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Tag: Mercedes

  • Luxury Ride expands luxurious cars inventory to over 75 this festive season

    Luxury Ride expands luxurious cars inventory to over 75 this festive season

    Mumbai: As festive season is one of the most crucial times for marketers, Luxury Ride, a one-stop destination for the most opulent range of pre-owned luxury cars, has expanded its inventory size to over 75 for pre-owned luxury cars. At present, Luxury Ride is the only brand to offer such a large collection of cars in the niche segment of pre-owned luxury cars.

    Spread over a space of over 10,000 sq. feet showroom in Gurgaon, the brand exhibits an attractive collection of premium cars, from sedans to SUVs, under one roof. The brand will be offering an assortment of the most coveted, high-end models that are in demand such as Mercedes-Benz GLS, BMW X7, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE, and many more affluent cars, between the range of 20 lakhs to 1.25 crores. The brand aims to provide a hassle-free shopping experience to customers, and in this regard the company is incessantly working toward building a strong tech-driven value chain. It aims to take the collection to more than 100 cars by the end of this financial year.

    As per the report, pre-owned luxury cars have registered a 35-40 per cent increase in demand year-on-year basis. Looking at the rising preference for luxury cars among customers, the brand is quite optimistic about clocking an uptick in sales this festive season. And to achieve this, the brand has maintained an optimum inventory capacity to cater to the diverse needs of the customers and ensure timely delivery at the given point in time.

    Speaking on the occasion, Luxury Ride co-founder and CEO Himanshu Arya said, “Festive season contributes to about a quarter of yearly domestic volume in the automobile industry, owing to which we are anticipating a good traction. October-December is one of the most crucial periods to witness large inflow of customers, and considering that they are willing to spend money, they eagerly wait for this phase. Therefore, leveraging the occasion, we decided to curate an opulent range of cars, offering more than 75 options to help customers choose from a wide spectrum of models and segments available at a broad range of prices at one place. We are quite optimistic about the festive season, and hopeful that it will bring cheer to the industry and our brand.”

    Elaborating on the same, Luxury Ride co-founder and MD Sumit Garg said, “Buying a vehicle in India holds a lot of significance, and people plan car purchases during the festive season. Consumers even expand their budget during the season, depending on the availability and their choice or preference of cars. Moreover, observing that consumers these days are driven by the desire to own luxury cars, but considering that people nowadays, generally change cars in 3-4 years, it is giving a strong push to pre-owned luxury car segment. Therefore, observing this shifting consumer behavior and in order to cater to their requirements, we have organized the most premium collection of pre-owned cars to show value for each penny spent by them.”

  • Star Sports launches promo film ahead of Australian GP

    Star Sports launches promo film ahead of Australian GP

    Mumbai: Star Sports has launched a promo film ahead of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. The race will be broadcasted on Star Sports Select and Disney+ Hotstar on 10 April starting at 10:30 a.m.

    Titled “The Hunter Will Be Hunted,” the promo film emphasises how the hunt for supremacy is back on track as the challengers will look to hunt down and stop Max Verstappen and take his spot at the top of the F1 pyramid, according to the broadcaster.

    Seven-time driver’s world champion Hamilton who dominated the sport for the last decade was beaten by Max Verstappen in the 2021 season in one of the most dramatic finishes to an F1 season in Abu Dhabi last year.

    The promo film also highlights the new feature of the 2022 racing cars that will allow for closer racing and the potential for overtakes. The new season has brought with it new rules, and new drivers in various teams all of whom are gunning for the reigning champion Verstappen.

    This season, attention is drawn towards the front of the grid where Ferrari and Red Bull have performed well in the first two race weekends. In the opening race of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr pulled off a 1-2 finish. In the following race in Saudi Arabia, Max Verstappen grabbed a thrilling win for Red Bull edging Ferrari by 0.5 seconds.

    The Australian GP will be held at the Melbourne Circuit after a two-year hiatus. Hamilton and Mercedes have had a rocky start and the focus will also be on whether they will make a strong comeback during the Australian GP.

  • WPP acquires AQuest

    WPP acquires AQuest

    MUMBAI: WPP today announces the acquisition of a majority stake in Italian technology-driven creative agency, AQuest.

    AQuest’s expertise includes innovative UX and UI design, production, consumer experience and activations for clients such as Gucci, Bulgari, Mercedes, Poliform and Smeg. Based in Milan and Verona, it employs more than 70 people.

    The acquisition is in line with WPP’s strategy to provide transformative ideas and outcomes for its clients through an integrated offer of communications, experience, commerce and technology.

    Deal terms are not disclosed.

