the product is ready, came the 3uestion of marketing. kon was priced as
an entry level sedan car and was positioned in the # segment. # segment was
dominated by Esteem and there was a slew of competitors waiting to tap the
market including -yundai Accent. "ost of the purchases in this segment was
rational and the brands were also positioned on rational platforms. kon wanted
to break the icons and decided to do away with the demographic positioning.
(esearch and initial test marketing showed that kon is associated with the
Attractive and %eppy attributes. The company decided to position the brand as a
21
lifestyle brand. The TG was decided to be young professionals who works hard
and play hard who are Full of Dife and Affluent. This brand is the classic case of
lifestyle segmentation.
kon had the sporty design and all the pep that a sporty car needs interms of
engine capacity and performance. The agency hit upon the big idea of
positioning the brand as the Fosh "achine. think the tagline FH/- "achine is
one of the best taglines have come across. Although the term Fosh is hindi @
have criticised Go Fida campaignA Fosh term had a universal appeal across
ndia. Although some of the ads were lousy, the product delivered the promise.
The 2rand clearly identified the TG and Fosh satisfied the need for a sporty
sedan @ that need is still thereA. ndian &uppies lapped up this product and the
brand which suffered most because of kon was the "aruti Esteem.kon was
priced between (s 9.9 lakh and : lakhs.The brand broke from the rational
positioning into a more emotional plane.The brand had the famous tagline I The
Fosh "achine I which was later modified to I Dive Dife with FoshI.
The brand hit a rough patch in ,77) with competition hotting up. The launch of
ndigo changed the dynamics of the # segment. To compete with ndigo, kon
launched a variant in the sub 9 lakh category with Ford Flair.
Dast year Ford launched its Fiesta in the ndian market at a premium over kon.
According to company reports, Fiesta is positioned as an Aspirational sedan and
complements kon rather than cannibalise it. Fiesta became a runaway success
because of its blockbuster performance.
Ford kon is now at a critical point in its lifecycle. Although the brand has came
out with lot of variants over time like /!, 4!T, the brand is now perceived to be
an old brand.The Fosh in this brand is no longer there and the company is now
focusing on its new baby Fiesta. This lack of marketing and brand building on
kon can prove to be a big negative for the brand. /lowly the brand may lose its
relevance in the ndian market . The Ford ndia site talks about the new Ford kon
with spruced up interiors,but what the brand needs is a relook on the promotional
front.The brand still holds significant relevance in the ndian market because
there is no brand that has the sporty look and the positioning of kon. There is still
an unmet need for a peppy car and kon if not promoted with Fosh will be a great
injustice to the brand. There is not even a need for repositioning. Hnly high
22
profile well made advertisements will do the trick. Exciting colors and roadshows
will pep up this sagging brand. Else this brand will die a very untimely and
unwarranted death..
.aruti Cars in India
"aruti .dyog Dimited, the largest automotive manufacturer of ndia was
established in February 6C*6 though the production started only in 6C*). The
company started as a 97$97 FB between /u'uki of Fapan and "aruti. The
government of ndia held 6*.,*= stake untill recently. This holding stake was
sold off to the financial institutions in "ay, ,77<. /u'uki has gradually increased
its holding percentage to 9+.,. The first offering from "aruti, the *77, was the
bestseller for a long time till its sibling, the Alto, took over. /elling over 9,77,777
cars annually in the domestic market, "aruti exports close to )7,777 units to
several countries. Hf late, the ndian giant was facing stiff competition from
various manufacturers and "aruti did well by launching the /wift which is a
23
modern and exudes a lifestyle image. The trend continued with the /!+. The
large portfoilio takes care of the options available to the customer.
2en , Surrendered To The &ew 3eneration
Brand : -en
Company: Maruti Su9u!i
Agency : Ha!udo =ercept
A brand that ruled the ndian midsegment car mar!et "ill be laid to rest *ery
soon. Maruthi -en "hich "as considered to be one of the best cars on the ndian
roads after a long life of #6 years ha*e become redundant. t is a sad ne"s for all
-en o"ners "ho still *ouch for this hatchbac!. Mar!eters "ill also be sad because
it "as a mar!eting failure and not a product failure. The good old 9en is still
*alued as precious by its o"ners.
-en "as launched in ndia in #$$6. nstantly this premium car became the
fa*orite of the up"ardly mobile ndian middle class. The "as something special
about this Aelly bean shaped car and the dri*ing and maneu*ering ,uality "as
nothing but superb. n cities "here there is bumper to bumper traffic' the -en
"as the most preferred one.
2uring the nineties all the cars from Maruti ruled the segment because of lac! of
competition. Then came Santro and -en had a competition. Although initially
people scoffed at the tall boy design of Santro' slo"ly through smart mar!eting'
Santro began to eat into -en/s mar!et. Then came the maAor blo" in the form of
ndica "hich changed the rules of the game in the hatchbac! segment.
24
-en came out "ith -en >;i in :..#' but the mar!et share "as slo"ly declining.
The maAor reason being' the o"ners of -en "ere getting older and -en "as
missing out on the ne" generation. There "as no excitement about -en. Maruti is
a poor mar!eter "ith good products. All their products are of exceptional ,uality
and all their mar!eting campaigns ( including the campaign of ne" S"ift) is
exceptionally poor. Customers buy it because it is good.
&hile the competitors are gaining the share of mind of consumers using smart
mar!eting campaigns' -en "as no "here in the picture. The launch of -en "ith
round headlamps "as a maAor disaster.
2uring #$$$' Maruti launched &agon 1 and :... sa" the launch of Alto' &ith
these products' -en "as left in a no man/s land. The segmentation became fussy.
Since there "as no clear positioning for -en' the ne" launches pro*ed to be a
maAor blo" to this brand. &ith the launch of sporty S"ift ' -en has no" become a
liability for Su9u!i/s portfolio.
To arrest the slide of the mar!et share of 9en' Su9u!i' launched a redesigned -en
in :..6 "ith a ne" loo! "ith much fanfare. The campaigns "ere shot in =aris.
