The car has become an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad, and incomplete.- Marshall Mcluhan

A business like an automobile has to be driven, in order to get results.- B. C. Forbes

Market Flash

Bye Bye Gurgoan, Welcome Gujarat!

The loud thumps of the press shop at Maruti Suzuki that helped lay the foundation for Gurgaon to emerge as one of India’s most thriving industrial belts will soon be a thing of the past. Maruti will cease carmaking at Gurgaon and turn it into an engine-making hub. The past decade, especially the past couple of years, has not been kind with strikes engulfing both Manesar and Gurgaon, throwing normal life in the city out of gear and forcing the company to radically rethink its strategy. “Gurgaon is just too congested to have a car assembly plant. It’s no longer an industrial area with residential and corporate offices coming up, the massive traffic movement due to large-scale manufacturing of cars often creates huge hindrances,” Maruti Suzuki Chairman Mr. RC Bhargava. Gurgaon’s loss will be Gujarat’s gain as a new 2 million cars-a-year facility is coming up in Mehsana. The company is buying two 600-acre chunks of land in Gujarat, where one would be reserved for making cars and the other would be allotted to vendors for components and other ancillary operations

Its All Bikes

The country’s largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp reported 2.41 per cent increase in its sales for March at 5,28,290 units. The company had sold 5,15,852 units during the same month last year. For the entire 2011-12 fiscal, the company crossed 60- lakh sales mark for the first time by dispatching a cumulative of 62,35,205 units.

The country’s second largest two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto reported 10 per cent increase in motorcycle sales in March at 3,00,848 units, the highest ever for the month. The company had sold 2,74,392 units in the corresponding month last year.

Finally We Fly Home!

‘The Transition’ combines the unique convenience of being able to fold its wings with the ability to drive on any surface road in a modern personal airplane platform. Stowing the wings for road use and deploying them for flight at the airport is activated from inside the cockpit.The Transition flying car from Woburn, Mass.-based Terrafugia stretched its wings for the first time at a motor show at the New York International Auto Show 2012. The Terrafugia Transition flying car has a propeller at its back to push it through the air, and the same motor that powers it can drive the back wheels, so that it can drive on the road. Its

wings fold in and out for driving or flying.The Transition can drive home on any road or surface and being able to drive home is the whole point of the Transition. By removing obstacles from the path of consumers wanting to enter general aviation, like needing transportation to and from the airport once they have landed, Terrafugia hopes the Transition will really take off as a transportation solution.

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01 MARKET FLASHThe latest marketing news bits from around the world

02 LAUNCH PADThe new products in the market that you should watch out for.

03 PAGE 3Chill your eyes

04 BIG IDEASShort Stories of great people

05 Smart cars in India

06 BUDDING VOICEDream Wheels

07 AD-REVIEWDissecting the Ad

08 MARKET ANALYSISKnowing specific markets

09 MARKETING MANTRAS

10 MARKETING QUIZ

11 GUEST EDITOR

12 SENIOR SPEAKS

About Horizon - Marketing Club Where two thoughts meet

PAGE 3LAUNCH PAD

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BMW Golf in India - with Shiv Kapur

BMW India announced a partnership with amateur golfing sensation Shiv Kapur to promote and showcase BMW Golf in India. As the Golf Ambassador for BMW in India, Shiv will actively promote the BMW Golf Cup International, the world’s largest international golf series for amateurs, across the country later this year. As part of the year-long partnership, Shiv Kapur will also be given a BMW 6 Series sedan.

Speaking on his partnership with BMW India, Shiv Kapur said that he is quite delighted to be associated with a brand that shares the same values I do. He added that to him, BMW represents understated luxury and style, prestige, and exceptional technology that ultimately translate into sheer driving pleasure. As BMW’s Ambassador for Golf, he is keen to promoting the world’s leading amateur golf series, the BMW Golf Cup International in India, as told by him.

Highlighting BMW India’s partnership with Shiv Kapur, Peter Kronschnabl, president, BMW India said that the association with Shiv marks yet another milestone in BMW’s commitment to promoting sporting excellence. Golf, like the cars BMW builds, epitomizes the utmost in human talent and precision. With Shiv coming on board, the company has gained a brand ambassador who has achieved an extraordinary level of success during his short career as a golfer, and one who is keen to partner with the company in its Endeavour to develop sporting talent.

