A study on Four wheeler industry in Ernakulam city

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION KANNUR UNIVERSITY BY

Vinayakumar m k

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF Ms. JISHA .V

CHINTECH SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES CHINMAYA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KANNUR 2010

This is to certify that the project report entitled A STUDY ON Four wheeler industry in Ernakulam city

Is a bona fide record of work done by

and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Business Administration Kannur University under my guidance and supervision.

Place: Kannur Date:

Ms. JISHA .V Lecturer

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report entitled

A STUDY ON Four wheeler industry in Ernakulam

Is a bona fide record of work done by Mithun Mohan N

And Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Business Administration Kannur University

Place: Kannur Date:

Dr. K.K FALGUNAN DIRECTOR

DECLARATION

student of Chinmaya Institute of Technology, Kannur, hereby

declare that this project report entitled study on four wheeler industry in Ernakulam city has been prepared by us in the partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Business Administration and it was done under the guidance of Mis. Jisha .V, Lecturer, Chinmaya Institute of Technology, Kannur University. I declare that this project report has not been submitted by us at any time fully or partially to any other university or institute for the award of any degree.

Place: Kannur Date:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Director, and guidance throughout the project

Dr.

K.K FALGUNAN, Chintech School of Management Studies for his support

I express our sincere gratitude to Ms. JISHA .V, Faculty, Chinmaya Institute of Technology for her guidance in pursuing our efforts and encouragement in the project work. I would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the faculty members of the department for their support and cooperation. I am very grateful to Mr Rajeev Menon (proprietor of used car showroom in Ernakulam city) and Ms Janaki Raman(automobile journalist, malayala manorama-ernakulam) for providing us the valuable information about the industry. I would also like to express our sincere thanks to the employees of the organization.

CONTENTS Title Page Certificate Declaration Acknowledgement CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND DESIGN OF THE STUDY 1.1 - Introduction 1.2 - Statement of the Problem 1.3 - Objectives of the Study 1.4 - Sample Design 1.5 - Methodology and Data Collection 1.6 - Tools of Analysis 1.7 - Chapter Scheme CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE SURVEY CHAPTER 3: INDUSTRY PROFILE AND COMPANY PROFILE CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANNEXURE

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION AND DESIGN OF THE STUDY

INTRODUCTION
The automobile industry in India is the ninth largest in the world with an annual production of over 2.3 million units in 2008. In 2009, India emerged as Asia's fourth largest exporter of automobiles, behind Japan, South Korea and Thailand. India has emerged as one of the world's largest manufacturers of small cars. According to New York Times, India's strong engineering base and expertise in the manufacturing of low-cost, fuel-efficient cars has resulted in the expansion of manufacturing facilities of several automobile companies like Hyundai Motors, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen and Suzuki. In ernakulam city a lots of automobile showrooms are emerging day by day, Most of the multi national companies are putting their eyes in ernakulam city, day by day a huge development is visible over there. Many leading automobile companies such as Mercedes Benz, audi, wolks vagon, audi etc are having full equipped show rooms and service centers in ernakulam city.

Statement of the Problem:

Indias newly recognized status as an emerging economic power is visible not only in its shiny shopping malls, luxury goods, and urban housing boom but also in its zooming craze for vehicles. A stable brand has its own strengths & weaknesses. Even company should try to change the weaknesses in to strengths to thrive in this competitive world. Customers in ernakulam city are high aspirations to improve their standard of living & almost all want to possess four-wheeler as their mode of transport. There is a high competition in the Market & Consumers are becoming more & more brilliant in evaluating the brands. In this scenario, it becomes important for every marketer to reach each segment effectively in order to retain potential customers. For this they have to give importance for various elements like Advertising Media, Distribution Promotion Quality etc