The logic "as to attract the ne" generation and the positioning "as 3 strong slee!
and sexy3. The base line "as 3 Surrender to the ne" -en3. The campaigns "as
lousy ne*er excited the ne" generation. The existing users "ere pissed off
because the resale *alue of their old beauty crashed. The ne" loo! -en also
bombed because of poor mar!eting.
nfact their "as no need for such an upgrade because the problem "as "ith
positioning and not the product. -en "as !no"n for its po"er' easy dri*ing and
,uality. t ne*er loo!ed sporty and the colors "ere lousy. -en could ha*e excited
the younger generation Aust by introducing a sporty *ariant "ith some fantastic
colours. The colors of -en "ere ne*er exciting. still belie*e -en ha*e that
premium touch to it. So "ith some smart colours and "ith some sensible
ad*ertisements' -en could ha*e 9oomed. The positioning can be a sporty and a
smart car for the urban professionals. But alas....
-en is a classic example of ho" poor mar!eting can !ill a good product.
25
(-T- I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
-&( -&-0+SIS
26
*O' /'O()CT '-TI&3
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken + + + 9, ):
/antro 6, $ ,7 ++ ,+
ndica B, + ,* * ,* ),
con * 6, 6, 9: 6,
27
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
): = rated that the product as excellent,
9, = rated that the product as very good,
+ = = rated that the product as good,
+= rated that the product as average,
+ = rated that the product as poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
,+ = rated that the product as excellent,
++ = rated that the product as very good,
,7 = rated that the product as good,
28
6, = rated that the product as poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
), = rated that the product as excellent,
,* = rated that the product as very good,
* = rated that the product as good,
,* = rated that the product as average,
+ = rated that the product as poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6, = rated that the product as excellent,
9: = rated the that product as very good,
6, = rated the that product as good,
6, = rated the that product as average,
* = rated the that product as poor.
For product rating
KE4 ranks first
/A4T(H ranks second
48#A B, ranks third
;H4 ranks fourth
*O' S/-CE I&SI(E
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken $ ,+ ,7 9, +
/antro $ * ), ++ ,7
ndica B, $ $ * ,7 <,
con * 6, 6, 9: 6,
29
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
): = rated that the space inside is excellent,
9, = rated that the space inside is very good,
+ = = rated that the space inside is good,
+= rated the product as average,
+ = rated the product as poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
,+ = rated that the space inside is excellent,
++ = rated that the space inside is very good,
,7 = rated that the space inside is good,
30
7= rated that the space inside is average,
6, = rated that the space inside is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
), = rated that the space inside is excellent,
,* = rated that the space inside is very good,
* = rated that the space inside is good,
,* = rated that the space inside is average,
+ = rated that the space inside is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6, = rated that the space inside is excellent,
9: = rated that the space inside is very good,
6, = rated that the space inside is good,
6, = rated that the space inside is average,
* = rated that the space inside is poor.
For space attribute
48#A B, ranks first
/A4T(H ranks second
;H4 ranks third
KE4 ranks fourth
(E-0E'S S-TIS*-CTIO&
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken * $ 6, +* ),
/antro 6: $ ,7 9, 6,
ndica B, 6, ,7 6: ), ,7
con 6: 6: ,* ,7 ,7
31
INTERPRETATION
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
), = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is excellent,
+* = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is very good,
6, = = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is good,
* = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
6, = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is excellent,
9, = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is very good,
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is good,
32
6: = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is excellent,
), = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is very good,
6: = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is good,
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is average,
6, = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is excellent,
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is very good,
,* = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is good,
6: = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is average,
6: = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is poor.
For dealer satisfaction
KE4 ranks first rank
/A4T(H ranks second
48#A B, ranks third
;H4 ranks fourth
*)E0 CO&S)./TIO&
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken $ $ 6, 9, ):
/antro + + ++ ): 6,
ndica B, $ + ,+ ), +7
con * * +* ), +
33
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
): = rated that the fuel efficiency is excellent,
9, = rated that the fuel efficiency is very good,
6, = rated that the fuel efficiency is good,
7 = rated that the fuel efficiency is average,
7 = rated that the fuel efficiency is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
6, = rated that the fuel efficiency is excellent,
): = rated that the fuel efficiency is very good,
++ = rated that the fuel efficiency is good,
+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is average,
+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
34
+7 = rated that the fuel efficiency is excellent,
), = rated that the fuel efficiency is very good,
,+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is good,
+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is average,
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is excellent,
), = rated that the fuel efficiency is very good,
+* = rated that the fuel efficiency is good,
* = rated that the fuel efficiency is average,
* = rated that the fuel efficiency is poor.
For fuel consumption
KE4 ranks first rank
48#A B, ranks second
/A4T(H ranks third
;H4 ranks fourth
CO.*O'T
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken 7 7 ,7 ++ ):
/antro + * +7 ,* ,7
ndica B, 7 7 6: ++ +7
con + 7 ,+ 9: 6:
35
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
): = rated that the comfort is excellent,
++ = rated that the comfort is very good,
,7 = rated that the comfort is good,
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
,7 = rated that the comfort is excellent,
,* = rated that the comfort is very good,
+7 = rated that the comfort is good,
* = rated that the comfort is average,
+ = rated that the comfort is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
+7 = rated that the comfort is excellent,
++ = rated that the comfort is very good,
36
6: = rated that the comfort is good,
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6: = rated that the comfort is excellent,
9: = rated that the comfort is very good,
,+ = rated that the comfort is good,
+ = rated that the comfort is poor.
For comfort attribute
48#A B, ranks first rank
KE4 ranks second
;H4 ranks third
/A4T(H ranks fourth
'E0I-BI0IT+
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken + 7 + 6: <:
/antro 6: 7 7 9, ),
ndica B, ,7 * + +7 ,*
con * 7 ), +* 6,
37
INTERPRETATION
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
<:= rated that the reliability is excellent,
6: = rated that the reliability is very good,
+ = rated that the reliability is good,
+ = rated that the reliability is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
), = rated that the reliability is excellent,
9, = rated that the reliability is very good,
6: = rated that the reliability is poor.
38
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
,* = rated that the reliability is excellent,
+7 = rated that the reliability is very good,
+ = rated that the reliability is good,
* = rated that the reliability is average,
,7 = rated that the reliability is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6, = rated that the reliability is excellent,
+* = rated that the reliability is very good,
), = rated that the reliability is good,
* = rated that the reliability is poor.
