Suzuki Samurai

ByM.KrishnanS.SashidharanP.Vijaykumar

Factors to be considered

• Competition• Sales volume• Price• Brand Salience• Distribution Network• Demographics

The 3 Traditional Positioning Options

• Compact SUV• Compact Pickup Truck• Subcompact Car

Compact SUVPros Cons

4x4 drive capability Low Market Potential which might not reach target sales

Built like an SUV Limited Market of SUVs[less than 3% in 1984]

Drives well off-road Some consumers correlate Price and Quality

Low Price

Smaller and lighter

Compact Pickup TruckPros Cons

Relatively large size of the market – 2.5 times that of the SUV market

Losing out on the subcompact car segment which was larger

Americans favor trucks imported from Japan [54% of total sales in 1984]

It had a 25% import tariff compared to the 2.5% for cars

It could be used as a truck when purchased without a backseat or a folded

up backseat.Narrow target segment

Subcompact CarsPros Cons

Opens up the largest of the 3 markets Stiff and less comfortable than even the least expensive subcompact car

Priced lower than many other subcompact cars

Very good mileage of 28 miles to the gallon

The Un-positioning strategy

• Un-positioning is just the opposite of positioning. It is offering a single product to the entire market.

• Each person can define the product in his or her owns way and can rationalize the purchase decision in his or her owns terms.

Pros Cons

Much larger target segments Tough job for the dealers

High customer satisfaction Might lead to confusion

Higher profitability Brand might get diluted

Threat to competitors

Target sales in each segment

SUV Pickup Truck Subcompact Car

% total industry sales 3% 7.6% 12.4%

Target sales in the import

category120% 21.6% 4.1%

Target total sales in that

segment7% 2.76% 1.7%

Attributes of Suzuki Samurai

• Off-Road Snow Driving Good• Everyday Driving Poor• Passenger Comfort Poor• Styling Poor• Mileage Good• Quality/Durability Good

When linked to the given perceptual maps

• [Good, Poor] Import SUV• [Poor, Poor] Import Pickup• [Good, Poor] Import SUV, Import Pickup• [Good, Poor] Import Pickup

It is logically best to position it as a Pickup Truck but on doing that they would be restricting themselves.

Marketing Programme

• Targeting• Positioning• Relationship• Distribution• Pricing• Promotion and advertising

Thank You