So without going for such studies, it is difficult for any body to achieve success. This study has been taken to analyze the customers response about the four wheelers in ernakulam city , in order to enhance its Market Potential & to give suggestions on the same. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1.To analyze the influence of Mileage in purchasing decision of customers 2.To know the availability of Spare Parts of automobiles. 3.To study the view of customers about the performance of four wheeler. 4.To analyze the Dealer Customer relationship. 5.To analyze the opinion of customers about Brand Image. 6.To find out the efficiency of Engine. 7.To analyze the customer opinion about the Power & Pick. 8.To study the customer opinion on the Resale Value of four wheelers. 9.To study the After Sale service given by the automobile showrooms. SAMPLE DESIGN Out of thousands of customers in ernakulam, I have selected 50 four wheeler customer from ernakulam city in a random basis for the purpose of study. METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION

Both Primary and secondary data were used for the study .Primary Data were collectedd from the four wheeler customers by means of a Questionnaire. The secondary data were collected from records, broachers and journals

TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS

The data were analysed using percentage method and statistical methods such as bar charts and pie- charts

CHAPTER SCHEME
The project report has been presented in the following : The first chapter deals with Introduction and Design of the study which includes introduction, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, sample design, methodology and data collection, tools for analysis and chapter scheme. The second chapter reviews the literature used for the study.

The third chapter deals with the four wheeler industry in ernakulum city The fourth chapter deals with analysis and interpretation of the study. from the study.

The fifth chapter deals with the findings , suggestions and conclusion

CHAPTER 2 Literature survey

Automobile becomes a necessary of transportation. As the result, every automobile manufacturer is trying to share in automobile market. At beginning, there were only few automobile manufacturers in the world, especially in the United State and Europe. As time passing by, not only American auto brands and European auto brands in the world, but also Korean auto brands and Japanese auto brands. Especially the Toyota is an auto giant brand from Japan. The global automobile market is not as simple as one hundred years ago. Therefore, how to survive in a new competitive automobile industry is become a serious issue for American automobile brands, General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor Co. (Ford), which both have one-hundred-year history. Offer variety automobile products, such as convertible, coupe, hatchback, sedan, SUV, truck, van, and wagon is not the only way to satisfy automobile customers. Automobile manufacturers now also need to pay attention to global environment issues, such as green environment issue, technological issue, energy issue, and even political issue. This paper will discuss how these two American global automobile manufacturers deal with the issues to survive in the competitive global automobile industry, and what are the appropriate strategies that GM and Ford need to be globally successful.

Fedrik.v.james-General Motors and Ford Motor Co

CHAPTER 3 INDUSTRY AND COMPANY PROFILE

MARUTHI Maruti Suzuki India Limited is a publicly listed automaker in India. It is the largest automobile manufacturer in South Asia. Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan holds a majority stake in the company. It was the first company in India to mass-produce and sell more than a million cars. It is largely credited for having brought in an automobile revolution to India. It is the market leader in India and on 17 September 2007, Maruti Udyog Limited was renamed Maruti Suzuki India Limited. The company's headquarters are located in Delhi. Maruti Exports Limited is the subsidiary of Maruti Suzuki with its major focus on exports and it does not operate in the domestic Indian market. The first commercial consignment of 480 cars were sent to Hungary. By sending a consignment of 571 cars to the same country Maruti Suzuki crossed the benchmark of 300,000 cars. Since its inception export was one of the aspects government was keen to encourage. Every political party expected Maruti Suzuki to earn foreign currency

MAHINDRA Initially set up to manufacture general-purpose utility vehicles, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) was first known for assembly under licence of the iconic Willys Jeep in India. The company later branched out into manufacture of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and agricultural tractors, rapidly growing from being a manufacturer of army vehicles and tractors to an automobile major with a growing global market. At present, M&M is the leader in the utility vehicle (UV) segment in India with its flagship UV, the Scorpio (known as the Mahindra Goa in Italy). M&M made its entry into the passenger car segment with the Logan in April 2007 under the Mahindra Renault joint venture M&M will make its maiden entry into the heavy trucks segment with Mahindra Navistar, the joint venture with International Truck, USA M&M's automotive division makes a wide range of vehicles including MUVs, LCVs and three wheelers. It offers over 20 models including new generation multi-utility vehicles like the Scorpio and the Bolero