For reliability attribute
KE4 ranks first rank
/A4T(H ranks second
;H4 ranks third
48#A B, ranks fourth
0OO4S
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken 7 + * ++ ++
/antro * + 6: +7 ),
ndica B, 7 * ,* ++ ,7
con 7 7 ,7 :+ 6:
39
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
++ = rated that the look is excellent,
++ = rated that the look is very good,
* = rated that the look is good,
+ = rated that the look is average,
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
),= rated that the look is excellent,
+7 = rated that the look is very good,
6: = rated that the look is good,
40
+ = rated that the look is average,
* = rated that the look is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
,7 = rated that the look is excellent,
++ = rated that the look is very good,
,* = rated that the look is good,
* = rated that the look is average,
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6: = rated that the look is excellent,
:+ = rated that the look is very good,
,7 = rated that the look is good,
For
KE4 ranks first rank
;H4 ranks second
/A4T(H ranks third
48#A B, ranks fourth
OVE'-00 '-TI&3
#arsJrating Bery useful .seful /ome what
useful
4ot useful
Ken ,+ :7 6: 7
/antro ,7 9, ,* 7
ndica B, ), 9: 6, 7
con 6, 9: ), 7
41
7
67
,7
)7
+7
97
:7
rating
Ken /antro ndica
B,
con
product
Bery useful
.seful
/ome what useful
4ot useful
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
,+ = rated that the overall rating is very useful
:7 = rated that the overall rating is useful,
6: = rated that the overall rating is some what useful,
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
,7 = rated that the overall rating is very useful
9, = rated that the overall rating is useful,
,* = rated that the overall rating is some what useful,
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
42
), = rated that the overall rating is very useful
9: = rated that the overall rating is useful,
6, = rated that the overall rating is some what useful,
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6, = rated that the overall rating is very useful
9: = rated that the overall rating is useful,
), = rated that the overall rating is some what useful,
For overall rating
48#A B, ranks first rank
KE4 ranks second
/A4T(H ranks third
;H4 ranks fourth
LIMITATIONS
? The study ,as restri(ted to t,i (ities
? The iformatio gi0e 'y res+odets may 'e 'iased
? &ue time (ostrait more iformatio (ould ot 'e
(olle(ted
43
FINDING AND
SUGGESTIONS
The most upper middle class family prefer to mid si'e cars
n my finding "aruti brand Ken is best at delivering customer satisfaction but it
has to improve on space inside.
The next best brand is Tata first it has to improve 7n looks, reliability and then
comfort.
44
The next best brand is -yundai it has to improve 7n comfort, looks and space
inside.
The next best brand is ford it has to improve in dealer ship, looks, comfort and
reliability.
BIBLIOGRAPH(
BOO0S
7) 8ri(i+les of marketig 'y 8hili+ kotler
7)"arketig resear(h 'y 9aresh "ahotra
MAGA1INES
7):uto dri0e
45
NEWS PAPERS
7) T4"5; <$ 49&4:
7) =>;495;; -495
7) T*5 5?<9<"4? T4"5;
WEB SITES
7)WWW)"<>T*;*>T)?<"
7) 000.A.TH"H2DE48A.#H"
7) 2./4E//."A%/HF48A.#H"
7)WWW)!<<!-5)?<"
46
doc_352856456.doc
A mid size car is referred to as an automobile with a size between that of compact and full size cars. The price range of mid size cars lies between Rs 3 to 8 lakhs.
1
PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE
AWARD OF DEGREE
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this project report titled “customer
experience on mid-size cars ” submitted by me to the
department of Business Management of XXXX is a bonafide
work undertaken by me and it is not submitted to any other
University or Institute for the Award of any degree
diploma/certificate or published any time before
2
Name:
Date: (Signatue!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A Good start leads to a Fine end. The ideal way to begin documenting this
project work would be to extend my earnest gratitude to everyone who has
encouraged, motivated and guided me to make a fine effort for successful
completion of this project.
am very thankful to !!!!, faculty of business management for guiding me
throughout the project. "y sincere Gratitude to the #ollege "anagement for
extending their co$operation for successful completion of my project.
A final word of thanks goes to my %arents, Friends and everyone else who made
this project possible. &our contributions have been most appreciated
3
INDE"
CHAPTER # page no
OBJECTI$ES % &
INTRODUCTION % '
NEED FOR STUD( % )
METHODOLOG( % *
CAR STATISTICS IN INDIA % #+%#,
COMPAN( PROFILE % #-%./
CHAPTER .
4
DATA INTERPRETATION % .&%-.
AND ANAL(SIS
LIMITATIONS % -,
FINDING AND SUGGETION % --
BIBILOGRAPH( % -&
OBJECTIVES
? To know the customer feeling about the attributes like looks,
comfort, space inside, fuel efficienc, reliabilit, in their product!
? To know which attribute performance is what in a particular
product!
? To do comparati"e analsis of four similar products from four
different brands!
? To know which brand reached the customer e#pectation in
mid$ Si%e cars!
5
I&T'O()CTIO&
A mid si'e car is referred to as an automobile with a si'e between that of
compact and full si'e cars. The price range of mid si'e cars lies between (s ) to
* lakhs. The mid si'e cars have the capacity to carry + passengers$ , adults and
, children. The credit of manufacturing of these cars goes to companies like$
Fiat ndia, Ford, General "otors, -industan "otors, -yundai motors, "aruti
.dyog, /an "otors and Tata "otors. 0hile the companies like$ Ford, -yundai,
General "otors and "ahindra 1 "ahindra are yet to launch their models under
this segment. This model basically target executive class.
6
&EE( *O' ST)(+
Automobiles have become an indispensable part of our lives, an extension of the
human body that provides us faster, cheaper and more convenient mobility every
passing day. 2ehind this betterment go the efforts of those in the industry, in the
form of improvement through technological research.
7
0hat actually lie behind this betterment of the automobiles are the opinions,
re3uirements, likes and dislikes of those who use these vehicles.
These wheeled machines affect our lives in ways more than one. 4umerous
surveys and research are conducted throughout the world every now and then to
reveal one or the other aspect of automobiles this section keeps you updated on
the latest and the most interesting surveys and researches conducted in the field
of automobiles, and help you draw the right conclusion5
METHODOLOG(
The study has been covered on the following steps
(ata collection, The data has been collected from main source
Secondar source, The data is collected from the product reviews from the
0ebsite www.mouthshut.com and from different websites and "aga'ines.
Sample si%e, 677
Tools used, 2ar graphs, tables and percentages.
