[ajr747]

Originally Posted by AkMar

Mumbai gets 2 NEXA showrooms, and I can see none in "Coming soon" list So it seems Mumbai will have only 2 NEXAs for now! This is too less IMHO.

Compared to this, Delhi has 2, and 4 more in upcoming list. Even Pune will be getting 3 in all.

Mangalore NEXA dealers are Mandovi Motors on Airport Road and Bharath Autos in Kadri.

[The Rationalist]

Wow, Maruti acts as if NEXA is BMW. The entire state of Kerala is going to get 2 NEXA showrooms! These dumb wits think selling a car through fewer outlets will make it premium! If the S-cross sells more than a thousand I will be surprised. These stupids should learn a lesson or two. If they really wanted to make it premium, they should have started exclusive service centres, people visit showrooms twice at the most. After buying the car he has no option but return to the crowded MASS!

[m8002?]

I too feel using the premium tag for s-crosss is an overkill. Its just another c segment mass market car. It will backfire big time if they plan to pass on this cost to the customers.

They should have done it for the kizashi and grand vitara. Or use it for future launches in that space. The exclusive showrooms would have made some difference there.

[rockporiom]

Found an interview where RC Bhargava explains the NEXA concept and the reason for having less showrooms.

https://youtu.be/saWrLLvGCmk

[kiku007]

The humble Altos and Swifts are going to pay for keeping the Nexa Showrooms running. Brilliant.

[pgsagar]

The car, S-Cross itself looks plain ugly. Forget premium etc. And Nexa? For S-Cross? What has gotten into MUL's head? MUL will be lucky if S-Cross even figures among top 10. Whatever sales it may garner, it would be because of Maruti badge. If this car had other badge, they would have probably not sold even 100 units a month. And not all Marutis are hot-sellers. A-Star, Estilo, Baleno, SX4, Versa are cars MUL could not push off showrooms.

[pugram]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

If they really wanted to make it premium, they should have started exclusive service centres, people visit showrooms twice at the most. After buying the car he has no option but return to the crowded MASS!

Well said. This initiative is similar to the pro-biking dealerships that Bajaj had and the Eliminator / Avenger used to be sold exclusively through them. Service was at the regular service centre.
I did no feel like going to a different locality to buy my bike, rather opted for a pulsar and am happy with it.

Maruti can provide exclusive service outlets for the S-Cross and cross sell accessories to those customers. I think Ford has a customer experience centre albeit for accessories only.

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by rockporiom

Found an interview where RC Bhargava explains the NEXA concept and the reason for having less showrooms.

As if people will travel 100's of kms to experience S-cross! What do these guys smoke? What do they think S-cross is? Mercedes has 3 dealers in Kerala and S-cross has 2!

[rockporiom]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

As if people will travel 100's of kms to experience S-cross! What do these guys smoke? What do they think S-cross is? Mercedes has 3 dealers in Kerala and S-cross has 2!

It was funny how he answered the question on the unavailability of the S cross in the existing showrooms. He was like they are not available in the existing showrooms but they are available right?

Its like he is doing the world a favour by making it available

[volkman10]

Nexa (Bimal) Bangalore - Impressive layout and customer interface!

[jvk84]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

As if people will travel 100's of kms to experience S-cross! What do these guys smoke? What do they think S-cross is? Mercedes has 3 dealers in Kerala and S-cross has 2!

I also agree with you. I was thinking about S-Cross, but after hearing that I will have to go to Kochi just to check it out, i dropped the plan. I hope the low sales through Nexa forces maruti to drop the exclusivity.

[shankar.balan]

Before we get all excited and 'democratic/ communistic' I would like to draw attention to an age old Marketing ploy which is called "creating an artificial/ controlled scarcity".

What do you think the whole concept of Google One Plus One and One Plus Two leverage? They can be bought only by "invitation" and are available initially only in limited numbers.

This "artificial scarcity" creates greater desire to own these toys and Maruti is merely trying to leverage this concept.

Over a period of time, once they create sufficient "buzz" and "demand" they will gradually make these "premium" or "desirable" vehicles available more widely for a larger mass of people.

For now, they are busy revamping their brand and their own "desirability factor" which I am sure many will agree, has become very jaded over the last ten years - they are trying hard to create a premium image with some new introductions and will willy nilly sacrifice quantity of sales in exchange for "brand value".

[stanjohn123]

A brand new premium showroom with no exclusive service center seems really useless. A premium customer also would prefer not to mingle with the masses in normal service centers. Come on Maruti

[pgsagar]

This time, I think it is Maruti's turn to lose. Nexa may not get them anywhere. The bulk movers from MUL, Swift/Dzire/Alto/Wagon R, will continue to sell from "low-end" showrooms (read existing). While "high-end" (according to MUL) S-Cross (which is a non-looker) will sell from "premium" outlet. Now, we all know premium crowd does not generally patronise MUL brand. In any case I don't think they will patronise a car like S-Cross. The bulk-buyers of Swift/Dzire/Alto/Wagon R would feel like a 2nd class citizens when they have to buy from budget-end outlet. This will force some of them to altogether avoid an MUL car and instead head to H or H showrooms. My fear is, with this move, MUL will neither fall here nor there. No one wants to be seen driving a poorman's car. Remember Nano?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Before we get all excited and 'democratic/ communistic' I would like to draw attention to an age old Marketing ploy which is called "creating an artificial/ controlled scarcity"........

It's easier to draw people into an 'invitation-only' gadget sale with an average shelf/usage life of a year or two, than a 'scarcely available' automobile which isn't really head & shoulders above the competition, costs a bomb and which most people won't replace as quickly as their gadgets.

Potential S-cross users may just decide to take their business elsewhere. Maruti's not-so-premium image and no-separate-A.S.S. approach may put a dampener on this wannabe premium push.

Let's see how this pans out.