We take a look at how various carmakers fare in terms of brand influence in the J.D. Power Asia Pacific brand influence and positioning study.
1) Maruti Suzuki – The brand with the highest sales in India is also the most influential brand here. People trust the company blindly and do not think twice before plonking their money on a car from the lineup of Maruti Suzuki.
2) Hyundai – The Korean brand which is seeing a continuously increasing demand due to the launch of new products is not too far away from Maruti Suzuki when it comes to brand influence. The fact that they have understood Indian buyers’ mentality perfectly helps them stay up.
3) Toyota – This name needs no introduction in India and has been often associated with the bullet-proof reliability tag. Manufacturing boring but reliable cars, the brand influence is very strong which helps them charge a good premium on their vehicles.
4) Honda – Gaining a huge number of sales post the introduction of diesel engines in India, Honda comes in at the fourth position. For many owing a Honda car is a dream come true. However, quality levels have gone down which may lead to a reduction in brand value in the near future.
5) Mahindra – The SUV maker has a strong presence in the minds of Indian customers. The name is associated with rugged vehicles which can tackle bad terrain (basically Indian roads). Add the fact that Indians love buying Indian cars and the brand beating many others doesn’t come as a surprise.
6) Tata – Tata coming in before a few other brands is surprising indeed. Considering they haven’t had the best of reputation due to the shoddy after sales support, it looks like they have been able to achieve this with the launch of new vehicles like the Bolt and the Zest.
7) Volkswagen – The German automaker is constantly trying to improve its service support in India to increase its sales. The company has some aspirational value associated with it which makes it a moderately influential brand.
8) Ford – The American automaker is sure to become more influential in the coming year as they have launched new products in the market recently and another launch is scheduled soon. Sales are bound to increase and the perception will change with that too.
9) Skoda – The Czech carmaker which has often faced a lot of criticism in India due to poor service standards manages to avoid coming in last when it comes to brand influence. The badge does carry a certain amount of aspirational value in India and is considered as a premium brand.
10) Chevrolet – Marred with various legal tussles last year, the American automaker hasn’t had the best of time in India. The brand value has hit rock bottom levels and it needs to really work on improving things now.
11) Renault – The one car wonder brand Renault hasn’t had too high sales in India. The once popular Duster has also had falling sales since the launch of other cars in the segment and some quality issues with the car have also hampered customers’ perception about the brand.
12) Nissan – In a similar position as its alliance partner Renault, the Japanese manufacturer has old cars in its portfolio which isn’t helping sales nor is it helping the way customers see the brand.
13) Fiat – Known to be the brand with the most lacklustre attitude, it isn’t a surprise that the Italian brand comes towards the end of the list. Even after having good cars in the lineup abroad, they haven’t launched those in India. Looks like they are happy selling engines to other brands. Brand perception is bound to nosedive in such cases.
14) Mitsubishi – Wait, are they still selling cars in India? That’s the question most people ask when the name pops up. With only one car in the lineup which isn’t doing too well, the brand is perceived to be out of business currently.
15) Datsun – The newest brand in India, the brand value will take time to be established. With low priced products, it is likely to do well in India which should change the way people see this brand.