8
C-' ST-TISTICS I& I&(I-
The ndian automotive industry is the ,nd fastest growing in the world. About *
million vehicles are produced annually in this country toady. 8uring ,779$,77:,
ndia has emerged as the ) rd largest market in the Asia %acific (egion. 0ith
various car manufacturing companies setting up their units in different parts of
the country, the production of the cars will increase at a very fast rate. The car
statistics indicate that ndia will soon become one of the top 67 car manufacturing
countries , leaving behind the ..;. #ar statistics also show that by the end of the
fiscal year ,77:$,77<, the car production capacity in ndia will exceed the mark
of , million. Thus, the production of cars will increase by <7= from the present
capacity of 6., million.
The domestic sale of passenger cars has increased significantly over the years.
A graphical representation of the domestic sale of cars will give you an insight
about the present market situation prevailing in the country>
9
n the recent years, ndia has emerged as one of the major bases for
manufacturing small passenger cars. At present the ndian automotive industry
boasts of being the ) rd largest manufacturer of small cars . According to the car
statistics almost <7 = of the cars sold in this country come under the segment of
small cars. A number of car manufacturers like> "aruti .dyog, Tata "otors,
-yundai, -onda, Ford, -industan "otors, Fiat, General "otors etc offer various
new model of cars now and then. t is expected that the various automobile
manufacturers will be investing about ? 9 billion in ndia, between ,779$,767.
As per the car statistics, export of passenger cars from ndia has also grown
considerably over the last decade. A graphical representation of car export trend
will help you to make an in$depth analysis of the present status of the ndian
automotive industry>
10
0ith new strategies being implemented and more investments being made in
ndian automotive industry the production as well as the domestic sale and
exports will increase substantially.
A graphical representation of the total sale trend of passenger cars @including the
domestic sale and exportsA is given below>
11
%assengers Behicles
@%B/A
From April$
4ovember
7+$79
From April$
4ovember
79$7:
Total
"arket
/hare @in
=A
The 4et
#hange
between
the period
@in =A
Total
number of
exports in
April 79$
7:
"aruti .dyog ,,:C):7 ,,C6,6*, 9,., *.6 ,),7+)
-yundai "otors ndia
Dtd.
*C,7<9 6,7<, 7:: 6C., ,7., :*,)<+
Tata "otors C9,+7, ,+,)+* 6:.: $,.< 6,,679
-onda/iel cars ndia
Dtd.
,),6*: ,+,)+* +.+ 9.6 )6
Ford ndia %vt. Dtd 69,7,: 67,96, 6.C $)7= C,C,*
.tility Behicles
"ahindra and
"ahindra Dtd.
+C,*C< 96,9+7 +,.< ).) 6,*<*
12
Toyota
;irloskar"otor%vt Dtd.
,+,+7+ ,+,C*) ,7.< ,.+ 7
Tata "otors Dtd 6C,C:< ,6,:67 6<.C *., C79
General "otors ndia
%vt Dtd.
<,77* 6,,7,< 67 <6.: 7
"aruti .dyog Dtd . ,:*, ,+<, , $<.* 9+
-yundai "otor ndia
Dtd.
,99 6,7+, 7.C )7*., 7
"ulti$%urpose Behicles
"aruti .dyog Dtd. +,,)** +),*9* 677 ).9 <)6
"ahindra 1 "ahindra
Dtd
6) 7 7 7 7
"edium and -eavy
#ommercial Behicles
Tata "otors <C,:6+ <),9)* :6.6 $<.: +,*7<
Ashok Deyland
,<,9<< )),+7: ,<.< ,6.6 ,*,9
Eicher "otors
*,7+) *,<77 <., *., )6*
/waraj "a'da
),9<) +,7*7 ).+ 6+., 669
Dight #ommercial
Behicles
%assenger #arriers
Tata "otors
9,*)9 :,*66 +:.* 6:.< 6,7C:
"ahindra and
"ahindra ,,)79 6,C:7 6).9 $69 669
/waraj "a'da
6,6<* 6,)69 C 66.: 6,
Force motors Dtd.
,,79C ,,*<< 6C.* )C.< 9C
Goods #arriers
13
Tata "otors
)7,C99 ++,)*7 9*.C +).+ 6,,+:6
"ahindra and
"ahindra ,),9
,),<)6 )6.9 7.< 6,:77 /waraj "a'da
,,:<6 ,,,CC ) $6).C ,7+
Eicher "otors
),76C ,,C9+ ).C $,.6 +96
CO./-&+ /'O*I0E
1undai Cars in India
-yundai started as a construction company and was founded by #hung Fu$yung
in 6C+<. As it stands today, -yundai "otor #ompany is /outh ;oreaGs largest and
worldGs sixth largest automaker. -ead$3uartered in /eoul, -yundai started itGs
operations as an automaker in ndia in 6CC* with the /antro which went on to
become one of the largest selling cars in the country. The ;orean company
continued on the success of /antro by launching the stylish /onata and the
Accent but the Terracan and the Elantra failed to capture the buyerGs imagination.
/till going strong with the current line$up which also includes Get' %rime, and the
successfull Berna, -yundai will enhance itGs existance with a new Elantra
sometime next year. 0ish them luck5
14
Santro : The Sunshine Car
Brand : Santro
Company : Hyundai Motors
Agency : Saatchi & Saatchi
Santro is a fine example of successful branding. t is a classic example of
successful mar!eting in ndian context. Santro "as launched in ndia in #$$%.
&hen Hyundai "as contemplating its foray into the ndian mar!et' it "as
planning to launch a C segment car ( Accent) . But ho"e*er' Hyundai
changed its strategy and launched Santro in the tough small car mar!et.
Santro is the ndian *ersion of the successful Hyundai model Atos. Hyundai "as
faced "ith lot of perception issues prior to the launch of Santro. The issue "as
"ith regard to the country of origin. ndians "ere unsure about +orean products
especially automobiles. Hence the first tas! "as t o ensure that ndian consumers
de*elop a positi*e association "ith +orean car ma!ers. Second issue "as
de*eloping a corporate image for Hyundai. Since cars are high in*ol*ement
product' customers "ill ma!e a choice loo!ing on the ma!er' ser*ice support'
spares a*ailability ' ,uality etc. Hence the launch of Santro should also launch the
corporate brand Hyundai. Third issue "as about the design of Santro. Santro "as
designed to be a tall boy car and initial product testing re*ealed that ndians
didnot li!ed the tall boy design. So the unen*iable tas! for Hyundai "as to ma!e
ndian consumers li!e Santro. The fourth issue "as the grip of Maruti on the
ndian car mar!et. The B segment "as dominated by -en "hich has pro*ed itself
to be a reliable "or!horse. -en "as the preferred and logical upgrade to %.. and
the car "as considered to be the most reliable and po"erful in that segment. To
con*ert the potential -en users to Santro "as really a nightmare for any
mar!eter.
