[The Rationalist]

This looks like a confused strategy to me. Premium dealership that sells only cars like, Across, Ciaz. Where will they the get the volumes if these cars are only sold at fewer showrooms? And when did cars that cost less than 20 lakhs become premium? Will they get premium service centres? Every now and then some moron will present his weird ideas to management and voila they all shake heads in unison. Before even imagining to go premium, MSIL need to look at the quality of materials used. Why can't they make something like a Vento or Jetta. I'm sure there will be takers if they can bring out cars like Jetta with reliable engines and transmissions. I would be thrilled to own something like a Vento/ Jetta with the backing of a Maruti. I'm sure there are people out there who don't care too much about the badge values attached.

[spyder_p8]

Originally Posted by DCEite

To be honest, Maruti is playing into the Indian psychology.

Specially the well to do educated middle/upper middle class, which associates foreign brands with a sense of "premiumness" and status.

Admit it or not, we educated well to do Indians are a bunch of hypocrites. On one hand we pretend that we appreciate quality and value for money, and on the other hand we run after anything with "foreign" tag blindly as if we have found the jewel of nile.

Case in point: our fascination for McDonalds, Pizza hut, FIAT, Volkswagen, etc etc. No matter how inferior or substandard the actual product might be compared to the Indian counterpart.

And our looking down upon of home brands like: TATA, Mahindra, Haldirams, Croma etc. etc.

Maruti knows this psychology very well. The educated upper middle class is the target audience here. He loves phoren brands and phoren products, and Indian brands are not so "hip" and happening for him.

So a Suzuki Ciaz is more interesting then say a Maruti Ciaz. I don't entirely dislike this strategy, in our country atleast.

Contrary to your belief, no one in India are running for FIAT nor for VW. Instead we run after half painted tin boxes made by Maruti. Any one who would want quality would surely go to a Honda or FIAT showroom. Needless to mention that FIAT cars are the best in their class. We do sell our Indian Products in foreign markets as well. Its a small world. Nothing is totally Indian or totally foreign made. Maruti can only shed the "Cheap" image if they create a premium brand. That has been successfully tried by VW or TOYOTA or HONDA.

[VinodDevil81]

I don't think this will work out in a way which MSIL is expecting. Because even Suzuki brand name and logo has become too common ever since Maruti vehicles started to adorn the "S" emblem instead of the Maruti logo.So today almost everybody knows the big "S" symbol on a car means it is a Maruti Suzuki vehicle.So how do they plan to make a differentiation? I think it will be a tough job.

Rather than trying to get rid of the cheapness in their brand name, why can't they try to get rid of that cheapness itself? What they need to do is, improve the build quality and give genuine priority to adding safety features in all its models.It may be a long process and may take years, but it really makes a big difference.When the company officials themselves give lame excuses that it is not practical to give safety features in entry level cars, because that would make it too expensive for a customer upgrading from a 2-wheeler, how can they expect themselves to be dis-associated from the brand image which is almost similar to that of a 2 wheeler maker?

Their efforts should be how to make the name Maruti Suzuki synonymous with build quality and safety in the next few years. That is the correct way to go IMHO. What they are planning to do now is just a half-hearted attempt, to fool the premium buyers.

Just look at how Bajaj has improved as a Brand over the years. A Bajaj Pulsar commands more respect and brand image than any Kawasaki-Bajaj product would have got years back. Though still not in the same league as Honda, Bajaj has come a long way by improving their quality levels, thereby improving the brand name.Today they are confident enough to sell Bajaj Pulsars in so many countries abroad.That is how you should build a brand name.Merely playing around with names to sound more "foreign" won't help.

[Gansan]

So Suzuki is a premium brand when compared to Maruti? Are they serious?

If anybody having more than Rs 10 lacs to spend on a car even considers a Suzuki, he must be a rare breed! Because I will not. The USP of Suzuki is it's lower costs and ruggedness. If I have a million or more to spend on a car, there are a lot of good options.

