The Xing factor

THE NINTH BRAND DERBY-II/ The Santro found favour with Derby respondents ? again

Brand management gurus talk constantly of how the challenge lies in getting under the skin of the consumer.

Hyundai followed the "simple" rules and built a powerful brand. Not once, but twice. Hyundai's Santro featured in the 1998 Business Standard Brand Derby as the most successful brand launch. It's back again, this time in the best relaunch category, for Santro Xing.

Rolled out in May 2004, Santro Xing is an upgraded version of the Santro, which was launched in 1998. The original Santro "" which was loaded with innovative features like a tall-boy design, multi-point fuel injection system and so on "" was noticed at a time when the small-car segment meant a no-frills vehicle "" most models came with the non-AC option and were more conventional in their looks.

In May 2000, power steering became affordable with Santro's zipDrive model; and then the engine was made more powerful with the zipPlus version in March 2002. The result? By 2003, Hyundai says it was selling 7,000 Santros on an average every month.

Extremely healthy figures, motor analysts said. So why did Hyundai drive in the Xing? "How about wanting to keep the brand fresh?" quips B V R Subbu, president, Hyundai Motor India Limited.

"It is unfair to dole out the same stuff to your customers year after year. We want to treat our customers as if they are global customers," he adds.

Whether you go by Derby respondents, who say it's the second most successful relaunch (after Honda City), or you go by Santro Xing sales figures (about 9,000 a month), the Santro is a success. "And that's when there was no production for the domestic market for three months in 2004," says Subbu.

Derby respondents feels that the reasons that helped Santro Xing become a success yet again were: understanding customer requirements; using the latest technology; excellent features; good advertising; economical pricing; and promotion by Shahrukh Khan.

Subbu considers that working on customer feedback was the main reason for the Xing's excellent reviews and good sales. But Hyundai prefers to call the change a "facelift". For almost a year, designers and engineers redesigned the Santro, giving the car a more international look.

Simple, and at times, mere tinkering did the trick "" like a new grill on the front, bumper and headlamp treatment (designed to do away with the staid look of the car; bigger headlamps that give the impression that the car is smiling!) and a slightly longer (by about 70 mm) and wider (30 mm) model, which was a way to tone down the overemphasis on the tall-boy image.

How about pricing, considering the Santro's price point has been a definite plus all along? Hyundai hiked the Santro's rate a few weeks before launching the Xing. So now it could say that customers had to pay nothing extra for the new model.

Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan was retained as the brand ambassador and Preity Zinta was also brought in to drive the xing factor home.

Is there likely to be another "facelifted" version of the Santro soon? Perhaps in time for the tenth Brand Derby? "We don't really know. All I can say is that we are committed to forward thinking," says Subbu noncommitally.