[cingsman]

This should be very interesting! Suzuki in a premium play for higher margins! Nice. Looking forward to it.

[dashoin]

They really need to do this!

I bought a K10 for my wife last year and was happy that the SA made extra efforts to help us buy. This was despite us taking a TD of at least 4 models and having him bring an Alto 800 for an inspection before we paid an advance (it did not have child safety locks for the rear doors, rejected).
One year later, we decide to retire the 10 yr old Esteem with a Ciaz. The first inquiry is handled by a SA (another established dealer has a new service center close to my place) who asks me about the car I am interested in and then promptly unilaterally decides that the Wagon R is the best car for me and proceeds with a monologue of about 10 minutes. After he is done, I remind him that I asked about a different car and he promptly starts on the new K10.

I call up the previous dealer and was told that they had an exchange camp that weekend in my area. They offered to come over for the TD and evaluate my car at the same time. After 4 hours, I call them up to learn that the evaluator is unavailable! This was 2 weeks back. After some coordination (to fit my calender with theirs), we decide that the best day would be on a Saturday. Today, the kids decide to take me to Bhuleshwar. On the way back, the SA calls. As I was driving, my wife tells him that I would call back. I call him back to learn that he had visited and I wasnt there and neither was the car. I meekly submitted that he should have called before coming. He ignores this and launches how the was on leave and he other SA coordinating with me had lost interest in this.
The Esteem was getting a brake fluid leak attended at the first dealers service station and he decided to inspect the car over there. I was supposed to get a call back about 3 hours ago, but seems it would be another weekend before I get an update.

[sumzup]

Originally Posted by dashoin

They really need to do this!

I bought a K10 for my wife last year and was happy that the SA made extra efforts to help us buy. This was despite us taking a TD of at least 4 models and having him bring an Alto 800 for an inspection before we paid an advance (it did not have child safety locks for the rear doors, rejected).
One year later, we decide to retire the 10 yr old Esteem with a Ciaz. The first inquiry is handled by a SA (another established dealer has a new service center close to my place) who asks me about the car I am interested in and then promptly unilaterally decides that the Wagon R is the best car for me and proceeds with a monologue of about 10 minutes. After he is done, I remind him that I asked about a different car and he promptly starts on the new K10.

I call up the previous dealer and was told that they had an exchange camp that weekend in my area. They offered to come over for the TD and evaluate my car at the same time. After 4 hours, I call them up to learn that the evaluator is unavailable! This was 2 weeks back. After some coordination (to fit my calender with theirs), we decide that the best day would be on a Saturday. Today, the kids decide to take me to Bhuleshwar. On the way back, the SA calls. As I was driving, my wife tells him that I would call back. I call him back to learn that he had visited and I wasnt there and neither was the car. I meekly submitted that he should have called before coming. He ignores this and launches how the was on leave and he other SA coordinating with me had lost interest in this.
The Esteem was getting a brake fluid leak attended at the first dealers service station and he decided to inspect the car over there. I was supposed to get a call back about 3 hours ago, but seems it would be another weekend before I get an update.

Well dashoin, thats Maruthi and it surprises me that they top the satisfaction index year after year

[volkman10]

Maruti Suzuki's Premium outlet NEXA will be officially launched in July. Ciaz and S Cross will be the first duo of premium cars to start with.

Though Nexa is likely to be officially launched in July, a soft launch has already been done, with a new store coming up in Delhi's Dwarka. This store stocks only the Ciaz, the car that is helping Maruti establish itself in the premium sedan market.

Though Nexa will initially be launched only in cities, Maruti plans to later roll out these dealerships across India.

http://www.business-standard.com/art...0100032_1.html

[dashoin]

Originally Posted by sumzup

Well dashoin, thats Maruthi and it surprises me that they top the satisfaction index year after year

Well, to their credit, they at least followed up. I have had a Honda dealership try and sell me an Amaze while I told them pointedly that I wanted to buy a City. From the experience I had while finalizing my wife`s car, I guess they would get back in touch with me by Feb 2016!

The context was about a separate dealership for these cars. As per my experience, this is a must if they want to target another segment.

[sumzup]

Originally Posted by sumzup

Well dashoin, thats Maruthi and it surprises me that they top the satisfaction index year after year

Originally Posted by dashoin

Well, to their credit, they at least followed up. I have had a Honda dealership try and sell me an Amaze while I told them pointedly that I wanted to buy a City. From the experience I had while finalizing my wife`s car, I guess they would get back in touch with me by Feb 2016!

The context was about a separate dealership for these cars. As per my experience, this is a must if they want to target another segment.

Dashoin, looks like finally it is the attitude of the workforce that matters which ever the brand. As long as we do not give due importance about the way we go about doing our things, we would be like announcements on the public address system.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

Have not seen the Maruti showrooms in the western suburbs of Bombay, but the Sai Service showroom in Pheonix mills is big, decently done up. One of the reasons why you think Maruti showrooms look cramped is the sheer number of car models that they have to display. Otherwise a simple comparison of the area occupied by Maruti dealierships v/s the competition will show that Maruti showrooms have a bigger area.