Hyundai mar!eters had a tough tas! ahead. A lot "as dependent on Santro/s
success. 0or the brand launch' Hyundai roped in Saatchi & Saatchi as the ad
agency.
15
Thus came the first commercial : &atch the first Santro commercial here : Santro
#
The ad introduced +im and Shah 1u!h and a glimpse of the car. +im "as the
Hyundai official "ho "anted S1+ to be the brand ambassador for Santro. The
name +im "as chosen "isely because the only familiar +orean name !no"n to
ndians "as +M .The ad introduced the brand and the company "ith a subtle
statement from +im : &e settle only for the best.
The first ad "as follo"ed by teaser ads "here +im tries to con*ince S1+ that
Hyundai is serious about ndia' the ,uality issue and the brand Santro.
&atch the t"o launch ads : Here & Here. These ads really created a hype in the
mar!et about Santro. Teaser ads are dangerous and expensi*e. 2angerous
because if the teaser failed to clic!' the entire product launch "ill land up in
trouble . Another issue is that the brand should follo" up the hype built by teaser
ads. n the case of Santro' the teasers "ere intelligently made and clic!ed.0inally
came the launch ad "hich sho"ed Shah 1u!h "ho represented the ndian
consumer saying 3 am Con*inced3 to +im. Shah 1u!h fitted perfectly to the
promotional scheme of Santro. Along "ith the launch came the criticism.
4nderstandably the criticism "as to"ards the tall boy design of Santro . There
"ere reports "hich called Santro the
4gly car. Santro ans"ered that through its performance. ndian consumers
experienced a ne" "ay of dri*ing comfort. More than the campaigns' it "as the
performance that made Santro a runa"ay success. &ith in 5 years of launch '
Santro became the second largest selling car in ndia displacing -en. Those "ho
"rote bad about the tall boy design began to "rite
about the ad*antages of this tall boy design. Santro "as initially positioned on the
design aspect. t turned its biggest disad*antage into an ad*antage. But later '
Santro "as positioned itself as a complete family car. The brand "as targeting
those %.. users "ho "anted to upgrade into the B segment. The target mar!et
"as the 67857 yrs middleclass ndians. All through these years' Hyundai also
16
came out "ith product impro*ements and upgrades. Santro -ipplus "as
launched focusing more on the 9ippy nature of the car. But then came the
competition. Maruthi launched Alto and &agon 1 and came ndica "hich
displaced Santro from the second position. The brand "as also facing the issue of
loo!ing dated. t "as time for Hyundai to reposition the brand.
Hyundai changed Santro completely in :..6. The entire design "as changed and
ne" Santro "as launched as Santro ;ing. Santro ;ing launch ad also featured
S1+ and +im. Santro ;ing ga*e a ne" life to Santro. The car loo!ed more
spacious and the loo!s "as contemporary. Santro along "ith the ne" loo!s also
changed its T< from 678 57 to :7 86.. The brand felt that Santro should be
considered as the first car rather than the upgrade. The brand "anted to appeal
to the first time car buyers . To catch the young buyers' the brand "as positioned
as 3Sunshine car/ . Santro roped in =riety -inta also as the brand ambassador.
&atch the commercial here : Sunshine car Sunshine "as communicating t"o
intangibles : 0reshness and youthful attitude. The brand "as mo*ing to a 3
Change your life 3 positioning. =riety "as the sunshine girl. The big idea "as that
Santro "ill bring sunshine to your life. A car that can change the life of a young
ndian.
As usual the campaign and the ne" Santro "as a big hit. Along "ith these
campaigns' Santro also ran some ads focusing on promoting the brand as the first
choice rather than as an upgrade. The last campaign of Santro "as highlighting
the *irtues of a Santro users. &atch the campaign here : Santro"ale
The campaign "as to portray Santro users as smart and intelligent and the ad "as
pitted against a similar campaign of &agon 1 .
After nine years of launch' Santro is facing its maturity stage in its =>C . The sales
ha*e stagnated and price "ar from Maruti and a sle" of launches li!e Che*y
Spar! ' ha*e hurt the sales of Santro. Santro is also ban!ing on price cuts and
sales promotions to stay afloat. Hyundai has recently launched a ne" brand i#. to
ta!e the place of Santro. &ith the imminent launch of Tata/s # la!h car in :..$'
Santro may be used as a lo" priced flan!ing brand for i#. in future.
Santro is the best example of managing a product lifecycle. Santro has managed
to !eep its mar!et position by regular upgrades' product changes ' relaunches
and repositioning. t has been consistent in deli*ering excellent ,uality and
functional performance through out its life. The brand is still a preferred upgrade
for many middleclass car users.
?n this context' "ish to cite a personal experience at the dealership experience
had "hile choosing my car. in,uired about Santro as"ellas Alto at respecti*e
17
dealers in Cochin . &hile the Maruti dealers "ere constantly follo"ing up "ith
offers and schemes' "as surprised to find that Santro dealer "as least interested
in ma!ing a sale. Complacency has already crept in at the dealer points ( my
perception). 4nderstandably so because sales "ere happening "ithout much
effort. As a mar!eting professional' feel that Santro is losing some #. @ sale
because of this laidbac! approach of its dealers.
Santro still has lot of fuel to !eep itself going. But for that Hyundai may ha*e to
!eep the price do"n so that potential Alto users can strech a bit and buy Santro.
Tata Cars in India
The ndia #ars. They understand market and ndian roads better here. -ave
been successful in creating right brand e3uity and share. Hffering very practical
and economic cars are their prime motive and they are doing well with it.
-owever Tata cars cannot be considered as perfect by any means. They have
expertise in diesel technology and lack in petrol. -ighly successful ndicaGs latest
petrol version !eta is TataGs biggest hope.