[vinayrathore]

How on earth can they think of such a logic? Are these so called phoren brands really taking us Indians as so naïve?

Why cant they simply increase the quality of the product and not just the so called quality in their name? As DB sir has rightly mentioned many times, the people sitting in the board rooms are so much disconnected with reality.

[IshaanIan]

Not here to add to the topic much as I quite agree with what a fellow bhpian said earlier: I think we are all reading into this WAY too much. The company is trying to create a premium customer service like what M&M does for their XUV 500 and Rexton buyers however, the badge thing is merely a slight change they are making like when Skoda changed their logo to black and chrome; nothing much to it. I believe they are doing this just because they can. Ultimately, Suzuki does own controlling stake in the company. I suppose eventually all their cars will bear only a Suzuki badge and by restricting the change to their more expensive products for now it makes for a smoother transition as well as gives them a chance to inculcate a sense of premiumness with the brand so it doesn't hurt anyone.

Originally Posted by spyder_p8

Any one who would want quality would surely go to a Honda or FIAT showroom. Needless to mention that FIAT cars are the best in their class.

What exactly do you mean by "Fiat cars are the best in their class"? Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate their cars and I am a fan of a few of them but they are not without their flaws: awkward steering, seating and pedal alignment in the Punto and Linea, horrid gearboxes, poorly tuned versions of their own motors that do no justice to their already underpowered character, poor fit and finish levels, just to name a few. Every successful manufacturer's products have their merits and demerits and in order to make your statement, you will have to explain yourself especially considering this is a moderated forum for automobile enthusiasts and not some fanboy club

Oh and before you relate quality solely to Honda, have you compared the City with the Ciaz? One has to admit that the Ciaz exudes more quality than the City especially when it comes to the interiors. Keep in mind that am not a fan of either of them, infact it I were buying a diesel C segment sedan, it would be a Fiesta and if it were a Petrol it would be either a T-Jet or an old Fiesta Classic

Originally Posted by Gansan

So Suzuki is a premium brand when compared to Maruti? Are they serious?

If anybody having more than Rs 10 lacs to spend on a car even considers a Suzuki, he must be a rare breed! Because I will not. The USP of Suzuki is it's lower costs and ruggedness. If I have a million or more to spend on a car, there are a lot of good options.

Well the word premium could have several implications but have you compared the Suzuki Swift sold in EU regions, Australia and New Zealand to the one we get in India after Maruti has done its "magic"? The car is solidly built, and feels entirely different. I believe their locally manufactured cars are the way they are only due to Maruti's influence.

I am one of those "rare breeds" I even nearly bought a GV. Being a Kizashi owner, I will be using it to make my argument; The car outperforms nearly everything in its segment (even cars from what we think of as premium manufacturers like Mercedes) when it comes to braking, safety, dynamic ability and comfort. I for one quite liked its design but that is always a debatable subject so let's leave that out for now. Did you know that one of the promotional tests they conducted was to blindfold people, put them in the car and using only their sense of smell and touch, have them say which manufacturer's car they were in and almost all said Acura or Audi. Not saying all of this only because I own the car but because I did extensive research and throughout the decision process, used an unbiased mind.

There are indeed several other good products out there which is why I believe we as well informed automotive enthusiasts cannot be prejudiced, afford to have any unjustified beliefs, or have any bias. Stereotyping a brand like you just did, is something I believe to be foolish.

[anilntny]

I welcome the change.I never liked maruti suzuki logo, on the boot.Two swifts ,I had ,both got rebranded to suzuki,in no time.

An old file picture of my car,

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Stereotyping a brand like you just did, is something I believe to be foolish.

Not exactly. I am just saying there are horses for courses! Certain attributes will not rub off from a brand perception, however much quality you build in.