In Western suburbs, Shivam Autozone and Spectra showrooms are pretty barebone. Even display cars are parked on the roadside. They have just enough space to park Ciaz and couple of other cars in showroom.

In the same locality, Hundai/Toyota/VW showrooms are much better.

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

Their sales personnel are definitely presentable.

In my experience, Sales personnel are polite and responsive but not as presentable as other brands.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

In Western suburbs, Shivam Autozone and Spectra showrooms are pretty barebone. Even display cars are parked on the roadside. They have just enough space to park Ciaz and couple of other cars in showroom.

In the same locality, Hundai/Toyota/VW showrooms are much better.



In my experience, Sales personnel are polite and responsive but not as presentable as other brands.

Like I said earlier, I cannot comment on the dealers in the western suburbs, but I have visited Sai Service in Lower Parel, Automotive in New Bombay and they both have adequate space for display vehicles as well as well turned out staff.

However, I agree that a premium showroom for the premium segment sounds logical and there must be other customers like you who feel that the regular Maruti showrooms are not as well appointed as the competition. So all in all it seems that they're treading on the right path.

[arunkumarsarat]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Maruti Suzuki's Premium outlet NEXA will be officially launched in July. Ciaz and S Cross will be the first duo of premium cars to start with.

Looking at the increasing number of Ciaz's (5012 units in May) on the road, it seems that buyers have, slowly started to shed their qualms about spending a million plus on a Maruti.

With most Swift owners looking to upgrade and a mid size sedan becoming the bench mark for the middle income group, the time is ripe for Maruti to bring some exclusivity to its high end cars. Today premium and economy showrooms co-exist for even footwear, so why not for cars? Being a volume player, Maruti would easily be able to find dealers willing to accomodate such investments.

They may be testing the waters with this move, but then no one understands the Indian car buying populace as Maruti.

[Tushar]

Maruti is reworking its marketing / sales approach and will be launching a sub-brand called NEXA, with the dealer launches most likely taking place around the same time as the S-Cross's launch i.e. in July.

The sub-brand will be used to retail premium models such as the S-Cross, Ciaz and possibly the upcoming YRA hatchback and YBA compact SUV as well.

Link to Team-BHP news article

[gaddiwale]

In today's Mumbai Mirror, Navnit Motors a MAIL authorised dealer published recruitment advertisement for Premium Brand showroom at Andheri.

[abhi29]

Originally Posted by Tushar

Maruti is reworking its marketing / sales approach and will be launching a sub-brand called NEXA,

That will be something to watch out for. Sub-brands are tricky things to handle especially when a brand which is synonymous to VFM in India wants to launch something more upmarket.

If the new brand is too close to Maruti, it will lose on the premiumness and if Maruti distances itself far enough, Nexa may lose on the trust factor that Maruti tag carries. It has to be a very delicate balance in all communications and services, something that tells the customers that they are not the regular Maruti buyers when its about experience but they are still in safe hands of Maruti when its about reliability and fuss free ownership.

[amit]

So Nexa & Maruti-Suzuki will be like Lexus & Toyota, Acura & Honda, Audi & VW? The cars will have to look totally different from Suzuki's and even a blind person today will tell you that the S-Cross, YBA & YRA are Suzuki's.

[The Observer]

Does this mean the Suzuki moniker will be replaced by that of the "Nexa" or something new? By the way what is premium? the showroom? the ambiance? the location? the treatment? or the car??

It is the car that should feel Premium Maruti not just your showroom or your staff !

Meanwhile, unless the cars from Nexa and Maruti have different monikers and symbols, true brand differentiation in the minds of customers cannot be obtained and i am quite surprised what exactly Maruti is trying to achieve - have they thought this one well enough before jumping into this?

So if i want to buy a S cross or a Ciaz i will now have to go to a Nexa showroom which will be few and far between the many Maruti showrooms that dot a city, and face some 5 star talk from a suit and coat salesman and be shown the same car which was available a few months back in any of the Maruti showroom close to my home with the same Suzuki symbol ??

Please Maruti you have to be doing better than this !! ( In reality is this a question of space crunch? because Maruti has around 10 models other than the Ciaz and are show rooms getting congested due to which they want to put their newer models in a separate showroom? )

slightly Off Topic : Hyundai sells the Eon and the Elantra / Santa Fe in the same show room, so does the Honda with the Brio and the CR-V so are they not smart?

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by amit

So Nexa & Maruti-Suzuki will be like Lexus & Toyota, Acura & Honda, Audi & VW?

Nexa is not a brand/sub-brand . It is just the name of a show room that sells the new car speculated as 'Premium' to Maruti.

The showroom as seen is more plush and expected to make the buying experience more pleasant to the prospective customers.

These cars as seen will carry only the Suzuki badge.