Tata Indica
18
Tata ndica : Truly more car per car
2rand > Tata ndica
Agency > F#2 .lka
#ompany> Tata motors
2aseline > more car per car
ndia is a lucrative market for automobile manufacturers. f we believe the fancy
numbers floating around regarding the industry si'e, this is a market no one can
ignore. Fighting with all the big names in the auto industry is our very own Tata
"otors. Det me be patriotic and say I we have done itI. 0e have our own ndian
#ar> ndica. 0ell &ou may say that the design was outsourced from 8EA TAD&
so this is not 677= ndian. would say that TataGs are smart so they outsourced
it.....Any way as hypocritic as we are by birth, although we say I sare jahan se
acha I , we were ruthless towards ndica. Everyone looked down upon this car
from Tata talking about all the negative points about the performance and writing
off this dream of an ndian to build an ndian car.8espite the initial setback with
ndica, Tata motors reworked on the engine and relaunched ndica as ndica B,.
4ow indica is the second largest selling car in ndia.ndica is positioned as
avaluefor money car. have said in my earlier blog that this is a proposition that
will always work on ndian consumers, provided the promise is delivered.ndica
delivered its promise. t promised that it will give more car per car and delivered
that.The success of this proposition had an interesting side effect @ positive of
courseA. Tatas have discovered its vision > deliver more value at a reasonable
price. The recent launches prove that Tatas have imbibed this Ivalue for money I
proposition . The latest products like /afari 8icor and ndigo give many features
which were seen only in premium cars.
19
*ord Cars in India
World's third largest auto-maker after Toyota ad !"# $ord is head-%uartered i
&ear'or# "i(higa) *ery $ord fouded the (om+ay i 1903 ,hi(h o, e(om+asses
res+e(ted glo'al 'rads like -i(o# "er(ury# .aguar# -ad /o0er ad 1ol0o ad also
e2oys a oe-third (otrollig iterest i "a3da) &e'utig i 4dia i 1998 ,ith the $ord
5s(ort# it ga0e e6(itig +rodu(ts like the 4ko that re+la(ed the former i 2001# 'ut still
has to e6+erie(e great sales um'ers) "odeo# $usio# $iesta ad the 5dea0our feature
i the (urret lie-u+ ad $ord is tryig to u+ its slee0e to 'e(ome a 0ery formida'le
'rad i 4dia)
20
Ford kon > The Fosh "achine
2rand > kon
#ompany>Ford ndia
Agency>F0T
Ford kon is a brand with a class. This brand has redefined the car marketing in
ndia. Daunched in 6CCC, kon in a way rejuvenated the fortunes of Ford "otors
in ndia. Ford came to ndia with a dated model like Ford Escort.Escort was
launched in 6CC9 and was one of the first international brand to enter the midsi'e
sedan market. Ford kon was launched in the event of phasing out of Escort.
/ince then kon has been a major player in the entry level sedan market with a
share of over ,7=. The most interesting aspect of the brand is in its positioning.
kon dethroned the position of Esteem in the # segment through its breakaway
positioning.
Till ,779 kon has sold over 677,777 cars and has occupied a special space in
the highly competitive car market in ndia. Ford kon is actually an ndian
adaptation of the highly successful European Fiesta model. 2ut knowing the
ndian market with the Escort example, the company decided to design and
ndian car for ndian consumers. Thus born the brand kon.
The company virtually adapted the whole product to suit the ndian consumer
taste and also ndian driving conditions.kon was one of the first examples of
Global brand getting Docal in the automotive industry.
Hnce the product is ready, came the 3uestion of marketing. kon was priced as
an entry level sedan car and was positioned in the # segment. # segment was
dominated by Esteem and there was a slew of competitors waiting to tap the
market including -yundai Accent. "ost of the purchases in this segment was
rational and the brands were also positioned on rational platforms. kon wanted
to break the icons and decided to do away with the demographic positioning.
(esearch and initial test marketing showed that kon is associated with the
Attractive and %eppy attributes. The company decided to position the brand as a
21
lifestyle brand. The TG was decided to be young professionals who works hard
and play hard who are Full of Dife and Affluent. This brand is the classic case of
lifestyle segmentation.
kon had the sporty design and all the pep that a sporty car needs interms of
engine capacity and performance. The agency hit upon the big idea of
positioning the brand as the Fosh "achine. think the tagline FH/- "achine is
one of the best taglines have come across. Although the term Fosh is hindi @
have criticised Go Fida campaignA Fosh term had a universal appeal across
ndia. Although some of the ads were lousy, the product delivered the promise.
The 2rand clearly identified the TG and Fosh satisfied the need for a sporty
sedan @ that need is still thereA. ndian &uppies lapped up this product and the
brand which suffered most because of kon was the "aruti Esteem.kon was
priced between (s 9.9 lakh and : lakhs.The brand broke from the rational
positioning into a more emotional plane.The brand had the famous tagline I The
Fosh "achine I which was later modified to I Dive Dife with FoshI.
The brand hit a rough patch in ,77) with competition hotting up. The launch of
ndigo changed the dynamics of the # segment. To compete with ndigo, kon
launched a variant in the sub 9 lakh category with Ford Flair.
Dast year Ford launched its Fiesta in the ndian market at a premium over kon.
According to company reports, Fiesta is positioned as an Aspirational sedan and
complements kon rather than cannibalise it. Fiesta became a runaway success
because of its blockbuster performance.
Ford kon is now at a critical point in its lifecycle. Although the brand has came
out with lot of variants over time like /!, 4!T, the brand is now perceived to be
an old brand.The Fosh in this brand is no longer there and the company is now
focusing on its new baby Fiesta. This lack of marketing and brand building on
kon can prove to be a big negative for the brand. /lowly the brand may lose its
relevance in the ndian market . The Ford ndia site talks about the new Ford kon
with spruced up interiors,but what the brand needs is a relook on the promotional
front.The brand still holds significant relevance in the ndian market because
there is no brand that has the sporty look and the positioning of kon. There is still
an unmet need for a peppy car and kon if not promoted with Fosh will be a great
injustice to the brand. There is not even a need for repositioning. Hnly high
22
profile well made advertisements will do the trick. Exciting colors and roadshows
will pep up this sagging brand. Else this brand will die a very untimely and
unwarranted death..
.aruti Cars in India
"aruti .dyog Dimited, the largest automotive manufacturer of ndia was
established in February 6C*6 though the production started only in 6C*). The
company started as a 97$97 FB between /u'uki of Fapan and "aruti. The
government of ndia held 6*.,*= stake untill recently. This holding stake was
sold off to the financial institutions in "ay, ,77<. /u'uki has gradually increased
its holding percentage to 9+.,. The first offering from "aruti, the *77, was the
bestseller for a long time till its sibling, the Alto, took over. /elling over 9,77,777
cars annually in the domestic market, "aruti exports close to )7,777 units to
several countries. Hf late, the ndian giant was facing stiff competition from
various manufacturers and "aruti did well by launching the /wift which is a
23
modern and exudes a lifestyle image. The trend continued with the /!+. The
large portfoilio takes care of the options available to the customer.
