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17 Sept 2001
Pune:
You are planning to buy a car and you have already decided on the
make and the model. But a snag persists. The auto showroom does
not have the right colour, the right interior and the right
accessories you cherish.
Here is
the chance to choose the colour, interior and accessories of your
dear, dream car. Mitsubishi Lancer has come up with a scheme that
allows you this unique opportunity. Hindustan Motors, which makes
Mitsubishi Lancer car, has set up kiosks in six cities from where
you can pick and choose the colour, the interior, the accessories
and the wheels of the car you would like to possess.
The
kiosks are fitted with computer terminals displaying the features
of the 1500 cc petrol and the 2000 cc diesel versions of the three
Mitsubishi Lancer models - GLX, SLX and SFX - to choose from. You
have to just click on the colour, the interior, the wheel and the
accessories of your choice. And, presto! Your made-to-order car
will be delivered to you in three weeks.
Hindustan
Motors has so far installed 11 kiosks with computer terminals
operating on intranet offering this facility for the first time in
the country. Soon, the facility would be available on the
Internet, making Hindustan Motors the first car-maker to offer
such a service to its customers. Overseas, car-makers like BMW are
offering such a choice to customers over the Internet.
This
service allows us to stay in close touch with the customer,
says Hindustan Motors general manager (sales and service) S
Vasudevan. The initiative came following the customers requests
for non-standard features and colour.
After
the launch of the programme, we have seen a 4-per cent rise in the
market share of the Lancer, says Vasudevan, comparing figures
before and after the launch. The company has invested Rs 25 lakh
in the software, developed by Satyam. Rs 1 lakh was spent on each
kiosk, a cost shared by the dealer and Hindustan Motors.
The
facility is available in New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad,
Chandigarh and Pune. The company intends to install 16 such
computer kiosks at its dealers premises across the country by
the end of this financial year.
The
company, which sold 7,635 units last year, expects to cross the
8000-mark this year.
Vasudevan
said the company plans to lower the price of spare parts across
the board, making them 20 to 50 per cent less expensive.
Around 75 items would be thus priced, in order to ease the burden
on the customers. The objective is to make affordable all the
spare parts routinely used for maintenance, which would be
imported in bulk from Mitsubishi, says Vasudevan.
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