Make way for the Prince - Honda Amaze!!!

Often there is a sense of curiosity and sheer excitement when we wait for outcomes. We just wait for things to happen and there lies the surprise. Life is such. We do not know what the future holds for us. Each and every day springs in new surprises  And so, life is exciting. But when we do know whats in store for us, apparently monotony sets in. It steals away the amazement which would make things worth waiting to know. It applies to everything. Ranging from hit list to Sports to living and so on. Consider Man United in EPL. CSK in IPL. Tiger Woods in Highest Paid Athlete list. We all know these are there to stay every year and there are no surprises. There is a clear dominance in each of these right through. Yet we were in for a surprise when things unfolded last year. Man City replaced Man United. KKR toppled CSK. Floyd Mayweather punched his way to chuck Tiger Woods out. Some of us were left in shock and awe while some cherished the surprise. Surprise there is, reminds us that change is inevitable. Actually, change is good.

For years now, Maruti has been the market leader in Cars in India with Hyundai being the distant second. MUL sells close to one lakh units each month (a share of close to 45%) while HMIL sells just over a quarter of it (around 14%). The reason for MUL's dominance is early inroads, huge network and trust among customers backed by a huge portfolio catering to all segments. With it's Alto, Swift siblings and Wagon-R, MUL enjoys unprecedented success in volumes. Come what may, it defies law of competition. Any competing vehicle form other manufactures loses by a big margin to these household names from MUL. The DZire especially has reigned supreme ever since it came into the market. But it was about time that somebody upped the game in this segment and Honda seem to have just done that  with it's latest offering, leaving MUL in a spot of bother.  Literally.

Honda sales normally amounts to less than 10000 units each month (at the most in it's prime). It even hit a low of 1960 last June (thanks to the storm created by petrol price hike and desire for diesel cars). A mere share of around 3 - 4% of the pie is what it earns normally. The reason being the lack of a diesel variant in its portfolio. Quality offerings from rivals din't help Honda's cause and the Japanese car makers were left reeling down the barrel.  Apparently Honda lost its reputation and it's future in the Indian market went for a toss. After an year of resilient market study and strategics,  Honda has come up with what could be a defining move, its first ever diesel variant in India - the "Amaze" and boy hasn't it revived Honda's fortunes.  A whopping 22,000 bookings in less than a month of its launch, plucking a thick share from the leading Dzire, has meant a telling blow to Maruti.  Going by expert reviews, it  almost seems like the Amaze was designed and built just to topple the DZire from its throne. Honda has struck gold with Amaze and this was something the competition was dreading for a long time and to come up with something better definitely took a lot of doing.

More than doubling its normal sale volume with just one launch, Honda has now stamped its authority back on Indian roads. A job well done, a lesson learnt the hard way hard though but shall stay on for its success. We all do learn the hard way and its the only way we keep ourselves forward. It has meant that excelling in matching customer needs with a prompt offering is always a proven success package.  Honda has just done that, we may believe. As for Maruti, the so far unchallenged leader, it would take time and a possible miracle to rebound.

- DC