TATA MOTORS Tata Motors Ltd is a multinational corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO (TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company). Tata Motors has a consolidated revenue of USD 16 billion after the acquisition of British automotive brands Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008 It is India's largest company in the automobile and commercial vehicle sector with upwards of 70% cumulative Market share in the Domestic Commercial vehicle segment, and had a 0.81% share of the world market in 2007 according to OICA data. The OICA ranked it as the 19th largest automaker based on figures for 2007. and the second largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the world. The company is the worlds fourth largest truck manufacturer, and the worlds second largest bus manufacturer. In India Tata ranks as the leader in every commercial vehicle segment, and is in the top 3 makers of passenger cars. Tata Motors is also the designer and manufacturer of the iconic Tata Nano, which at INR 100,000 or approximately USD 2300, is the cheapest production car in the world

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG), after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz. Mercedes-Benz has its origins in Karl Benz's creation of the first petrol-powered car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, patented in January 1886, and by Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybachs conversion of a stagecoach by the addition of a petrol engine later that year. The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company. Mercedes-Benz has introduced many technological and safety innovations that have become common in other vehicles several years later. Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz had maintained a reputation for its quality and durability. Objective measures looking at passenger vehicles such as J.D. Power surveys, demonstrated a downturn in reputation in this criteria in the late 1990s and early 2000s. By mid-2005, Mercedes temporarily returned to the industry average for initial quality, a measure of problems after the first 90 days of ownership, according to J.D. Power. In

J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study for the first quarter of 2007, Mercedes showed dramatic improvement by climbing from 25th to 5th place, surpassing quality leader Toyota, and earning several awards for its models.

For 2008, Mercedes-Benz's initial quality rating improved by yet another mark, now in fourth place. On top of this accolade, it also received the Platinum Plant Quality Award for its Mercedes Sindelfingen, Germany assembly plant. As of 2009, Consumer Reports of the United States has changed their reliability ratings for several Mercedes-Benz vehicles to "average", and are recommending the E-Class and the S-Class

BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW),is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of RollsRoyce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands. BMW is known for its performance and luxury vehicles After World War I, BMW was forced to cease aircraft (engine) production by the terms of the versailles Armistic Treaty .The company consequently shifted to motor cycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted followed by automobiles in 192829.

The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel is portrayed by BMW as the movement of an aircraft propeller, to signify the white blades cutting through the blue sky an interpretation that BMW adopted for convenience in 1929, twelve years after the roundel was created.The emblem evolved from the circular Rapp Motoeenwerke company logo, from which the BMW company grew, combined with the white and blue colors of the flag of Barvia reversed to produce the BMW roundel. However, the origin of the logo being based on the movement of a propeller is in dispute, according to an article recently posted by the New York times, quoting "At the BMW Museum in Munich, Anne Schmidt-Possiwal, explained that the blue-andwhite company logo did not represent a spinning propeller, but was meant to show the colors of the Free State of Bavaria."

HYUNDAI Hyundai Motor Company , a division of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, is the world's largest automaker by profit, the worlds fourth largest automaker by units sold and the world's fastest growing automaker.

Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Hyundai operates the worlds largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, which is capable of producing 1.6 million units annually.

The company employs about 75,000 persons around the world, Hyundai vehicles are sold in 193 countries through some 6,000 dealerships and showrooms worldwide. The Hyundai logo, a slanted, stylized 'H', symbolizes the company shaking hands with its customer. Hyundai translates from the word "modernity", and is pronounced as "Hyon-dae" in Korean. Chung Ju-Yung founded the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company in 1947. Hyundai Motor Company was later established in 1967. The companys first model, the Cortina, was released in cooperation with Ford Motor Company in 1968. In 1975, the Pony, the first Korean car, was released, with styling by Giorgio Giugiaro of ItalDesign and powertrain technology provided by Japans Mitsubishi Motors. Exports began in the following year to Ecuador and soon thereafter to the Benelux countries. In 1991, the company succeeded in developing its first proprietary gasoline engine, the four-cylinder Alpha, and transmission, thus paving the way for technological independence. In 1983, Hyundai exported the Pony to Canada, but not to the United States because the Pony didn't pass emissions standards there. Canadian sales greatly exceeded expectations, and it was at one point the top-selling car on the Canadian market. The Pony afforded a much higher degree of quality

and refinement in the lowest price auto segment than the Eastern-bloc imports of the period then available.

