ITV

Tag: automobile industry

  • NDTV Car and Bike Awards 2016 embraced by leaders

    NDTV Car and Bike Awards 2016 embraced by leaders

    MUMBAI: It was a night celebrating fast paced thrills and glamour, the coveted NDTV Car and Bike Awards, presented by Future Generali and powered by Mobil was a scintillating affair indeed. 

     

    Renault Kwid won the NDTV car of the year award 2016 and Bajaj Pulsar RS 200 was awarded the NDTV two wheeler of the year 2016. Leaders from the automobile industry, marketers, jury members and PR persons joined on the occasion.

     

    This year, the NDTV Car and Bike Awards saw a panel discussion on the state of the industry, the status of the crucial road safety bill, and how the industry is looking to play its part to tackle growing air pollution. The eminent panellists included Hero MotoCorp managing director and CEO Pawan Munjal and Maruti Suzuki India managing director Kenichi Ayukawa. The discussion was moderated by NDTV group CEO Vikram Chandra.

     

    Renault India CEO Sumit Sawhney was awarded the coveted automotive man of the year 2016 for the launch of the KWID, and his bold strategy behind that success. The 11 edition of the awards also honoured products launched over the past year, across both car and bike segments and recognised industry leaders, advertisers, marketers and PR professionals from the industry.

     

    The Mobil CNB Viewers’ Choice Awards for both cars and bikes provided NDTV viewers the exciting opportunity to vote for their favourite car and bike nominees and stand a chance to take the year’s hottest wheels home. Renault Kwid and Bajaj Pulsar RS 200 were announced as the Mobil CNB viewer’s choice car and two wheeler respectively. Virat Kohli was awarded the brand ambassador of the year while the BMW i8 took home the trophy for automotive technology of the year. 

     

    On the eve of the 11 edition of the awards, NDTV group’s editor auto and head of automobile programming  Siddharth Vinayak Patankar said, “What a superb year it has been, that has given us such competent and exciting products. The industry is also climbing back from its worst days, which is encouraging for us all. I remain proud that we deliver India’s most credible automobile awards! I have fiercely guarded the awards process and we had fantastic juries for the various categories, which made it even more comprehensive. As always we credibly honour the best of the auto industry while also reflecting the choices and sentiments of customers, manufactures and auto lovers alike.”

     

    The Marketing and Communications awards categories had a special jury made up of Madison World chairman and MD Sam Balsara, Clea Public Relations chairman and MD Vinod Nair, Ogilvy & Mather national creative director Rajiv Rao, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific chairman and lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Asylum Films founder Razneesh Ghai , NDTV Prime strategy head editor and anchor Shruti Verma Singh, and  NDTV group editor-auto and head of automobile programming Siddharth Vinayak Patankar.

     

    The product awards boasted a panel of eminent jury members including Car India and Bike India editor Aspi Bhatena, DC Design, Racers CEO Dilip Chhabria,   Aditya Patel, Karun Chandhok and Rayomand Banajee, senior industry consultant Dr V Sumantran, rallyist and auto enthusiast Kamlesh Patel, Man’s World managing editor Pablo Chaterji,  Evo India editor Sirish Chandran, NDTV  Assistant Editor-Auto PS Balakrishnan,  and NDTV Group Editor-Auto Siddharth Vinayak Patankar.

     

    The key categories include: NDTV car of the year, NDTV two wheeler of the year, car manufacturer of the year, two wheeler manufacturer of the year, CNB viewers’ choice car and two wheeler of the year, and automotive man of the year.

     

    To ensure a seamless and transparent selection process, jury members got a hands-on experience of each car and bike at the Buddh International Circuit, along with the nominee’s specifications, its market performance and details on its immediate competition. The jurors then led through a sanitized process filled out their assessment on each nominee and awarded points to all the contending vehicles. The scoring and voting system instituted by the World Car of the Year Awards was used in the selection process.

     

    Ballot voting was conducted in isolation to other jurors and is monitored and organised by auditors Ernst and Young.  

  • Bloomberg TV Autocar India Awards 2015 honours automobile industry

    Bloomberg TV Autocar India Awards 2015 honours automobile industry

    MUMBAI: Bloomberg TV India, the nation’s leading English business news channel and India’s definitive guide to the auto industry – Autocar India magazine, today presented the ‘The Bloomberg TV India Autocar India Awards 2015’ in Mumbai. The winners were felicitated at a dazzling ceremony in the august presence of chief guest, Shri. Nitin Gadkari, Honourable Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping and guest of honour Smt. Shaina NC, National Spokesperson and National Executive Council of the BJP and Shri. Quaiser Khali, Additional Commissioner of Police –Traffic, Mumbai. The awards also witnessed an elite list of personalities from the corporate world, who came together to honour achievers from the automotive sector.

     

    The awards based on the theme “Recognizing the evolving needs of the fast-paced Indian”; saw a fierce competition amongst the most reputed names in the auto sector. A total of 24 awards were given away across two and four wheeler segments. The Bloomberg TV India Autocar India Awards 2015 was presented by Reliance General Insurance.

    At the awards, in the four wheeler segment, Hyundai i20 made a sensational debut by winning the ‘Car of the Year (Jury’s Choice), while Honda won the ‘Car Manufacturer of the Year’. In the two wheeler segment, Suzuki Gixxer won the Bike of the Year (Jury’s Choice) while Hyundai i20 and KTM RC 390 bagged the Viewer’s Choice Award in the Car and Bike segment. The list of award winners across all categories is annexed.

