Tracked by TEJA BANDARU
Kizashi, means ‘Something great is coming’ in Japanese. So is the car worth the meaning? May not be in this country with a billion people who know about Maruti in and out. It can be seen that Maruti is trying to break the notion that Indians have towards the company. Currently the D segment and the upper D segment are ruled by Honda, Toyota, Skoda and Volkswagen who have a very high brand recognition which is difficult for Maruti Suzuki to overcome as they have been and still making small cars and they stand for it.
I would say, it might not make a mark in this particular segment. It had previously tested waters through Baleno. Baleno is a good car. It’s got decent looks, if not great and a very efficient mill under its hood. But everybody knows what happened to the ‘product’. Same happened with Grand Vitara, futuristic looks, great promotions et al but no luck. I fear that same might happen with Kizashi.
To add to this dilemma and apprehension; is the TVC’s brought out. What does it convey? Nothing. What I could deduct was that Maruti is trying to showcase that kizashi IS a luxury car but the audience might not recognize it because nothing apart from a quarter of the steering wheel is shown and every car from 8 laksh have those buttons on the wheel . Are they special? Then put it in the ad! BUT, there’s a flipside to my point; it can be a teaser ad but nowhere is it mentioned like that. So I assume that the TVC is a proper one and is not captivating enough to make the prospect close the sale.
Next, an innovation that is being done by MSIL specifically for Kizashi is that they are establishing a direct sales force for the brand. This can steal the hearts of its prospective buyers. Nevertheless one can’t guarantee the model’s success. Hence, to overcome this, there is a time tested strategy which might work, it is the creation of a sub-brand bearing no relation to Suzuki. Yes, you are right, like the Lexus. The Japanese have been pioneers in this strategy especially in the automotive space. Though this is not as simple as giving this idea but the most benefit able solution given that Suzuki is partly owned by Volkswagen. Hence, let us see if Kizashi can really make a dent in the Indian market.