2en , Surrendered To The &ew 3eneration
Brand : -en
Company: Maruti Su9u!i
Agency : Ha!udo =ercept
A brand that ruled the ndian midsegment car mar!et "ill be laid to rest *ery
soon. Maruthi -en "hich "as considered to be one of the best cars on the ndian
roads after a long life of #6 years ha*e become redundant. t is a sad ne"s for all
-en o"ners "ho still *ouch for this hatchbac!. Mar!eters "ill also be sad because
it "as a mar!eting failure and not a product failure. The good old 9en is still
*alued as precious by its o"ners.
-en "as launched in ndia in #$$6. nstantly this premium car became the
fa*orite of the up"ardly mobile ndian middle class. The "as something special
about this Aelly bean shaped car and the dri*ing and maneu*ering ,uality "as
nothing but superb. n cities "here there is bumper to bumper traffic' the -en
"as the most preferred one.
2uring the nineties all the cars from Maruti ruled the segment because of lac! of
competition. Then came Santro and -en had a competition. Although initially
people scoffed at the tall boy design of Santro' slo"ly through smart mar!eting'
Santro began to eat into -en/s mar!et. Then came the maAor blo" in the form of
ndica "hich changed the rules of the game in the hatchbac! segment.
24
-en came out "ith -en >;i in :..#' but the mar!et share "as slo"ly declining.
The maAor reason being' the o"ners of -en "ere getting older and -en "as
missing out on the ne" generation. There "as no excitement about -en. Maruti is
a poor mar!eter "ith good products. All their products are of exceptional ,uality
and all their mar!eting campaigns ( including the campaign of ne" S"ift) is
exceptionally poor. Customers buy it because it is good.
&hile the competitors are gaining the share of mind of consumers using smart
mar!eting campaigns' -en "as no "here in the picture. The launch of -en "ith
round headlamps "as a maAor disaster.
2uring #$$$' Maruti launched &agon 1 and :... sa" the launch of Alto' &ith
these products' -en "as left in a no man/s land. The segmentation became fussy.
Since there "as no clear positioning for -en' the ne" launches pro*ed to be a
maAor blo" to this brand. &ith the launch of sporty S"ift ' -en has no" become a
liability for Su9u!i/s portfolio.
To arrest the slide of the mar!et share of 9en' Su9u!i' launched a redesigned -en
in :..6 "ith a ne" loo! "ith much fanfare. The campaigns "ere shot in =aris.
The logic "as to attract the ne" generation and the positioning "as 3 strong slee!
and sexy3. The base line "as 3 Surrender to the ne" -en3. The campaigns "as
lousy ne*er excited the ne" generation. The existing users "ere pissed off
because the resale *alue of their old beauty crashed. The ne" loo! -en also
bombed because of poor mar!eting.
nfact their "as no need for such an upgrade because the problem "as "ith
positioning and not the product. -en "as !no"n for its po"er' easy dri*ing and
,uality. t ne*er loo!ed sporty and the colors "ere lousy. -en could ha*e excited
the younger generation Aust by introducing a sporty *ariant "ith some fantastic
colours. The colors of -en "ere ne*er exciting. still belie*e -en ha*e that
premium touch to it. So "ith some smart colours and "ith some sensible
ad*ertisements' -en could ha*e 9oomed. The positioning can be a sporty and a
smart car for the urban professionals. But alas....
-en is a classic example of ho" poor mar!eting can !ill a good product.
25
(-T- I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
-&( -&-0+SIS
26
*O' /'O()CT '-TI&3
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken + + + 9, ):
/antro 6, $ ,7 ++ ,+
ndica B, + ,* * ,* ),
con * 6, 6, 9: 6,
27
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
): = rated that the product as excellent,
9, = rated that the product as very good,
+ = = rated that the product as good,
+= rated that the product as average,
+ = rated that the product as poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
,+ = rated that the product as excellent,
++ = rated that the product as very good,
,7 = rated that the product as good,
28
6, = rated that the product as poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
), = rated that the product as excellent,
,* = rated that the product as very good,
* = rated that the product as good,
,* = rated that the product as average,
+ = rated that the product as poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6, = rated that the product as excellent,
9: = rated the that product as very good,
6, = rated the that product as good,
6, = rated the that product as average,
* = rated the that product as poor.
For product rating
KE4 ranks first
/A4T(H ranks second
48#A B, ranks third
;H4 ranks fourth
*O' S/-CE I&SI(E
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken $ ,+ ,7 9, +
/antro $ * ), ++ ,7
ndica B, $ $ * ,7 <,
con * 6, 6, 9: 6,
29
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
): = rated that the space inside is excellent,
9, = rated that the space inside is very good,
+ = = rated that the space inside is good,
+= rated the product as average,
+ = rated the product as poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
,+ = rated that the space inside is excellent,
++ = rated that the space inside is very good,
,7 = rated that the space inside is good,
30
7= rated that the space inside is average,
6, = rated that the space inside is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
), = rated that the space inside is excellent,
,* = rated that the space inside is very good,
* = rated that the space inside is good,
,* = rated that the space inside is average,
+ = rated that the space inside is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6, = rated that the space inside is excellent,
9: = rated that the space inside is very good,
6, = rated that the space inside is good,
6, = rated that the space inside is average,
* = rated that the space inside is poor.
For space attribute
48#A B, ranks first
/A4T(H ranks second
;H4 ranks third
KE4 ranks fourth
(E-0E'S S-TIS*-CTIO&
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken * $ 6, +* ),
/antro 6: $ ,7 9, 6,
ndica B, 6, ,7 6: ), ,7
con 6: 6: ,* ,7 ,7
31
INTERPRETATION
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
), = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is excellent,
+* = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is very good,
6, = = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is good,
* = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
6, = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is excellent,
9, = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is very good,
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is good,
32
6: = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is excellent,
), = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is very good,
6: = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is good,
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is average,
6, = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is excellent,
,7 = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is very good,
,* = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is good,
6: = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is average,
6: = rated that the satisfaction by the dealer is poor.