In 1986, Hyundai began to sell cars in the United States, and the Excel was nominated as "Best Product #10" by Fortune magazine, largely because of its affordability. The company began to produce models with its own technology in 1988, beginning with the midsize Sonata.

CHEVROLET Chevrolet also known as Chevy is a brand of automobile produced by General Motors Company (GM). Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 8, 1911[1], Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917. Chevrolet was positioned by Alfred Sloan to sell a lineup of mainstream vehicles to directly compete against Henry Ford's Model T in the 1920s, and continues to hold its position as General Motors' highest-selling brand to the present day, with "Chevrolet" or "Chevy" being at times synonymous with GM. In North America, Chevrolet offers a full range of automobiles, from subcompact cars to medium-duty commercial trucks. Chevrolet was founded by Louis Chevrolet, a race-car driver and son of Cooper Chevrolet, and William Durant (founder of General Motors, who had been forced from the management of GM in 1910. Durant took over the

Flint Wagon Works, incorporating both the Mason and Little companies. Months before the Chevrolet Motor Car Co. was incorporated (on November 32). He wanted to use Chevrolet's name as a racer to rebuild his own reputation.

As head of Buick Motor Company, prior to founding GM, Durant had hired Chevrolet to drive Buicks in promotional races. Actual design work for the first Chevy, the costly Series C Classic Six was drawn up by Etienne Planche, following the instructions of his old friend Louis. The first C prototype was ready months before Chevrolet was actually incorporated.

TOYOTA Toyota Motor Corporation commonly known simply as Toyota, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan. At its peak, Toyota employed approximately 320,000 people worldwide. It is the world's largest automobile maker by sales. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father's company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. Three years earlier, in 1934, while still a department of Toyota Industries, it created its first product, the Type A engine, and, in 1936, its first passenger car, the Toyota AA. Toyota also owns and operates Lexus and Scion brands and has a majority shareholding stake in Daihatsu and Hino Motors, and minority

shareholdings in Fuji Heavy Industries, Isuzu Motors, Yamaha Motors, and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. The company includes 522 subsidiaries.

In January 2010, Toyota announced it was recalling up to 1.8 million cars across Europe, including about 220,000 in the UK, following problems with defective accelerator pedals.[9] Many Toyota models were involved, covering the 2007-2010 model years. Toyota subsequently recalled the Prius model for reprogramming of its ABS system. The U.S. Sales Chief, James Lentz, was questioned by the United States Congress committees on Oversight and Investigations on February 23, 2010, as a result of recent recalls. On 26 March Toyota said it would halt production in France and Britain for 12 days because of poor sales following the recalls. On 6 April 2010. The US government sought a record penalty of US$16.375 million from Toyota for its delayed response in notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding the defective accelerator pedals, and on 19 April Toyota said that it would pay the fine. The company said the recalls could cost the company up to US$2 billion (GB1.25 billion) in lost output and sales.

CHAPTER 4
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

PARTICULARS Below 10000 Above 10000 Above 100000 Below 200000 Total

INCOME BASIS TABLE NO 4.1 NO OF RESPONDANDS 10 25 10 5 50 CHART NO 4.1

PERCENTAGE 20 50 20 10 100

10%

20%

20%

B elow 10000 A bove 10000 A bove 100000 B elow 200000

50%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION

From the above table and chart, it can be inferred that 20% of the customers are having income below 100000 , then 50% of the customers are above 10000, then 20% and 10% of the customers are above 1000000 and below 200000 respectively. In ernakulam city most of the customers are middle level.