Nissan India Gets 5 Lakh+ Fans on FacebookCar Brands Reaching Out to People on Social Media

There is a shift in the way people use to research for their important purchases these days. With emerging new mediums like Internet and deeper penetration of information though this medium more and more people are coming online using their computers and phones to connect, communicate and share information. Social networking websites like Facebook have become platforms for people to not only connect, but also brands are coming online on these platforms to connect with their customers and perspective buyers. Also it provides a direct and more effective way for the brands to reach out to people directly. Nissan India, on 29th Feb 2012, assumed leadership of the online space by becoming the first international automobile company in India to cross the 500,000 community fan base on its

Facebook brand page. The social media success has come in about four months of the Company launching an online campaign, New Star of India, through the most popular online space, Facebook. The campaign produced the world’s first crowd-sourced movie, after selecting 20 passionate co-stars through an audition on Facebook.

I would say Evolution and greed have a closer relationship. After the first commercial vehicle from Henry ford the t series engine. Over the century automobile industry has shown an astonishing growth, it had emphasized mainly on 3 things performance, performance and performance. The new carbon fiber technology, high performance engines, regenerative braking system, switching engines, technology embedded tracking devices etc are some of the latest innovations. The functionality of engines generally varies with the consumer interest.

There are few concept cars awaiting to catch your attention which are expected soon on an commercial mode. Alfa Romeo 4c, Jaguar C-X75, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Mazda6, Cadillac ATS, Audi Quattro concept, Ford Vertrek concept, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG e-cell, Mini Rocketman concept, Scion FR-S. These show cars which mainly targets niche segment with their unique differentiating element -performance is expected to test Indian road in nearby future.

Mazda Motor Corporation had unveiled its concept car Mazda TAKERI, the next generation midsized sedan equipped with i-ELOOP regenerative braking system technology, high efficient new SKYACTIV-d diesel engine with I stop idle stop system and six- speed SKYAVTIV-Drive automatic transmission. Intelligent energy loop (iELOOP) from Mazda provides a unique solution that converts kinetic energy to electricity during deceleration and stores it in an electric double layer capacitor. The power is used to run the vehicle’s electric components thereby reducing the engine load and increasing fuel efficiency by up to 10% which achieved at no sacrifice of performance neither comfort.

BMW i3 Electric City CarWhile most modern concepts cars are just thinly disguised versions of near term production vehicles, with lacking innovation. But this car will not come under this category. BMW claims its new chevy volt beater with i3 engine could bring the equivalent of 150 horsepower with an top speed cap of 100mph made up with carbon reinforced plastic gives extra comfort and look.

In conjunction with industrial giant Siemens, BMW is working on a magnetic field charging system, like those

used in wireless laptop and cell phone charging pads, where a car would parked above a charging station. At that point, a coil in both the ground and the vehicle would recognize each other and begin to charge.

BIG IDEAS

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Entrepreneurial Streak– Brijmohan Lall Munjal

An entrepreneur in the automobile industry needs to be aware of all kinds of kicks and starts! A hero in his own right, the founder of Hero Honda Mr.Brijmohan Lall Munjal is a force to reckon with. A first-generation entrepreneur even before India got its Independence, Munjal took his company and India forward with the

introduction of the unforgettable ‘Hero’ bicycles.

Born in 1923 in then unpartitioned Punjab, he and his family came to India and settled in Amritsar as they perceived

imminent partition. Along with his older brothers and a younger brother, Brijmohan Munjal started supplying components to manufacturers of bicycles in and around Amritsar. After the partition in 1947 and a non conducive political situation there, they moved to Ludhiana and expanded their distribution network there since it was the centre for bicycles. However it was not a rosy path to tread for them because procuring a manufacturing license was a big task back then. When the Punjab government issued tender notices for new industrial licenses to make bicycles, they lapped it up by bidding and winning the contract. Hero Cycles was formally registered as a large-scale industrial unit capable of manufacturing 7500 units per year and the government chipped in Rs.6,00,000 to encourage many entrepreneurs to come forward and ‘kick-start’ the economy which accepted the new mantra of self-reliance after gaining Independence. Within a span of 7 years, production increased manifold and it became not just India’s but the world’s largest manufacturer of bicycles as attested by the Guinness Book of World Records. Sensing competition, the task of putting a dealer network in place was a strategy that they adopted and it was a differentiating factor from other competitors at that time. Brijmohan even travelled to Germany and Japan to source world-class components and machines to offer Indian customers at an affordable rate.

