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As things stand today, a
prospective customer for a
car has to spend considerable amount of time
and effort to test-drive an i20 at one dealership, get a feel of the
Indica Vista at another, and again test drive the Swift at yet another
dealership. All this is because most of the new car sales in India take place
through the authorized and exclusive distributors of
manufacturers. Customers may however witness a major change in the
distribution system of cars very soon.
After Ratan Tata made four wheelers available to
mass customers at a fairly affordable price, now it is the turn
of manufacturers and channel partners to change the manner in which
cars are sold in India. Former Managing Director of Maruti Suzuki,
Jagdish Khattar, is venturing into multi-brand car
dealerships. Carnation Auto, the brain child of Khattar,
has already been providing complete car-care solutions for almost all
brands of cars, ranging from quick servicing, mechanical repairs,
body repairs, accessories, insurance, car exchange, car
customization solutions with DC
Design, and even service at the customer's
doorstep through a chain of workshops on wheels. He is now planning
to venture out into car retailing. Carnation does not want to
be confined to one brand or one manufacturer. It wants to offer a
host of brands from all the major car manufacturers under one roof.
From the customers' perspective, this move provides great additional value.
A customer can not only test-drive cars of different companies at the
same location, but can also expect unbiased advice from
the salespersons. More than this, when different brands are competing
on the same shelf, customers need not worry about the best deal in terms
of price and other benefits. But the flip side is, a salesperson may
be expected to have in-depth knowledge of the features of five or six
car brands. The second problem is, overcoming the temptation
of pushing a particular model just because the manufacturer offers
a higher incentive. |
