Relaunch of Maruti Versa- a comprehensive marketing strategy Introduction: Maruti Versa was one of the ambitious projects of Maruti

i launched with an attractive campaign of providing two luxury cars in one. The launch was given uplift as campaign featured Amitabh & Abhishek Bachchan however the campaign proved to be too costl!""#. The stud! discusses the reasons for its failure in market and proposes a re$launch plan with complete marketing strateg! and financial impact of the re$launch. Reasons for failure: %aunch h!pe that failed to meet e&pectations of the public was reason for failure of Versa in market' (nconventional look )igher price a sedan was available in same price range# *onfusing positioning of +two cars in one car+ ,ncomplete awareness of benefits of Multi -urpose Vehicle in ,ndia More suited for Ambulance or Mini Bus like duties than personal means of transport. .ue to its si/e and ultra 'tall-boy0 design1 it0s hardl! a driver0s vehicle and is 2uite unstable on highwa!s3strong cross winds. This led to a forced price cut in 4556 launch but still the sales did not improved substantiall!. 7imilarl!1 in 4556 the positioning was also changed. ,t was re$launched with the new positioning based on the jo!s of traveling together. The tagline was changed to "Traveling in company in a car has its own kind of fun". But what added dampener was the mileage per liter.

8or a t!pical ,ndian famil! wherein whole famil! live and1 therefore1 travels together1 a Multi$ -urpose Vehicle is an ideal option. And that+s what made the countr!+s 9: car manufacturer Maruti introduce Versa. But people ask for a combination of performance and comfort in their set

of four wheels along with econom! and space1 which is something one can easil! e&pect from the Versa.

Situation Analysis: Trends &

uture !otential

;ith esmitates putting the si/e of ,ndian automotive industr! between (7< :45.5= billion and (7< :>>.:4 billion b! 45:?1 the industr! is e&pected to touch the :5 million mark1 to which the *ommercial Vehicle 7egment will be a major contributor. According to surfindia.com @ Cars dominate the passenger vehicle market by 79 . !aruti "u#uki has $% and is a complete monopoly in multipurpose http())www.surfindia.com)automobile)automobile-industry.html*. share in passenger cars vehicles& ' Source:

Reasons for Re-launch: ,f one sees a t!pical ,ndian famil! wherein parents1 grandparents1 children all live together1 the! off course would also like to travel together and for this a Multi$-urpose Vehicle is an ideal option. At the same time the ,ndian consumer needs cars at a low purchase cost1 higher fuel efficienc! and low maintenance costs1 which also gives a comfortable ride in cit! conditions. All these needs along with space can easil! be met b! Versa. ,n recent times there is also changing attitude of consumers towards M-Vs1 b! increasing the awareness of the utilit! of such a vehicle can help in gaining a market for Versa. 7ome of the other positive points of Versa are highlighted here' Versa is a M(V speciall! designed for ,ndia. ,t is a perfect famil! vehicle as far as its interiors1 internal space management1 engine1 suspension. )igh -ower to ;eight ratio1 results in superior pick up and acceleration. )igh seating position and eas! controls make it a driver$friendl! car. ,t is eas! to park and has abilit! to cruise at high speeds with full ease. 8rom angle of safet!1 the occupant+s safet! is ensured during front collision because of pout of the bonnet.
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The capabilities matching the likes of To!ota Aualis and best in class technical capabilities in the given price range are added plus points.

+eeping all these points in mind , economy- space- safety and performance- .The /ersa0 which means .turn around0 has the potential to turn around the auto-market in 1ndia. ST! Analysis: "egments( ,ndian car market is predominantl! famil! oriented. )ence1 here the primar! segmentation is based on the price of the car and also the nature of the car. 7o we have A segment1 B segment1 . segment etc and segments like M(V1 7(V1 7edan1 )atchback1 small car etc. "egmentation by 2tility( 8amil! *ar 7egment i. 7mall 8amilies ii. %arge 8amilies -remium *ar 7egment *ommercial (sage' e&$*ar Bentals1 *ab 7ervice providers1 Ambulances and service vans.