It was also a time when the Indian government began issuing licenses for Indian companies to venture into the moped segment and Brijmohan who saw mopeds abroad, felt it would be ideal to take business to the next level. The French two-wheeler giant Peugeot was approached for a tie-up, but it did not materialise. Hero cycles modelled their own mopeds on the Peugeot Machi and tweaked it to suit the local demands. It became an immediate success and in the 1980’s, the Japanese automobile giant Honda saw their potential and went ahead to partner with them and created Hero Honda on 13th April 1985.Diversification was something that Brijmohan was aware of apart from Hero’s expansion plans. Ventures included Hero Exports which emerged as India’s largest exported of two-wheelers, Hero Honda Finlease to finance its customers, IT and IT enabled services. But all along, the values and principles that they believed in remained intact. Despite stiff competition; sheer hard work, persistence and vision of Brijmohan Munjal even during turbulent times made Hero Honda a powerful brand. Using technologies developed by international companies and innovating different styles of bikes to give customers varied options has made Hero Honda a hot favourite among many. For his contributions, Mr. B.M.Munjal received ‘The Distinguished Entrepreneurship Award’ from The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1997. He was also the recipient of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001 and was honoured with Padma Bhushan in March 2005. Last year, Mr. Munjal presided over family split and he along with his sons got the biggest stake of 26% in flagship Hero Honda, bringing to end the 26-years pairing with Japan’s Honda Motors due to difference of opinions. Thought the future of Hero Group does not seem bleak, the break-up with Honda has dented its image a little since the name Hero Honda is strongly etched in the minds of millions. Honda will continue to provide technology to Hero Honda motorbikes until 2014 for existing as well as future models. After that what is going to happen, remains to be seen. But the younger generation of the Munjal family and Mr.B.M. Munjal’s vast business experience will help Hero Group tide over rough waters in no time.

Smart Cars in India

With the whole world buzzing about being socially active and reducing cost, automobile industry is also aligning itself to the changing trend. Technologies are being introduced in the market with cars focusing on saving environment and reducing carbon footprints.

In this industry, operating cost has been the major concern for consumers and they have to keep prying their pockets to refuel their cars. So, can we think of a day when these machines can be once purchased and never have to be refueled? May be we can to an extent, and the credit goes to the developing technology which does not have to rely on ever so expensive fossil fuels.

Companies are coming out with cars in electric and hybrid variants which can run using charge stored in batteries. These cars can reduce pollution in environment and load on the pockets of consumers. Benefits are not limited to consumers only; even the manufacturers can generate brand equity by showcasing a socially concerned image.

Contrary to this, India’s first electric car, Reva, has yet to see the rising sun. Slow, not fit for long drives, high maintenance problems, positioning confusion are considered few reasons for its limited sales. In the light of this, what can be the fate of Mercedes-Benz who is planning to launch an electric car by 2014 in India at even higher price? Chances of success depend upon the perception of people and the way the technology is presented by the premium cars leader. Daimler is currently developing this next generation Smart models jointly with Renault-Nissan to keep the costs down. But, news says that Smart cars in India will be priced in the range of Rs.12-15 lakhs which is still inflated compared to

other hatchback cars in market. A segment for such a price range is usually governed by sedans which are bought for their luxurious benefits.

This Smart car neither provides luxury of sedan nor the benefits of regular hatchback. So now the food for thought is ‘Will the non-conventional technology and Go Green image remain sufficient to see the breaking of dawn?’

BRANDING WITH TECHNOLOGY

AD-REVIEWBUDDING VOICE

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Maruti - 25th Anniversary

On its 25th anniversary Maruti seeks to reiterate the relationship that it shares with its customers with a brand new film. Maruti’s journey in India started way back in 1983 when Maruti launched its first car, Maruti 800 and since then they have never looked back. They revolutionised the Indian automobile industry with their small, compact, trendy looking and fuel efficient cars. It took nearly a month to shoot the 60-second commercial, which was shot at multiple locations across Bangalore, Mysore, Kerala and Rajasthan.

