Team-BHP - Why MARUTI is advertising K-Series Engine not any car in media?

I have been watching new advt of Maruti(MSIL) for last many days. It is about K-series new engine and a lot of focus is on leaner faster engine. I find this a bit unusual in Indian context . We normally focus advt. /media toward a product (car )not a particular component(engine).
I guess it is due to new strategy of maruti about using this engine in many cars like Swift, Zen and wagon-R etc. I have read something like this but sorry dont remember.
Will the gurus of t-Bhp enlighten the mass or uninitiated ones like mestupid: ?

thanks in advance
cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanagg1 (Post 1391351)

YEs I have also been seeing this. But i dont think this is the first time a company is advertising the engine. If I am not wrong, even Hyundai advertised its Kappa engine. Very clearly Maruti wants to popularise the engine for its superior technology. This engine will now get into several models like Swift, Zen, Wagon R apart from the Ritz and A Star. So they want to ensure that the qualities of this new engine is publicised extensively

Quote:

Originally Posted by nurni76 (Post 1391359)

Oh, its just that Maruti has found its diesels outselling their petrols. So they are just trying to popularize their petrol engines, by building hype around it. Just to keep the profits to themselves than sharing it with another manufacturer* for the diesel engines.

* to avoid starting another fight here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinpak (Post 1391367)

The 1.2 K series is already outselling in the Ritz with a 70% share. That is pretty impressive in a country where people are so fond of Diesel. I only wonder if the Diesel share reduces for Maruti, where will the *Manufacturer go for its profitsclap:

Well, I am no expert, but from studying the press and web reports, the motivations to replace the old G13B engine with the (Ritz) K-Series engine appear to be:
1) 4% excise duty reduction to petrol cars having engine capacity less than 1200cc (note: 1199cc will do)- I hope it is still valid in the current budget.
2) Bharat Stage-IV compliance

FE, if at all realized to Swift, Ritz et al would be additional benefits.

Cheers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nurni76 (Post 1391384)

There a fight starts. So sad that some people cannot live without them.

BTW, are you sure that petrol Ritz outsells the diesel Ritz by 70:30? Source please.

I think it is a great strategy for MSIL to advertise the new K-Series engine. As some of you have mentioned, it is going to find its way into many of MUL's cars in India.

By advertising the new engine now, all they need to do when they launch new cars with this brand of engine is to advertise the car with a short mention of "K-Series" and the consumer will know that they are getting the latest engine technology from MUL.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanagg1 (Post 1391351)

It is about K-series new engine and a lot of focus is on leaner faster engine.

This is not the first time. Earlier Hyundai and Shahrukh Khan did the same for Kappa engine. Bajaj has done this too. Hero Honda did this with Quantum Core engine.
So its just a new way to express what the car packs in. Usually this has to be done when a really new engine comes up. Most of maruti cars run on F series motors. Next its G series then SX4 had M series, but for small cars, no new engine had debuted. Swift got mill from Esteem so it was quite known one.

Just a different way of marketing to tell everyone about their latest engine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinpak (Post 1391367)

Oh, its just that Maruti has found its diesels outselling their petrols.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinpak (Post 1391419)

BTW, are you sure that petrol Ritz outsells the diesel Ritz by 70%? Source please.

Maruti still sell more than 18K Alto per month and I think they are petrol. Overall, they sell more petrol than diesels. The only car manufacturer to survive in G3HC segment with only petrol motor in its product.
So its not that the diesel is outselling petrol.

ACI mentioned that Ritz sales are 70% petrol and rest diesel. So the diesel is not helping Ritz. Swift also was a success with only petrol. The diesel came over and changed the story, but for Ritz its petrol version that is selling more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanagg1 (Post 1391351)

I believe its a marketing stratergy where they first advertise about the engine than the Car itself. It achieves basically
1. Brings in a sort of curiosity as to which is the next car.
2. Brings in a sense of confidence, which in turn is a tactic to increase the sales of Ritz.
3. People are questioning as to why the Swift Petrol is no longer available. Common people are not aware of engine or innovation they have brought.

I guess this ad is intended to semi urban areas and not targeted towards Metro.

Just a thought!

K-series is the future. Atleast for Maruti it is.

Maruti is indeed betting big on its new lineup of engines. I think the ad campaign, while a bit boring and acutally quite dumb, does manage to do what it set out to achieve in the first place : Get people talking.

Once the Zen gets the K-series engine, other cars will follow suit. I'm thinking early next year for the swift and the dzire to get the 1.2, as the emission norms will come into place around April 2010 (IIRC).

I think that the K Series engine may well do for small petrol engines what the Fiat 1.3 did for diesels, and the Ritz sales figures are evidence of that happening. The Ritz petrol is not available for less than 45 days, while the first diesels are still not fully gone from the dealerships. Suzuki, and Honda too for that matter, are very good at small petrol engines, given their motorcycle heritage. The advertising is positioning of the engine in peoples minds as readiness for its spread across the range in the coming months, and make the best out of the opportunity to transition to the new emission norms next year. I thought it was excellent timing for these ads, and I also think that it will give the older models a new lease of life. I do not personally like the Marutis a lot for their rattles, but the cars do go on and on in a tough environment, which is of larger interest to the Indian market given its other preoccupations. Maruti is a formidable company in its segments in India as is borne out by its market share in these. I am looking forward to see how they take on the Nano - a deep discount on a k series equipped 800, I imagine. Will be an interesting thing to see.