Daewoo Hits Pr Road To Drive Up Matiz Sales

These days, the employees of Daewoo Motor India Ltd (DMIL) are an occupied lot. They are busy collecting the date of birth of all Matiz owners as well as their children.

Matiz owners and their kids are set to receive greetings on their birthday from none other than Daewoo India chief executive Young Tae Cho.

Daewoo India has also kicked off negotiations with the McDonald's chain of restaurants to gift a toy Matiz to all children customers free of cost.

These are just two out of a slew of marketing initiatives planned by Cho. According to sources, the company is also negotiating with a handful of former Miss Indias to endorse the Matiz, the company's flagship product.

"It will be a long term contract. We are going to take the line, Beautiful Car for Beautiful people," sources disclosed.

The company has also asked its dealers to engage local celebrities to push up their sales.

For instance, ace shooter Jaspal Rana is expected to visit a leading showroom in Delhi and show potential customers around.

"Dealers in the South are talking to filmstars and politicians, while in the North, dealers are in talks with certain sportsmen," according to sources.

The company knows that it is strapped for cash and, therefore, instead of big ticket spending, it is taking these small initiatives to revive its image, they added.

At the same time, to highlight the performance of the Matiz, Daewoo India has decided to get into car racing.

"We plan is to launch the Matiz Challenge Cup at various places. We will have a Matiz Desert Challenge and a Matiz Himalayan Challenge," sources said, adding, "It will be open for all Daewoo car owners. If a person doesn't have a Matiz, he will be given one by the company."

Before that, on September 8 and 9, Daewoo India is organising an event for Matiz owners in and around Delhi. Cho will personally call 300 Matiz owners and discuss all issues related to the car with them.

To be inaugurated by a film actress, it will culminate in a race from Surajpur, an industrial town close to Delhi, where Daewoo India's plant is located, to Surajkund on the outskirts of Delhi. There will be different sections for men, women and senior citizens.

"We are in the process of seeking police approval for the same," sources added.