The film is shot by the ace cinematographer Mr.Rajiv Menon of Bombay and Guru fame, the ad is a product of Capital Advertising. Incidentally, Capital Advertising has been associated with Maruti Suzuki for nearly a decade now and handles the company’s popular Swift brand as well as the corporate brand.

The curtain raises with the scene at the arrival of the airport when a young girl comes in a black Grand Vitara to receive her father. After hugging him tightly as she opens the back door waiting for her father to put in his luggage, the father instead of doing so runs to the driver’s wheel so that he can drive back home. Finally the young girl exasperated gives in and the father drives the car. From there the scene shifts to the beautiful sceneries of Kerala back waters, where a young couple with their newborn, in their red Wagon R is on their way back home to make their parents meet their first grandchild. However they do not have to travel till their home and meet the proud grandparents in the midway as they come out of a temple procession. On the other hand, somewhere else an angry father awaits for his daughter’s return from a late night out right outside their house. Just then a Maruti Swift turns up and out comes the daughter all scared and tensed. As the father starts giving her a piece of his mind, the guy companion comes out of the car and introduces himself to the girl’s parents and is welcomed into their home. Next, an army officer all set to leave his base and head towards his home, bids all his officers, seniors and colleagues goodbye and leaves in a Maruti Gypsy. From the mountainous terrain the scene shift towards a Maruti Omni which pulls up before a house and two school kids jump out from the van to be in their mother’s arms. Finally before bidding goodbye, the camera focuses its lenses on a young gentleman standing in the highway all frustrated as he is not able to find a ride back home. Just then he locates a red Swift coming his way. Immediately without wasting time he pulls out his placard saying ‘Need to be home for Diwali’ and it works. The driver of the car pulls over and the young lad gets a ride back home. The film closes with Maruti’s new catchy signature tune playing at the back and a voice saying ‘India comes home in a Maruti Suzuki.’ The new tune will now be a part of all Maruti’s commercials from now on. This 1minute long commercial or film as they are calling it, is specially made to celebrate Maruti’s 25 years of success.

Through this commercial Maruti has simply tried to show the kind of relationship that Maruti shares with its 6.5 million customers, who are spread across the nation. It is not merely limited to the physical boundary, but goes beyond! Maruti has a place in each of their hearts and this ad is a tribute to that bond. Usually campaigns focus on offerings, but this time they chose to talk about the experiences. The car in this context is not just about transporting people from one place to another, it is also about an emotional connect. Hence this time the Maruti and the Ad Agency together tried to bring out this emotional connect which is totally unique to Maruti.

Ad rating: 3.5/5Ad Agency: Capital Advertising.Slogan: “India comes home in a Maruti Suzuki.”

Dream Wheels

The days of endless long legs has gone. Iron Man just isn’t fancy enough. Hot wheels are no longer hotter. A walk from Tharvarkarre or S.G Palya to Christ University seems endless. That is because what everyone desires is an iron body which is long, hot and can vroom to college in a jiffy. Yes, we are talking automobiles this month. Every youngster worth his salt desires a car these days. In a country like India where a joint family system prevails, a car is the only personal space which one has today considering we are always on the move.

Purchasing an automobile is not as easy as picking the hottest nail paint this season or deciding which IPL team to support. With so much competition in the market, the consumer is spoilt for choices and with variety comes in confusion. Even Fred Flintstone must have had a tough time picking up his set of ‘wheels’ and with so much variety in today’s market, the only set of wheels that is easy to pick are roller blades (sarcasm intended) . This is where automobile marketing and advertising come into play and help consumers make the right choice. Since companies today have spread their wings all over mother earth, they tend to go for global marketing strategies. The entire globe comes into foray for companies like ford, general motors and fiat. Automobile counterparts are forever trying to “think globally and act locally”. Coming up with a strategy that has worldly appeal is a herculean task.

Cadillac is the epitome of a company that is advocating a global marketing strategy. Cadillac has not gone for regional appeal or for customized ads. Rather, it plays on the emotions by showcasing advertisements with a very pretty Kate Welsh asking “When you turn on your car, does it return the favor?”. This statement is not limited to a single segment or particular target but gives a generalized and global aspect to this company.

