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Maruti plans stores
to push sales |
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The Times
of India
New Delhi: In order to make an impact with its new models, Maruti Suzuki
has decided to open company-owned brand stores in major cities, where it
will showcase its entire product line-up and familiarise visitors with
various features of the cars.
The brand stores, a first from a car company (though two-wheeler
companies like Bajaj Auto and Royal Enfield already have similar
outfits), would not cater to retail sales but be used for pure
promotional exercise.
"After investing Rs 9,000 crore in manufacturing facilities, we are now
looking to invest in marketing infrastructure and brand-building
initiatives. These will enhance customer experience with Maruti Suzuki,"
MD and CEO S Nakanishi said.
As the competition heats up, Maruti is packing its cars with new
features like anti-lock braking systems (ABS), electronic breakforce
distribution (EBD) and drive-by-wire technology. The objective is to
make the brand stores a window for all consumer queries.
"Customers can test-drive the cars, familiarise themselves with various
features and then purchase from dealer outlets. Since Maruti Suzuki has
an aggressive plan for model launches, a facility like this will be
required by customers," a company official said.
This concept has already caught up with bike makers. Bajaj Auto has
opened a series of company-owned brand showrooms under the name
'Pro-Biking' in cities like Pune, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad,
Kolkata and Navi Mumbai, that display its high-end, performance bikes.
Bajaj has designed the indoor for a test-ride, where riders can put the
bike through all kinds of driving conditions and check out parameters
such as acceleration, time, power, torque, top speed, that are not
possible in case of a normal road test.
"All those attributes that give a '360 degree view' of the brand would
find their way into these display centres so that these centres act much
more than just displaying products. Maruti Suzuki display centres will
be in line with international practices," company officials said.
Marut's recently launched new products are Swift hatchback and the SX4
sedan. Other models in the pipeline are Splash and A Star. The stores
may also display some of Suzuki's international models, though company
officials refused to confirm this. Expansion of marketing infrastructure
and brand promotion is a major agenda for Nakanishi, who took over as MD
from Jagdish Khattar last year.
The company is investing $1.8 billion over the next three to five years
for expansion of marketing infrastructure. |
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