Targeting( 8amil! car 7egment. 7hould target large families with >$? members. -eople who are both value and price conscious. 7hould target the car rentals and cab service providers. According to cost B segment will be targeted. 7trong *ustomer Base of Maruti. -s!chographics used can combine the benefits of' iii. ;agon$B ' 7marter people e&ecutives# iv. Cmni ' -eople who need to transport goods
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3ositioning( -osition the product as a combination of performance and comfort on four wheels along with econom! and space. B! refreshing the looks of the model1 the new variant must be promoted stating the it runs on the same platform as Versa assuring 2ualit! and safet! while continuing to promote it as The joy of Travelling Together. -romote the utilit! of a M-Vs and creating awareness of the benefits of such a vehicle. The positioning of the brands in the ,ndian passenger car market can be done on the basis of the price-power attribute

Marketing Mi": 3roduct( -roduct under re$launch is Maruti Versa with following features' -etrol version onl! of the car 'as !aruti has not been successful with earlier 4iesel cars* which would help in keeping B&. cost to a negligible level and also initial cost price would be low. Multi -urpose (tilit! vehicle for whole famil! with ? or D seater capacit!. Variants of the vehicle with different technical & ph!sical improvements like power steering1 A*1 etc. 3rice( The price would be kept low1 in the range of small$medium car segment1 to penetrate the market. Besearch and other initial costs have been assumed to be recovered in first launch. The compan! can afford to sell on its cost price to increase customer base. 5etting a higher-end product than a small car in similar price range would attract the customers. 3lace( .istribution *hannel'
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Maruti has well established network of distribution channels all over ,ndia for its products. A dedicated floor space can be allocated to Versa to improve the showcasing of the product. E commerce' :. The homepage to have dedicated space for Versa improving the visibilit!. 4. Booking of orders to be done online. F. *ustomi/ed needs of individual customers to be taken online and accommodated before deliver!. .irect sales' :. Cffering e&change offer for up gradation from 6$> seater vehicle to Versa at competitive discounts. 4. 7pecial discounts to joint families with 6 or more children in a house. ,ndirect sales' :. -romoting Versa for commercial use like intra$cit! travel for various agencies vi/. staff movement for companies1 small gatherings1 etc.# 4. (se as a special purpose vehicle e.g. ambulance1 service van1 etc. 3romotion( Versa would be promoted as a .complete family car0 to target big families segment in ,ndia. The message of sta!ing together & travelling together would help to tie a closer relationship with prospective customer. ,ndividual communication' A. Periodic promotional events at major distribution centers b! celebrities like Bachchan+s. *elebrit! would also be featured in various electronic media e.g. television1 radio1 online websites# advertisements1 print media adv.G and hoardings & banners. B. Promoting test drives with whole families to enable customer to check actual comfort and 2ualit! of ride.
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*.

Roadshows and displa! of vehicle in various e&hibitions & festivals.

-rint Media' A. -eriodic advertisements in leading national newspapers1 sports maga/ines1 automobile maga/ines etc. as well as in local language. B. -ublishing interviews of satisfied customers in their own language.

TV Media' A. Begular ads. during popular time e.g. soap-operas to target families# or cricket matches.

;eb Media'

#onclusion: Maruti Versa has a huge potential to e&plore in ,ndian market and can be a successful re$launch as' ,t has all the capabilities to match ,ndian customers+ needs. )as a well established distribution & after sales network. As1 in ,ndia1 purchase$decision is highl! affected b! the price and ambience1 Versa should be a success keeping in mind its low price and comfort. $astly% Maruti has a &ell esta'lished name and customer are emotionally attached to its earlier services% &ith right marketing strategy% Versa can 'ecome a leader in its segment &ith tremendous gro&th over ne"t fe& years(

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