  • Mercedes Benz S-Class arrives through airport OOH ads

    Mercedes Benz S-Class arrives through airport OOH ads

    MUMBAI: With the recent launch of one of the leading luxury car brands, Mercedes Benz S-Class in India, the brand was looking to spread the news to its potential customers. Airports represent a key venue for Mercedes Benz as business class as well as international travellers, form a major part of Mercedes Benz’s TG. 

    Thereby, to endorse the S-Class as the latest premium offering from the brand and make the campaign eye catchy to customers in an impactful, yet subtle way, keeping in line with the brand image, Mercedes Benz took airport media as a part of its OOH advertising plan.

    Two airports were selected post an in-depth analysis of passenger traffic in India in order to educate potential customers about the newly launched S Class in Mumbai and Delhi airports. High visibility media were taken at both the airports in high traffic areas. The entry points to the multi-level car park at both these airports offer 100 per cent visibility to all domestic as well as international passengers.

    At Mumbai airport, the DRLs within the headlamps in the car creative were lined with LED lights. This impressive innovation immediately drew one’s attention to the hoarding and then to the iconic as well as easily recognisable headlights of the Mercedes Benz.

    A 21-day pan-India campaign across multiple cities was carefully strategised to reach out to its TG, out of which Mumbai and Delhi were identified as the key touch-points.

    Times OOH executed the outdoor campaign through its airport media in association with Kinetic WW who managed the mainline media and outdoor media planning.

  • Hatchback car models zoom ahead of SUVs & sedans on TV news: Esha Media Research

    Hatchback car models zoom ahead of SUVs & sedans on TV news: Esha Media Research

    KOLKATA: Hatchback car models occupied more news space on television at 18.5 per cent out of the 99 hour coverage put together on business, general and regional television channels in the month of January 2015, as per media monitoring agency Esha Media Research.

     

    The study conducted by Esha Media further finds that SUVs and sedans occupied 16 per cent and 15 per cent respectively out of the total coverage for the month. 

     

    Among the auto companies, Maruti accounted for 10 per cent of the coverage followed by Mercedes and Tata Motors at seven per cent and 6.5 per cent respectively.

     

    Segment-wise, Maruti led the coverage in hatchback model followed by Nissan, while in the SUV segment, Volvo was ahead of Mahindra. In the sedan segment, Mercedes led the coverage with 4.78 per cent followed by Audi at 2.9 per cent.

     

    Talking on the news trend, Esha Media Research managing director RS Iyer said the data indicates that business news channels accounted for 88 per cent of the total news coverage of 99 hours across all channels while the general and regional news channels accounted for the rest. “We intend to capture key data across several industry verticals and provide them with an invaluable analytical tool for their in-house and outsource PR professionals,” he said.

     

    Though Ford Motors did not figure in any of the segment from news coverage, the company’s executive director Don Butler appeared the most with 1.20 hours of coverage followed by Rajiv Bajaj of Bajaj Auto and Mayank Parekh of Tata Motors with 1.16 hours and 1.13 hours respectively, the report further illustrates.

     

    Among auto experts, Tutu Dhawan held 98 per cent of pie leaving Dilip Desai and Bertrand far behind, while Adil Jal Darukhanawala was marginally ahead of Hormard Sorabjee in the anchor segment.

  • Starsports.com races ahead with McLaren Mercedes F1 team

    Starsports.com races ahead with McLaren Mercedes F1 team

    MUMBAI: After testing waters with badminton through IBL (Indian Badminton League) and football through the Barclays Premier League, the Star network is all set to build its portfolio by connecting with other sports and introducing Indian viewers to thrills other than cricket.

    The latest is a tie up between Star Network’s sports digital channel starsports.com and the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team for the 2013 Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix that will be held between 25 to 27 October. As a part of the deal, the rear wings of the McLaren Mercedes cars will sport the logo of starsports.com.

    This apart, the website will also live stream the race live on 26 and 27 October (qualifying and final race) as well as develop programmes such as exclusive interaction with the team drivers Jenson Button and Sergio Perez as well as management including team principal Martin Whitmarsh and sporting director Sam Michael.

    Interviews with team engineers will help viewers understand the mechanics of the garage. ESPN Software COO Vijay Rajput says, “We believe this partnership will help in promoting starsports.com as the definitive destination for sports on digital. We will present an unrivalled live video experience as well as a place for replays and catch-up. The service will feature original content not screened on television, including outstanding video stories and insightful contributions from experts.”

    Although feature videos are free to watch, the live streaming is not. Viewers have to pay Rs 500 to watch the whole F1 series that includes already gone by Korean and Japanese Grand prix and upcoming Indian, US, Abu Dhabi and Brazil ones. Live streaming of other sports is also a paid privilege with the ongoing India-Australia series priced at Rs 100 for all the matches. There is no delay in the stream.

