The Hindu Business Line : Hindustan Motors' dealer wooing customers at airport

Coimbatore March 20 Cars at airport are no strange sight. But what happens if you sight one parked on a platform in the arrival or departure lounge? Curious onlookers would definitely turn back before pushing their carts and moving away.

And this is what Anamallais Agencies, an authorised sales and service dealer for Hindustan Motors, is betting on.

While the intention is obvious - a promotional strategy - "it has not failed to catch the eyes of those who otherwise have no time to visit the showroom to see the model," says Mr Suresh Kumar, Manager (Sales), Anamallais Agencies.

Besides displaying the high-end Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia within the precincts of its showroom, the company has taken it to the airport lounge.

"We initiated this exercise at Chennai airport some time back. Getting approval from the airport authorities is not easy. We managed, but were allowed to display the vehicle only in the arrival lounge. It did not have a great impact, as the effort was aimed at catching the attention of high profile customers, who have no time to visit the showroom or a trade fair stall. And this targeted segment invariably just walk out on arrival," Mr Kumar told Business Line.

Stating that the follow-on initiative in Coimbatore had to be postponed by 2-3 months due to delay in getting approval from the authorities concerned, he said "the impact though is phenomenal".

The company has, within the first three weeks of displaying the `Sports' model of the vehicle, been able to convert some enquiries to firm bookings. The on-road price of the vehicle is Rs 10.82 lakh. The company has display approval for 45 days.

Initially, it placed the white model before replacing it with the black-coloured Cedia.

Anamallais Agencies is now planning to replicate this exercise at the Bangalore airport. "The effort is not cheap, but we are keen to create an awareness among buyers about the petrol version. The enquiries are on the rise," he said. How about a test drive? "We facilitate a test drive. At the airport, the prospective buyer/customer just drops his card. We send the catalogue to his address and follow up the enquiry," Mr Kumar said.

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