Lexus, not to be left far behind has also embarked on its global marketing strategy by taking the company’s mission of “Passionate pursuit of perfection” throughout the seven continents. They went for a global approach in a local fashion i.e. they realized having an American advertisement throughout the world is not going to connect with everyone,

so they went ahead and made modifications and alterations to suit the requirements of every region and this has given back the results the company envisioned.

Chrysler- another leading automobile brand joined the global marketing bandwagon by coming up with the concept of a global message. It incorporated marketing individuals from every region and came up with a vision and mission aimed at unifying diversity and celebrating differences.

Thus, a lot of global marketing practices have been brought into play to make consumers feel at ‘home’ in their made in France or made in

Germany automobiles. So when you make your pick do imagine yourself to be a Kate Welsh or a Shahrukh Khan (read Hyundai) and ask yourself about the returns you are wheels rolls back to you!

MARKET ANALYSIS

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MARKETING Mantras

The Indian Automobile Industry

The automobile industry has come a long way in the last decade and a half from the days when Ambassador and Fiat were the only choice people had, to the present, where the industry stalwarts have set shops in the country, offering cars ranging from the size of a demi-toy to the world’s fastest cars. This also speaks volumes about the purchasing power of the Indian consumers as well as their tastes and preferences that have changed significantly over the years. This has also helped the industry achieve several milestones of which the most important being one of the major contributor to India’s economy and also being one of the largest employer in the country with around 1.5 crore people associated with the industry directly or indirectly. It

contributes well over 5% to our GDP and the tax alone paid by the industry stands at over Rs 25000 crore. The products are mainly classified as the two-wheeler, three – wheeler and four - wheeler segments. Further down, the four – wheeler industry can be broadly divided as the passenger car segment and commercial vehicles. This industry also comprises of the ancillary industries comprising of the auto components and tyre manufacturers and is almost of the same business as the mother industry.

Some of the major players in the passenger car segment are Maruti Udyog, TATA, Mahindra,etc. while Tata rules the commercial vehicle segment with more than 60% market share. Next is Ashok Leyland followed by Mahindra. In the two wheeler segment, the market is ruled by Bajaj followed by Hero Honda and TVS, among the Indian players. Thanks to the LPG policies of the government during 1990-91, that the industry has seen some of the biggest automobile producers of the world set shops in India successfully. The Indian auto market is the third largest in Asia and one of the biggest exporters to other developing counties giving the major chunk of sales and to other parts of the world too. The industry is currently observing a CAGR of over 15% barring the period of recession during 2008. Exports too are on the rise. The industry is also facing stiff competition from the foreign players who have been offering fast changing highly affordable new technologies to the consumers.

In India, a car is considered to be just another family member and hence people are not only highly price sensitive but also concerned about the safety, security, comfort and other such features. This is quite challenging for the existing players since foreign companies like Honda, Hyundai, Daimler-Chrysler, BMW, Audi, Harley Davidson, Yamaha, MAN, Volvo, Mitsubishi to name a few, have been showing excellent progress in delivering high quality technology and promptly capturing the hearts and pockets of the Indian consumers. So not only technology but also price are two very important determinants of this industry. Today, people do not think twice about spending the extra bucks to drive their passion and favorite brands. This leaves a huge room with the Indian companies to stay abreast and continuously invent new technology to remain in competition. Otherwise, they too will fall a prey in the clutches of such challenges and face the destiny like that of Hindusthan Motors. Some of the other major challenges faced by this industry are rising input costs, ever increasing fuel costs, labour wages, IR issues, environmental and pollution concerns, consumers changing tastes and preferences, foreign competition etc. In spite of all these, the industry is seeing mammoth growth of about 14% in the exports and hence leaves them with lucrative opportunities in the future. It quite depends on how the Indian players take this competition in positive stride, look at greener pastures in terms of M&As, provide better customer and road-side services and make affordable vehicles with better features and make the most out of globalization.

Automobile Information Disclosures Act (1958)

This act mandates the display of various kinds of information on every new automobile including the suggested price of the car and of all optional equipment, and transportation costs.

Automatic Optimization

Search engines identify which ad for an individual advertiser demonstrates the highest CTR (click-through rate) as time progresses, and then optimizes the ad serve, showing that ad more often than other ads in the same Ad Group/Ad Order.

