CC Bureau
Hindustan Motors :
Market has accepted ‘Winner’ wholeheartedly: HINDUSTAN MOTORS
Hindustan Motors is all geared up to capture a sizable share of the growing mini truck market with their ‘Winner’. The company will be rolling out improved versions of the mini truck based on the feedback they received from the market. Rattan Singh, Chief General Manager - Sales & Marketing (Vehicle Business), Hindustan Motors explains their future plans…
How was the last financial for Hindustan Motors in terms of sales, especially in the trucking segment? What was the growth achieved in this segment?
The fiscal 2009-10 was challenging for Hindustan Motors Ltd where firstly our Ambasssador Cars saw a growth of 50 per cent in Sales Volume and secondly we were able to launch our New Mini Truck Winner both in Diesel and CNG version very successfully in select target markets.
The entire organisation is highly motivated and thrilled as Ambassador continues to be a strong brand in the taxi segment in spite of competitors offering higher discounts. Ambassador is considered as strong and sturdy, has easy and cheaper maintenance, has large space and comfort, has higher boot space, etc. Coming to Light Commercial Vehicles, the segment witnessed a growth of around 12 per cent and will continue the same growth rate for the next three to four years period. That is why Hindustan Motors ventured into this segment to support its partners to progress and also to dealers making them viable.
What was the response for the Winner brand especially for your CNG version which was introduced in the NCR market?
Winner CNG gave a very good response and we are thankful to our customers who saw the difference in this vehicle as compared to other vehicles in its class. Moreover, we had an
advantage of being the only LCV manufacturer with BSIV variant since mid of 2009 when Industry was still working on it with ARAI. NCR market took Winner CNG BSIV as very positive vehicle in terms of its operational economics being much better in comparison to its competing brands in the class. Basically Winner has large load tray volumetric area, payload capacity, high engine power and with twin cylinder OEM fitted CNG cylinders with 65 litre water capacity tanks. So the market saw it as a better product available for their multi-utility operations.
What are your plans to expand the market presence in the domestic and international market for the Winner brand? Since you have already signed an MoU with Intraco Bangladesh, what are your roll out plans for that market? Which are the other markets you are eyeing at present?
Winner is a stabilized product now and has acceptance amongst its customers. With this confidence we are expanding our Domestic Dealer Network and we have plans to add another 35-odd Winner selling dealers apart from already existing 83 dealers in the country. Regarding Bangladesh, yes, we have signed an MoU with Intraco Motors on April 9, 2010. Commercial aspects have been worked out and we are in process of firming up our business plans, logistics and financial transactions, etc. Simultaneously, Intraco is also working at building showrooms at Dhaka and Chittagong and other infrastructure for after-sales-service. We are sending our team to Bangladesh to survey the market and do some market research to understand the profile of the customers in LCV segment, their load pattern, their applications and operation of vehicle. This year we hope that we shall be able to sell 100 units per month, both CNG and Diesel versions put together. We are also planning for new variants of Winner specially suitable for Bangladesh market that not only give superior performance but also is economical and viable for the people of Bangladesh. Moloy Chowdhury, our Executive Vice President is visiting China end April to firm up Import Diesel Units from Shandong Shifeng. At HM Uttarpara Plant, we shall value add to ensure Export model for Bangladesh. With this variant, we expect additional volumes of around 3000 Nos. Once we have the success of this market and carry some experience and learning, we shall move to other markets like Sri Lanka and Nepal who have a big LCV market.
There were reports that HM is planning another mini truck brand for the domestic market in 2010? How far the reports are true? If true, what would be the USP of the brand?
Market is hig hly competitive and certainly changes in customer demands necessitate improvements in existing products. We also received some feedbacks from the market in this direction. Based on this feedback, our team at Uttarpara under the guidance and directives of our Executive Vice President is working to offer the market a superior performance product. The new Diesel variant called Winner HM Shifeng Winner 1.5XD (4.875 Rear Axle ratio and 14 inch Tyre) model will shortly be introduced in domestic market for which we have recently got ARAI approval and Production will start May onwards. Apart from this we will also provide to the market Drive Away Chassis (DAC) for the customers to build body to their requirement. The Winner XD variant has superior features like more pulling power, better steering comfort, broader tyres for better control of vehicle at speed on load, radial tyres for better riding comfort, heavy duty clutch, etc. Other variants in Diesel Winner will be: HM-Shifeng Winner 1.5 D DAC with CAB; HM-Shifeng Winner 1.5 D DAC with Temporary cabin; HM-Shifeng Winner 1.5XD DAC with CAB; HM-Shifeng Winner 1.5XD DAC with Temporary cabin.
Mini truck segment is getting highly competitive in the country with new brands and brand versions joining the fray. In this context, what is the market share HM is looking for and what are your marketing plans to be ahead in the race?
Our long-term plan is to be amongst the top three in 3/5 sub-ton LCV segment by the year 2014. Yes, it is true that the market is highly competitive, but we do believe that one who delivers its best product and better operational economics to its customers will survive and grow. At this stage, we haven’t set any target as far as market share is concerned. But, surely,we want to focus our Winner based on applications and usage where captive customers understand the operational economics. So far, we are successful and our product is doing well in terms of its performance amongst the captive buyers.
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