    “It is not just about putting a TV signal on the website but about giving viewers a fully different experience,” expounds ESPN Software India’s spokesperson. The live stream is accompanied by a video timeline to catch up on the event as well as ongoing statistics. F1 will also feature prominently on the site as well as be integrated into the ongoing cricket series between India and Australia. Star Sports plans to promote other sports through cricket since the Englishman’s game strikes a chord with Indian people like none other.

    Social media will also engage viewers but it is only complimentary to the actual experience of watching it on the website. The live telecast on the two days will see Petronas and Rolex as presenting sponsors while Samsung, Micromax, Pernord Ricard and Vodafone will be associate sponsors apart from several spot buyers. As of now, the channel does not plan to have any Hindi commentary.

    This year, the channel aims at expanding its portfolio by introducing a wide variety of sports to Indian viewers. The availability of live streaming for all kinds of sports is an effort to build the website as the only destination sports fans go to for catching live action in HD as well as provide additional data and analytics that are integrated into the video experience through their gadgets.

    “Over the years, F1 has developed a strong following in the country. The introduction of Indian Grand Prix has further helped in broad basing the fan following. The live telecast of India Grand Prix last year generated average TVTs which were more than double the average TVTs generated by other races. Even on reach front, Indian GP delivered far higher numbers as compared to other races,” says Rajput.
    Though Star India is aware that cricket is the dominant sport in the country, it feels that there is space for other sports to also grab eyeballs.

  • In the Shadow of Freedom – A Liberating Love Story by Laxmi Dhaul

    In the Shadow of Freedom – A Liberating Love Story by Laxmi Dhaul

    MUMBAI: Author Laxmi Dhaul’s book was launched in Mumbai on October 3, at the Godrej Dance Academy, NCPA. 

    The launch started with a 10-minute video clip on the book explaining the time line in History from 1930. The protagonist of the book Ayi Ganpat Tendulkar went to Germany in the 1920’s to study and the book revolves around his stay in the Weimar Republic in Germany till Hitler came into power. Tendulkar returned to India in 1939 and met and falls in love with a freedom fighter Indumati Gunaji with whom he joins the independence struggle. The war breaks out soon after and after five long years they are finally married with Gandhiji’s blessings after several conditions are imposed on them.

    Dileep Padgaonkar described Tendulkar as an incurable romantic as the book describes his 4 marriages and also his brilliant mind and linguistic genius. He described how he personally came across Tendulkar, whilst reading  the biography of Fritz Lang, a famous Hollywood Director who along with his wife Thea von Harbou had made epic German movies such as ‘Metropolis’ and ‘M’. Thea von Harbou married Tendulkar on Fritz Lang’s departure to Hollywood. Padgaonkar read that Tendulkar was from Belgaum, and was able to

     trace the author Laxmi Dhaul and realise that their family had been friends for 3 generations!
    Suhel Seth read 2 passages from the book in his wonderful theatrical style and made the book come live for the audience! The first piece was the incident when Ayi Tendulkar met Thea von Harbou for the first time. Anil Dharker opened the discussion on Thea von Harbou’s admiration of both Hitler and Gandhi and wanted to know from the author why she had taken so long to write this book, which was an important document in that chronicled the period of  World War 2 and India’s independence struggle.  

    Vijay Crishna was among the noted faces present at this very graceful evening

     
    Brief about In the Shadow of Freedom:

    The book is a daughter’s testimony to the love story of her parents and the hardships and sufferings that one faced during the time of Independence for India.

    Ayi Ganpat Tendulkar and Indumati Gunaji would probably have remained just footnotes in the annals of Indian history had their daughter, Laxmi Tendulkar Dhaul, not written In the Shadow of Freedom, a riveting account of their lives and marriage. Tendulkar Dhaul’s parents could not have been more different from each other but they still managed to forge a relationship that was not only ahead of its time but also unique in its emotional architecture.

    Indumati Gunaji was in her 20s, a simple girl from a sheltered though enlightened Saraswat Brahmin family, when she fell in love with her future husband. A freedom fighter and Mahatma Gandhi’s follower since her youth, Gunaji could not have been more different from her dashing lover, a thoroughly Westernized man known for his sartorial elegance and a taste for the finer things in life, including a red Mercedes, which he drove around the small town of Belgaum (Karnataka), where he first met Gunaji in the late 1930s. This is a story of how love was sacrificed till India was liberated. It is about emotions, empathy, priorities and moreover pure, defiant love.