Erratic Demand

A pattern of demand for a product that is varied and unpredictable. In automobile Industry the demand for large automobiles is a classic example for erratic demand

Awareness-trial-repeat (A-T-R)

A paradigm consisting of three key steps by the intended user. The steps take the person or firm from a state of ignorance about a new product to the point of product adoption. Awareness (cognition) may be of the product generally, its brand, and one or more of its attributes. Trial means some form of test purchase or use, following upon favorable affect stemming from knowledge regarding the attributes. Repeat means the trial was sufficiently successful to warrant one or more repeat purchases. There are other, similar, paradigms (for example attention, interest, desire, action) but these are not new product specific and do not cover the entire product adoption process.

Differentiated oligopoly

An oligopoly that produces and markets products that consumers consider close, but less than perfect, substitutes. e.g., automobiles.

Sales organization specialized by account

Each salesperson is assigned to one or more accounts of the same type, often without regard to geographic location. An account specialist, for example, may call only on chain store headquarters, or only on automobile company headquarters. This may be an appropriate strategy when the account potential is large and when experienced salespeople are needed to deal with high level customer executives. Although this is the highest cost sales organization strategy, it is usually justified by the large sales potential of the accounts assigned in this manner.

Intertype competition

The competition between different types of firms selling the same product. For example, automobile tires may be sold through discount stores; gasoline service stations; department stores; tire, battery, and accessory dealers; and independent garages.

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MARKETING QUIZ

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GUEST EDITOR

Automobile Quiz!

1. “Putting you first keeps us first” is the advertising slogan of which car company?

2. Where was Henry Ford born?

3. Which Harley-Davidson model has been in continuous production the longest?

4. How did the Diesel engine get its name?

5. Which is India’s first fully indigenous passenger car?

6. Which was the first production road car to exceed 200 miles per hour?

7. What percentage of new cars is purchased by women?

8. Which Indian auto major came to existence as M/s Bachraj Trading Corporation Private Ltd?

9. Who did Henry Ford work for and also shared a good friendship with him?

10. What is the Honda City also known as?

Answers

1. Chevrolet2. Michigan3. Sportster4. From its inventor, Rudolf Diesel (German)5. Tata Indica6. Ferrari F407. 50 % (worldwide figures)8. Bajaj Auto Ltd.9. Thomas Edison10. Honda Fit Aria (Japan domestic market)

Automobile industry

Starting its journey from the day when the first car rolled on the streets of Mumbai in 1898, the Indian automobile industry has demonstrated a phenomenal growth to this day. Today, the Indian automobile industry presents a galaxy of varieties and models meeting all possible expectations and globally established industry standards. Some of the leading names echoing in the Indian automobile industry include Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, Hyundai Motors, Hero Honda, Hindustan Motors and Volkswagon recently joining the cue.

During the early stages of its development, Indian automobile industry heavily depended on foreign technologies. However, over the years, the manufacturers in India have started using their own technology evolved in the native soil. The thriving market place in the country has attracted a number of automobile manufacturers including some of the reputed global leaders to set their foot in the soil looking forward to enhance their profile and prospects to new heights. Following a temporary setback on account of the global economic recession, the Indian automobile market has once again picked up a remarkable momentum witnessing a buoyant sale for the first time in its history in the month of September 2009.

The automobile sector of India is the seventh largest in the world. In a year, the country manufactures about 2.6 million cars making up an identifiable chunk in the world’s annual production of about 73 million cars in a year. The country is the largest manufacturer of motorcycles and the fifth largest producer of commercial vehicles. Industry experts have visualized an unbelievably huge increase in these figures over the immediate future. The figures published by the Asia Economic Institute indicate that the Indian automobile sector is set to emerge as the global leader by 2012. In the year 2009, India rose to be the fourth largest exporter of automobiles following Japan, South Korea and Thailand. Experts state that in the year 2050, India will top the car volumes of all the nations of the world with about 611 million cars running on its roads.

At present, about 75 percent of India’s automobile industry is made up by small cars, with the figure ranking the nation on top of any other country on the globe. Over the next two or three years, the country is expecting the arrival of more than a dozen new brands making compact car models.

