Maruti Suzuki India is banking on its strong brand recall, extensive network and a new commercial channel to sell the Super Carry LCV in India.
01 Sep 2016 | 8423 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Maruti Suzuki India today launched its first light commercial vehicle, the Super Carry in Ahmedabad at a price of Rs 403,000.
According to the company, the Maruti Suzuki Super Carry, which is powered by a 793cc diesel engine, delivers fuel efficiency of 22.07 Km per litre. It comes with ...
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Maruti Suzuki India today launched its first light commercial vehicle, the Super Carry in Ahmedabad at a price of Rs 403,000.
According to the company, the Maruti Suzuki Super Carry, which is powered by a 793cc diesel engine, delivers fuel efficiency of 22.07 Km per litre. It comes with a superior loading capacity of 740kg and a loading deck of 3.25 square metres.
The Super Carry was unveiled by RS Kalsi, executive director (Marketing & Sales); T Hashimoto, executive director (Marketing & Sales) and CV Raman, executive director (Engineering), Maruti Suzuki India, at an exclusive ceremony held in the city.
Launching the Super Carry, RS Kalsi said: “With the Super Carry, we target to fulfil the business needs of our customers. The Super Carry is a robust load-carrying vehicle that is made for carrying large loads yet offers high fuel efficiency. Our robust service network brings a huge assurance to the customers. Maruti Suzuki has changed the way India drives; similarly, the Super Carry will bring in a revolution in the LCV segment. Our target is to reach out to more customers, for this we plan to set up 50 showrooms across five states.”
CV Raman, executive director (Engineering), said, “The Super Carry is a result of our extensive research of the LCV market. It addresses the need for power, stability, ride and handling and fuel efficiency. With shorter turnaround time, more trips and more savings, the Super Carry is an ideal product for the LCV customer.”
Maruti Suzuki has invested about Rs 300 crore towards the development of the Super Carry for the Indian market. It has also set up a new commercial sales channel for the LCV and plans to expand the operation to 50 outlets by the end of 2016.
Bullish on the Super Carry
In an interview to Autocar Professional, Kalsi said: “The response to the Super Carry has been positive; customers who have booked the Super Carry like its performance. Over 70 percent of them are car owners; they understand Maruti Suzuki India and have driven or travelled in Maruti Suzuki cars. Even though the Super Carry is available only in three cities, currently, we have over 500 enquiries and expect more after it is visible on the roads. We are bullish (on the Super Carry) when we go across the country.”
Speaking on the marketing strategy for the LCV, he said: “Commercial outlets are developed on a different format which is simple and matches the profile of an LCV buyer. The showrooms are designed keeping in mind openness, transparency and comfort of the target segment customers. To begin with, we have set up one each in the three cities (Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Ludhiana) and we will expand slowly. Our target is to set up 50 such outlets in various states by end of this fiscal year. We are currently focussing on customers who are self-employed or have their own business. They are called ‘Captive’ customers and over 70 percent of bookings for the Super Carry have come from this segment. We will continue to focus on this target group.”
Export game-plan
Maruti Suzuki began sale of the Super Carry to foreign market before introducing it in India. Kalsi says, "We started our exports in May 2016 to South Africa and Tanzania. We have despatched over 300 units of the Super Carry to those markets. It is too short a time for us to comment on the market response. We plan to explore SAARC countries with the Super Carry. Based on the feedback, we will look out for other international markets."
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