I agree Maruti exports are better built than what is sold here. But that does not make them exactly premium. How are they perceived in the target markets? Then what is the need for separate brands like Audi and Lexus? Do you seriously think status conscious buyers (who outnumber informed enthusiasts by a mile!) will ever choose a Suzuki over even a Toyota or Honda, leave alone the Mercs and Audis?!

Pray, tell me one market in the world where Suzuki is considered as a premium brand? Is it considered so even in Japan?

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by anilntny

I welcome the change.I never liked maruti suzuki logo, on the boot.Two swifts ,I had ,both got rebranded to suzuki,in no time.

An old file picture of my car,

See, this is the point i am making.

We Indians have a fascination for foreign brands, admit it or not. Indian brand names do not sound so "happening", and that is the reason the strategy might work for MSIL.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by anilntny

I welcome the change.I never liked maruti suzuki logo, on the boot.Two swifts ,I had ,both got rebranded to suzuki,in no time.

An old file picture of my car,

That logo is stock on my 2006 Swift. Are you sure you had the Maruti logo on there?

[rangarx]

It doesn't mean any difference to me.

Suzuki is the manufacturer who makes hay only in India. Whatever may be the reason, I have always wondered what makes them to be disguised as Marutis, when the company is almost completely taken over by Suzuki?

Whom they are trying to impress by sticking to Maruti? Erstwhile, when GOI had stake in the company, it made sense and made us feel proud that if we buy a Maruti, I am doing my bit to contributing to the government. But with the stake sold off, I wished from day one that the misleading Maruti moniker to be knocked off. I feel it is misguiding because the brand is not Indian anymore as it trying to convey and convince the common man. So, I welcome this move. No mockery!

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Not exactly. I am just saying there are horses for courses! Certain attributes will not rub off from a brand perception, however much quality you build in.

I agree Maruti exports are better built than what is sold here. But that does not make them exactly premium. How are they perceived in the target markets? Then what is the need for separate brands like Audi and Lexus? Do you seriously think status conscious buyers (who outnumber informed enthusiasts by a mile!) will ever choose a Suzuki over even a Toyota or Honda, leave alone the Mercs and Audis?!

Pray, tell me one market in the world where Suzuki is considered as a premium brand? Is it considered so even in Japan?

Never disagreed with that. Perception has never been that the company is in any way premium. However I was merely challenging your as you seemed to truly believe what the rest of the herd did and that seemed very unlike an automobile enthusiast to me

[spyder_p8]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Not exactly. I am just saying there are horses for courses! Certain attributes will not rub off from a brand perception, however much quality you build in.

I agree Maruti exports are better built than what is sold here. But that does not make them exactly premium. How are they perceived in the target markets? Then what is the need for separate brands like Audi and Lexus? Do you seriously think status conscious buyers (who outnumber informed enthusiasts by a mile!) will ever choose a Suzuki over even a Toyota or Honda, leave alone the Mercs and Audis?!

Pray, tell me one market in the world where Suzuki is considered as a premium brand? Is it considered so even in Japan?

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Never disagreed with that. Perception has never been that the company is in any way premium. However I was merely challenging your as you seemed to truly believe what the rest of the herd did and that seemed very unlike an automobile enthusiast to me

Apart from India, they don't have many success stories to tell. They almost have nil presence in one of the largest car markets - US. Thats really not anything to do with SUZUKI badge. They have always lacked the premium feel to there product.Engineering capabilities can also be questioned. Its not surprising that they still rely on Fiat for MJDs. In India, rolling out separate dealership with a premium badge is the last option that they could try. Otherwise, they would be left behind once the income of the masses starts rising.

[anilntny]

Originally Posted by noopster

That logo is stock on my 2006 Swift. Are you sure you had the Maruti logo on there?

Yes ,I had a maruti suzuki logo ,I made that suzuki logo by cutting away the maruti part from a new logo.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by anilntny

Yes ,I had a maruti suzuki logo ,I made that suzuki logo by cutting away the maruti part from a new logo.

I think you mean the written monogram; not the logo.