PARTICULARS Excellent Good Average Poor Total

Service Quality basis TABLE NO 4.2 NO OF RESPONDANDS 5 30 10 5 50 CHART NO 4.2

PERCENTAGE 10 60 20 10 100

10% 20%

10% Excellent Good Average Poor 60%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION

From the above table and chart , 10% of the customers are having excellent opinion ,and 60%, 20% 10% of the customers are having good, average, poor, opinion respectively about the the service quality of the the showroom in ernakulam city. Show rooms are providing international standard services to the customers

Performance Basis TABLE NO 4.3 PARTICULARS Highly satisfied Satisfied Highly dissatisfied Dissatisfied Total NO OF RESPONDANDS 10 20 5 15 50 CHART NO 4.3
30% 20% Highly satisfied Satisfied Highly dissatisfied Dissatisfied 10% 40%

PERCENTAGE 20 40 10 30 100

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION

From the above table and chart , it is clearly defined about the performance of the vehicle. Around 20% to 40% of the customers are satisfied and remaing are dissatisfied. On an average basis most of the customers in ernakulam city are satisfied with the performance of the vehicle. They are giving more preference to the efficiency of the engine.

PARTICULARS Agree Disagree Total

Claim Basis TABLE NO 4.4 NO OF RESPONDANDS 35 15 50 CHART NO 4.4

PERCENTAGE 70 30 100

30% Agree Disagree 70%

Source :primary data

INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart , we can observe that 70% of the customers are satisfied with claims settlement of the company and remaining are not satisfied with the claim settlement. Automobile companies are trying their level best to satisfy the customers.

PARTICULARS Agree Disagree Total

Terrain Basis TABLE NO 4.5 NO OF RESPONDANDS 20 30 50 CHART NO 4.5

PERCENTAGE 40 60 100

40% Agree Disagree 60%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION The road maintenance in ernakulam city is average basis, so it is not suitable for luxury models, due to the bad condition of the road, life span of the vehicle is getting reduce. So 60% of the customers are not agreed with maintenance of road in ernakulam city

PARTICULARS Below one year Below three year Above five year Total

Usage Basis TABLE NO 4.6 NO OF RESPONDANDS 10 20 20 50 CHART NO 4.6

PERCENTAGE 20 40 40 100

20% 40% Below one year Below three year Above five year 40%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can be inferred that 40% of the customers are using below three years , 20% of the customers ,that is high class people in the society are using belo one year and 40% of the customers are using above five years. Here it can be conclude that on an average basis most of the customers are using vehicle between 3 and 7 years.

PARTICULARS Agree Disagree Total

Traffic rules Basis TABLE NO 4.7 NO OF RESPONDANDS 30 20 50 CHART NO 4.7

PERCENTAGE 60 40 100

40% Agree Disagree 60%

Source :primary data

INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can be viewed that 60% of the customers are satisfied with traffic rules in ernakulam city and remaining 40% of the customers are not satisfied with the traffic condition of the vehicle, it gets affect the performance of the vehicle and reduce the mileage of the vehicle. Huge density of three wheelers in ernakulam city makes the traffic more complicated.

Benefits from showroom Basis TABLE NO 4.8 PARTICULARS Cash discount Insurance Accessories Warranty Total NO OF RESPONDANDS 20 10 5 15 50 TABLE NO 4.8 PERCENTAGE 40 20 10 30 100

30%

40%

Cash discount Insurance Accessories Warranty

10% 20%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart we can analys the benefits given by the showrooms in ernakulam city. Around 40% of the customers got cash discount from different showrooms, 20% got insurance , 10% got accessories and 30% got warranty from the showroom. Most of the customers in ernakulam city are satisfied with the showrooms .

After Sales Service Basis TABLE NO 4.9 PARTICULARS Satisfied Dissatisfied Total NO OF RESPONDANDS 40 10 50 TABLE NO 4.9 PERCENTAGE 80 20 100

20%

Satisf ied Dissatisf ied

80%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the table and chart we can interpret the after sales service in showrooms. Every showrooms are providing excellent service with international standards. Here 80% of the customers are satisfied with service in showrooms and remaining 20% are dissatisfied with this.

