Positioning, Repositioning, Reverse Positioning Strategies Case Study

Hyundai’s “Santro” in India: Product Life Cycle Strategies

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Abstract:
Hyundai Motor Group, the automobile unit of Hyundai, the largest conglomerate of South Korea, entered India through a wholly-owned subsidiary named Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) in 1996. Within 17 months of establishing its first manufacturing facility, HMIL debuted in the Indian market with its entry model Santro thus breaking the monopoly of Maruti, entrenched in the Indian small car market. The success of Santro was followed by several other variants of Santro like ZipDrive, ZipPlus and Xing. As of mid-2005, seven years after its entry into the Indian market, Santro continues to be the second largest selling car in its sector and the most preferred brand in India. Over the last seven years, HMIL has also made substantial inroads into other segments of the Indian car market.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss the initiatives taken by the company to become a successful brand in India
• To discuss the efficiency of the company in effectively managing its product lifecycle.

Keywords : Changing consumer markets; Ford; Big Three; US Automobile industry; Market Share; Marketing Strategies; Jim Farley, Brand Perception, Customer Satisfaction; Marketing Makeover, Firestone tires; Standardization; Mass-production; Henry Ford; Myopia; fuel-efficient automobiles; Lean manufacturing techniques, Marketing Management; Marketing Mix; Market Segmentation; Product Life Cycle; New Product Development; Consumer Behavior; Marketing Case Studies; MBA; Marketing Course for MBA Marketing Course Case Map; Course Case Map; Case Map

Contents:

• The Indian Small Car Market
• Hyundai's Santro in India
• The Road Ahead