Recently, the automotive giants of India including General Motors (GM), Volkswagen, Honda, and Hyundai, have declared significant expansion plans. On account of its huge market potential, a very low base of car ownership in the country estimated at about 25 per 1,000 people, and a rapidly surging economy, the nation is firmly set on its way to become an outsourcing platform for a number of global auto companies. Some of the upcoming cars in the India soil comprise Maruti A-Star (Suzuki), Maruti Splash (Suzuki), Volkswagon Up and Volkswagon Polo, Bajaj small car (Bajaj Auto), Jazz (Honda) and Cobalt, Aveo (General Motors) in addition to several others.

The Indian automobile industry is now riding high on success, and the bright picture does tend to obscure the problems and challenges that lay on the track of its growth. Poor road conditions, heavy pollution and large scale traffic related accidents are serious impediments in the way of the industry’s growth. However, steps are being initiated by the government to address these problems at various levels, and solutions are being worked out at a steady pace.

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SENIOR SPEAKSCandid Talk with Darshan Thaker

• What was your first impression about Christ University?Before coming to Christ University, I had done a background check on Social Networking sites, MBA websites regarding Christ University and therefore had a mixed perception. But when I came to college for the first time for my GDPI I was very happy looking at the infrastructure and the professionalism of conducting GDPI.

• What changes has come in you compared to the first day and the last day at CUIM?Being a commerce graduate, life was easy but in these 2 years I have learned to be more disciplined, punctual and have realized the importance of time. In short I have become more professional in life.

• How will second year be different from first year?No regular sections, you will get to know more people. Studies will get more focussed as you will be learning only your core subjects.

• Tell us one good thing about CUIM and one thing which it can improve upon?There are many good things about Christ such as they have good placement, faculty and most importantly there is a good bridge between industry and curriculum. It can improve on the exams and make it more application oriented.

• Where have you got placed? Tell us about your placement experience.I am placed in Reckitt Benckiser with a package of 6 Lakh/annum. FMCG has always been my dream sector, and I am overwhelmed to get into Reckitt. The journey was not easy, prior to Reckitt, I had attended a lot of interviews but none were successful. But I had the determination to get into the best company. Hence when Reckitt came I worked hard by doing a thorough background research about the company and was finally able to get through it. I had to clear 6 rounds to get selected!!

• Your feedback about the FarewellFarewell was very good, it was better than last year and the personalised gift idea was amazing as it will provide a good utility.

• What will you miss the most about CUIM?These two years was a life in itself. I will miss everything especially Fests, OBT, Pioneer, Chrizellenz, USHUS.

• Which is your most memorable moment in these 2 years?One moment which gave me confidence and helped me create a good impression among faculty and friends is my first Presentation I gave in marketing club.

• How would you like your juniors and your lecturers to remember you?I would like them to remember me for my contribution in USHUS, Pioneer, and Marketing Club. Also, for my commitment, go getter attitude and most importantly as a humble and kind person.

• What advice would you like to give your juniors?You have got into one of the best B schools in Bangalore; hence make use of the opportunities provided. Do not just study, every MBA student studies, be a part of all the activities don’t just be a volunteer lead from the front. Networking is very important without which your MBA is incomplete. This is the last chance to develop do not let it go. There must be a good story to tell at the end of 2 years. You will get everything you desire but before you desire make yourself worthy of it.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Market Flash- ROHIT MITRA

Launch Pad- UDAY GUPTA

Page 3 – SUSHANT BHASIN

Big Ideas- SHARNITHA

Branding with Technology – PRATEEK SOTI

Budding Voice – VRINDA A. RATHI

Ad-Review- SAHANA SINHA

Market Analysis – CHITRAK

Quiz- DHAVAL

Marketing Mantras - LAKSHMI

Quotes- LAKSHMI

Senior Speaks - EMMANUEL

EdITORIal TEam

Editor-In-Chief- Sahana SinhaGuest Editor- Aditya Saraogi

Editors- Chitrak Banerjee, Dhaval Kamdar, Emmanuel Francis J, Lakshmi K, Prateek Soti, Rohit Mitra, Sahana Sinha, Sharnitha Ramachandran, Sushant Bhasin, Uday Gupta, Vrinda A. Rathi

Creative and Design Team - Akanksha Tiwari, Sahana & Jubeesh Don Bosco

Image Source: www.google.com

“There’s a lot of fear –mongering about loosing control of your brand online ,when in fact you have got control over as much as you always have :how you present your business and how you act “

- Jay Baer and Amber Naslund, authors of ‘The Now Revolution’