PARTICULARS Advertisement Sales Executive Relative Friend Total

Sources of Information Basis TABLE NO 4.10 NO OF RESPONDANDS 20 15 7 8 50 TABLE NO 4.10

PERCENTAGE 40 30 14 16 100

16% 14% 40% A dv ertis ement Sales Ex ec utiv e Relativ e Friend 30%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can be viewed that 40% of the customers are aware about the product through advertisement, 16% through friends , 30% through sales executives and 14% through relatives.

PARTICULARS Mileage Cost Service Quality Total

Preference Basis TABLE NO 4.11 NO OF RESPONDANDS 17 6 17 10 50 TABLE NO 4.11

PERCENTAGE 34 12 34 20 100

20% 34% Mileage Cost Service 34% Quality 12%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can be inferred that 34% of the customers are giving much importance to mileage basis, 34% of the customers are giving importance service and 20% and 12% are giving importance to quality and cost respectively. Most of the customers are expecting maximum utlity , they need much value for their money.

PARTICULARS Economic Luxury Total

Comfort Basis TABLE NO 4.12 NO OF RESPONDANDS 30 20 50 TABLE NO 4.12

PERCENTAGE 60 40 100

40% Ec onomic Luxury 60%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can be observe that 60% of the customers are preferring economic cars and 40% of the customers are preferring luxury cars such as Benz, Audi, BMW etc. form this we can conclude that most of the customers are giving much importance to their economic condition.

Model Basis TABLE NO 4.13 PARTICULARS Sedan Hatchback Suv Muv Total NO OF RESPONDANDS 10 18 8 14 50 PERCENTAGE 20 36 16 28 100

TABLE NO 4.13

28%

20% Sedan Hatchback Suv Muv

16%

36%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can be inferred that 20% of the customers are preferring sedan model, 36% of the customers prefers hatch back model 18% and 28% prefer SUV and MUV respectively.

PARTICULARS Agree Disagree Total

Family Needs Basis TABLE NO 4.14 NO OF RESPONDANDS 35 15 50 TABLE NO 4.14

PERCENTAGE 70 30 100

3 0% A gree Dis a gr ee 70 %

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart shows the family needs of the customers . most of the customers(70%) are satisfied with the family needs and remaining 30% are dissatisfied with family needs with the vehicle. Most of the customers are prefers , there whole family should be there in their journey.

PARTICULARS Torque Performance Mileage Comfort Total

Special Advantage TABLE NO 4.15 NO OF RESPONDANDS 6 10 20 14 50 TABLE NO 4.15

PERCENTAGE 12 20 40 28 100

12% 28% Torque 20% Performance Mileage Comfort

40%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can be viewed that 40% of the customers Prefers mileage, 28% of the customers prefers comfort and 12% prefers torque and 20% prefer performance of the vehicle.

PARTICULARS Automatic Gear Manual Gear Total

Gear Shift Basis TABLE NO 4.16 NO OF RESPONDANDS 15 35 50 TABLE NO 4.16

PERCENTAGE 30 75 100

30% Automatic Gear Manual Gear 70%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can be inferred that70% of the customers prefers manual gear shifts because it improves the mileage of the vehicle. Remaining 30% of the customers prefers automatic gear shifts they need more comfort in riding the vehicle.

PARTICULARS Power Window Abs Power Steering Traction Control Air Bag

Special Feature Basis TABLE NO 4.17 NO OF RESPONDANDS 20 2 20 3 3

PERCENTAGE 40 4 40 6 6

EBD Total

2 50 TABLE NO 4.17

4 100

6% 6%

4% Pow er Window 40% Abs Pow er Steering Traction Control Air Bag EB D 4%

40%

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can be observed that most of the customers are preferring luxury features in their vehicle such as power window(40%) , abs(4%) ,power steering(40%), traction control(6%), air bag(6%), E B D(4%). Customers in ernakulam city need more comfort and luxury with less cost.