    Mr. Lavneesh Gupta, COO – Bloomberg TV India while speaking about the Awards said, “The Indian Auto Industry, which has always been the economy’s growth dynamo, is once again revving up. This acceleration in growth holds the promise of “Achhe Din” for the manufacturing sector and millions of youth seeking quality jobs. As a business news channel that gives in-depth understanding of various industries, it is about walking that extra mile to give the viewer an unbiased understanding of various industries including the Indian Automotive sector, which has contributed enormously to the country’s economy over the last decade. We at Bloomberg TV India are proud of our association with the Autocar India team that helps us build and maintain a close relationship with the sector and celebrate its success.”

    The Bloomberg TV India Autocar India Awards sets the standard for the Automotive Industry and honors the best-in class vehicles launched by the industry over the last one year. The winners were selected by an eminent jury on the basis of extensive and grueling track tests and a detailed methodology validated by knowledge support partner, PricewaterhouseCooper.

    The jury panel that selected the winners from the top contenders in each category comprised of experts like Hormazd Sorabjee (Editor – Autocar India); Renuka Kirpalani (Editor – Autocar India show); Shapur Kotwal (Deputy Editor – Autocar India); Narain Karthikeyan (India’s first Formula 1 Driver); Kartikeya Singhee (Consultant Editor – Autocar India Show); Manvendra Singh (India’s leading Automotive Historian); Rishad Cooper (Two Wheeler Editor – Autocar India); C S Santosh (Motocross Rider).

    Mr. Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor – Autocar India, speaking at the award ceremony, said, “I am glad that over the last seven years, the Bloomberg TV India Autocar India Awards have grown in stature, popularity and prominence. The Awards has always been a celebration of the best products of the year across the automobile industry. Today the Indian customer has the choice of the best cars, bikes and SUVs in the world equipped with advanced technology, which improves the performance and efficiency of vehicles. It’s hard to find sub-standard vehicles these days and that makes the competition even tougher for us to judge.”

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rakesh Jain, CEO, Reliance General Insurance, said,” Bloomberg TV India Autocar India Awards 2015 is a prestigious forum to recognize the best in the Auto Industry and we would like to congratulate all the winners. These Awards are the most coveted awards in the Indian Auto industry. We are proud of our association with Bloomberg TV India Autocar India Awards 2015 and appreciate the opportunity provided to promote our cause of safety awareness amongst the customers and the Industry.”

    This year at the awards, Bloomberg TV India felicitated best performing women officers from the Mumbai Police Traffic Department, as a commemoration of their contribution to the city. This special tribute was given in recognition of their outstanding service and contribution to the society. The Mumbai Police Traffic Department, as part of their special initiative for women empowerment, encourages women to join the force. Bloomberg TV India extended its support for this initiative by way of this felicitation.

  • Automotive brands struggle to differentiate themselves in India

    Automotive brands struggle to differentiate themselves in India

    MUMBAI: The automobile industry of India has always been a favourite among consumers, but according to the recent JD Power Asia Pacific 2014 India Brand Influence and Positioning Study (BIPS), very few automotive brands in the intensely competitive India passenger-car market are able to establish a distinct position in car buyers’ minds.

     

    In India, brands with the highest brand influence scores (on a 1,000-point scale) are Maruti Suzuki (837), Hyundai (758), Toyota (729), Honda (723) and Tata (703), while Mitsubishi (565) and Fiat (586) are amongst brands with the lowest influence.

     

    According to the study, strong brand influence may have a positive effect on purchase intent for a particular brand, as brand influence scores correlate highly with brand consideration rates. The study also segments the market using psychographic, demographic and behavioral attributes to help automakers identify and understand who their best prospects are in the new-car market.

     

    “Brand image and reputation have gained significant importance over the last five years for consumers in the Indian auto industry and are key purchase criterion,” said JD Power Asia Pacific Singapore executive director Mohit Arora. “Brand Influence scores measure the impact a brand has in the market, which is critical for automakers to track and measure,” he aaded.

     

    As per the report, in the Northern and Eastern regions of India consumers in India have substantial difficulty distinguishing between many of the larger European and US automotive brands such as Fiat, Ford and Renault. In contrast, Japanese brands, such as Honda and Toyota, are able to more effectively differentiate themselves from other brands.

     

    Despite its Japanese origin, consumers view Maruti Suzuki as an Indian brand, less modern than other brands but distinctly positioned as offering affordable and fuel-efficient cars. Similar to Maruti Suzuki, Tata is also seen as a brand primarily positioned on affordability and fuel efficiency.

     

    Consumers in India perceive these Japanese brands to be more contemporary, offering the latest technology and engineering and perceive them to have a more global image than their European, Korean and US counterparts.  

     

    Explaining the brand positioning, Arora elaborated, “Understanding their current positioning relative to the competition from a consumer’s perspective as well as the type of messaging themes that appeal most to a target segment helps automotive manufacturers sharpen their marketing efforts. Generally, consumers are able to differentiate more effectively on vehicle features they can see, touch and feel than on intangibles.”

     

    The 2014 India Brand Influence and Positioning Study is based on interviews with 8,009 car owners who have owned their vehicles from 30 to 42 months and who were asked to compare two vehicle brands. The study was fielded from January through April 2014 across 30 cities in India, a period when Indian car industry was at an all time low in sales and spirit.