For dealer satisfaction
KE4 ranks first rank
/A4T(H ranks second
48#A B, ranks third
;H4 ranks fourth
*)E0 CO&S)./TIO&
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken $ $ 6, 9, ):
/antro + + ++ ): 6,
ndica B, $ + ,+ ), +7
con * * +* ), +
33
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
): = rated that the fuel efficiency is excellent,
9, = rated that the fuel efficiency is very good,
6, = rated that the fuel efficiency is good,
7 = rated that the fuel efficiency is average,
7 = rated that the fuel efficiency is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
6, = rated that the fuel efficiency is excellent,
): = rated that the fuel efficiency is very good,
++ = rated that the fuel efficiency is good,
+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is average,
+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
34
+7 = rated that the fuel efficiency is excellent,
), = rated that the fuel efficiency is very good,
,+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is good,
+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is average,
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
+ = rated that the fuel efficiency is excellent,
), = rated that the fuel efficiency is very good,
+* = rated that the fuel efficiency is good,
* = rated that the fuel efficiency is average,
* = rated that the fuel efficiency is poor.
For fuel consumption
KE4 ranks first rank
48#A B, ranks second
/A4T(H ranks third
;H4 ranks fourth
CO.*O'T
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken 7 7 ,7 ++ ):
/antro + * +7 ,* ,7
ndica B, 7 7 6: ++ +7
con + 7 ,+ 9: 6:
35
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
): = rated that the comfort is excellent,
++ = rated that the comfort is very good,
,7 = rated that the comfort is good,
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
,7 = rated that the comfort is excellent,
,* = rated that the comfort is very good,
+7 = rated that the comfort is good,
* = rated that the comfort is average,
+ = rated that the comfort is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
+7 = rated that the comfort is excellent,
++ = rated that the comfort is very good,
36
6: = rated that the comfort is good,
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6: = rated that the comfort is excellent,
9: = rated that the comfort is very good,
,+ = rated that the comfort is good,
+ = rated that the comfort is poor.
For comfort attribute
48#A B, ranks first rank
KE4 ranks second
;H4 ranks third
/A4T(H ranks fourth
'E0I-BI0IT+
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken + 7 + 6: <:
/antro 6: 7 7 9, ),
ndica B, ,7 * + +7 ,*
con * 7 ), +* 6,
37
INTERPRETATION
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
<:= rated that the reliability is excellent,
6: = rated that the reliability is very good,
+ = rated that the reliability is good,
+ = rated that the reliability is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
), = rated that the reliability is excellent,
9, = rated that the reliability is very good,
6: = rated that the reliability is poor.
38
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
,* = rated that the reliability is excellent,
+7 = rated that the reliability is very good,
+ = rated that the reliability is good,
* = rated that the reliability is average,
,7 = rated that the reliability is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6, = rated that the reliability is excellent,
+* = rated that the reliability is very good,
), = rated that the reliability is good,
* = rated that the reliability is poor.
For reliability attribute
KE4 ranks first rank
/A4T(H ranks second
;H4 ranks third
48#A B, ranks fourth
0OO4S
#arsJrating %oor Average Good Bery good Excellent
Ken 7 + * ++ ++
/antro * + 6: +7 ),
ndica B, 7 * ,* ++ ,7
con 7 7 ,7 :+ 6:
39
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
++ = rated that the look is excellent,
++ = rated that the look is very good,
* = rated that the look is good,
+ = rated that the look is average,
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
),= rated that the look is excellent,
+7 = rated that the look is very good,
6: = rated that the look is good,
40
+ = rated that the look is average,
* = rated that the look is poor.
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
,7 = rated that the look is excellent,
++ = rated that the look is very good,
,* = rated that the look is good,
* = rated that the look is average,
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6: = rated that the look is excellent,
:+ = rated that the look is very good,
,7 = rated that the look is good,
For
KE4 ranks first rank
;H4 ranks second
/A4T(H ranks third
48#A B, ranks fourth
OVE'-00 '-TI&3
#arsJrating Bery useful .seful /ome what
useful
4ot useful
Ken ,+ :7 6: 7
/antro ,7 9, ,* 7
ndica B, ), 9: 6, 7
con 6, 9: ), 7
41
7
67
,7
)7
+7
97
:7
rating
Ken /antro ndica
B,
con
product
Bery useful
.seful
/ome what useful
4ot useful
I&TE'/'ET-TIO&
Hut of ,9 respondents of KE4
,+ = rated that the overall rating is very useful
:7 = rated that the overall rating is useful,
6: = rated that the overall rating is some what useful,
Hut of ,9 respondents of /A4T(H
,7 = rated that the overall rating is very useful
9, = rated that the overall rating is useful,
,* = rated that the overall rating is some what useful,
Hut of ,9 respondents of 48#A B,
42
), = rated that the overall rating is very useful
9: = rated that the overall rating is useful,
6, = rated that the overall rating is some what useful,
Hut of ,9 respondents of #H4
6, = rated that the overall rating is very useful
9: = rated that the overall rating is useful,
), = rated that the overall rating is some what useful,
For overall rating
48#A B, ranks first rank
KE4 ranks second
/A4T(H ranks third
;H4 ranks fourth
LIMITATIONS
? The study ,as restri(ted to t,i (ities
? The iformatio gi0e 'y res+odets may 'e 'iased
? &ue time (ostrait more iformatio (ould ot 'e
(olle(ted
43
FINDING AND
SUGGESTIONS
The most upper middle class family prefer to mid si'e cars
n my finding "aruti brand Ken is best at delivering customer satisfaction but it
has to improve on space inside.
The next best brand is Tata first it has to improve 7n looks, reliability and then
comfort.
44
The next best brand is -yundai it has to improve 7n comfort, looks and space
inside.
The next best brand is ford it has to improve in dealer ship, looks, comfort and
reliability.
BIBLIOGRAPH(
BOO0S
7) 8ri(i+les of marketig 'y 8hili+ kotler
7)"arketig resear(h 'y 9aresh "ahotra
MAGA1INES
7):uto dri0e
45
NEWS PAPERS
7) T4"5; <$ 49&4:
7) =>;495;; -495
7) T*5 5?<9<"4? T4"5;
WEB SITES
7)WWW)"<>T*;*>T)?<"
7) 000.A.TH"H2DE48A.#H"
7) 2./4E//."A%/HF48A.#H"
7)WWW)!<<!-5)?<"
46
doc_352856456.doc