PARTICULARS Relatives Friends Family Members Total

Usage of the Vehicle TABLE NO 4.18 NO OF RESPONDANDS 10 10 30 50 TABLE NO 4.18

PERCENTAGE 20 20 60 100

20% Relatives Friends 60% 20% Family Members

Source :primary data INTERPRETATION From the above table and chart it can can be inferred that usage of the vehicle varies from person to person. Their family members , relatives and friends are using the vehicle occasionally. According to their needs and wants they are interchanging their vehicle.

CHAPTER 5 FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION

FINDINGS 1) In ernakulam city most of the customers are between high level and middle level, class. So most of the customers are giving preference to mileage , luxury features and comfort. 2) Most of the showrooms in ernakulam city is providing high standard of service, and they are trying their level best to satisy the customers.

3) In ernakulam city most of the customers are preferring manual transmission gear shifts. 4) On an average basis, the customers are using their vehicle between 4 to 6 years

SUGGESTIONS 1) Customers are changing. Brands are changing slower than the customers. If a brand becomes popular, a set of potential customers while taking decision to purchase a four-wheeler may not want to go for it, as many started using it. So, if the marketer wants to create demand continuously, they should provide certain unique features with which they feel better & different from others by possessing the product of that brand. 2) Instead of increasing only sales, Market share & profit, every marketer has to build faith & trust in the minds of consumers. So, transparent marketing helps in forming a honest & better market Strategies 3) Reduce the price of Spare Parts. 4) Reduce the charge for services. 5) More flexible & customer-friendly finance schemes

CONCLUSIONS

Automobile companies are trying their level best to maintain a good relationship with the customers. Here the customers are the king, so their satisfaction is very important. Company should give incentives for record sales done by the dealers or that they are interested to do more sales and also they can earn more profit.

Bibliography

Books refered: 1) automobile industry in India 2) automobile journals _ james w wreke _ auto car , fast track

Websites: www.timesindia.com www.indianexpress.com www.automobilejournals.com

ANNEXURE

Questionnaire
1 2 Car you purchased and the name of the showroom? Income

Below 10000 ( ) above 100000 ( ) 3 Service quality in show room Excellent ( ) Average ( ) 4 Are you satisfied with the performance? Highly satisfied ( ) Satisfied ( )

above 10000( ) below 200000( )

good ( ) poor ( )

Highly dissatisfied ( ) Dissatisfied ( )

5 Do you meet the claims of the company? Agree ( ) Disagree ( )

6 Is the terrain is suitable for the car? Agree ( ) Disagree ( ) 7 How long are you using the vehicle? Below one year ( ) below three year ( ) above 5 year ( )

8 Does the traffic rules and roads are affecting the performance of the vehicle? Agree ( ) disagree ( )

9 Does the showroom provide any extra benefits? Cash discount ( ) Accessories ( ) insurance ( ) warranty ( )

10 After sales service?

Satisfied ( ) Dissatisfied ( )
11 How you come to know about the car and showroom?

Advertisement ( ) Relatives ( ) 12 Why do you prefer the car? Mileage ( ) Service ( ) 13 what kind of car prefer? Economic ( ) 14 which model you prefer? Sedan ( ) SUV ( )

sales executives ( ) friend ( )

cost ( ) quality ( )

luxury ( )

Hatchback ( ) MUV ( )

15 Do the car satisfying your family needs?

Agree ( ) 16 special advantage of the car? Torque ( ) Mileage ( )

disagree ( )

performance( ) comfort ( )

17 Which model do you prefer in ernakulam city?

Automatic gear ( )

manual gear ( )

18 Which type of luxury do you prefer?

Power window ( ) Power steering ( ) Airbag ( )

ABS ( ) traction control ( ) EBD ( )

19 Who all use the vehicle?

Relatives ( ) Family members ( )

friends ( )

20 Which company do you prefer in future? And why?

BMW Benz Hyundai Chevrolet Toyota Maruthi Audi Mahindra Renault