It wants to do a Santro, after being edged out to the third spot by Tata Motors’ Tata Indica.

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

So, can the i10 deliver? Can it become the next messiah model for Hyundai in India? Can it correct Santro’s mistakes, or strategic gaps? Santro’s success ingredients also proved to be its key problem areas. What set the Santro apart from other competing models was its radical design. It was different, it was unique, it gave a segment of first-time customers the impression that they were buying a car that wasn’t being driven by the conservative masses. But then, complacency set in and, over the years, Santro looked the same except for cosmetic changes. The consumers got tired of buying a model that was too visible on Indian roads.

The i10 aims to do the same with the new buyers of today. Yet again, it’s different, and offers design features like the sun-top roof that are not available in other models in the same price and engine-capacity range. Says an auto expert, “The i10 can appeal to customers who wish to buy a new product, one that distinguishes them from others.” The idea is to make the buyers feel special, as if they are paying for a compact car but getting design elements that usually exist in a bigger, more expensive model.

In the design arena, Hyundai has been successful in borrowing elements from global players, especially European car makers. For example, the i10 is similar to Peugeot 206, Sonata to Audi A6, and Getz is “very Italian”, just like the older Fiat Punto. While talking about Hyundai’s Genesis large rear wheel drive Sedan that was showcased at the New York Auto Show in 2007, Autosavant, a website, commented that “on paper, this sounds like a heck of a car! … But what’s wrong with the car! It’s a victim of Hyundai’s own lack of creativity, or lack of confidence, in its own design team.”

According to the website’s review in March, 2007, “From the front, this car looks a lot like a 2007 Toyota Camry, but with more chrome. From the side, it is trying to look like a Lexus LS 460, even to the point of having a BMW-like “Bangle Butt” decklid design, which Lexus cribbed off of Bangle’s BMW 7-series. It also has the same crease cut into the doors and into the front fender that the 2005+ Acura TL has.” The idea, some critics opine, is to boost the confidence of customers, like is the case of India, who are more impressed by European and American models.


For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).


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