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The ad campaign that introduced the Beetle to America in 1959 said it all. Doing away with catchy copy or colourful graphics, Volkswagen asked consumers to ‘Think Small’. A small picture of the car stood against a white background, aimed at a market where big cars ruled the roost.
“Trust can go a long way when making purchases and give auto manufacturers an edge with consumers,” said N Chandramouli, Chief Executive Officer, TRA Research, a brand data insights company.
Speaking at the release of TRA’s Brand Trust Report 2017, he drove home the point that in the highly competitive auto space, trust is the one single factor that influences consumers to make a commitment to the brand and keep coming back for more.
In India’s Most Trusted Brands list as measured by TRA, Honda came sixth with Maruti just behind in the seventh spot. Bajaj was ranked 10. “Trust is transaction personified,” says Chandramouli.
“When your brand has credibility and reliability, then one can expect an increase in satisfied customers and improved retention, which directly translates into increased revenue and profit.”
The TRA report highlighted that developing trust in relation to an auto brand would not just drive sales but provide a foundation for long-term advocacy, loyalty, and a sustainable bottom line.
There were seven brands in this year’s list of ‘Top 10 Hatchbacks’. Maruti Suzuki Swift retained its position as India’s most trusted brand, with the Tata Nano in second place. Hyundai’s i10 came next (up from No 9 in 2016) with Maruti’s Ritz in fourth place followed by Tata Indica.
In the car arena, the top six brands’ rankings in the category were the same as 2016. Honda was right on top, followed by Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai.
In fourth place was Toyota with Ford next in line while Mahindra & Mahindra jumped 775 points to grab the seventh spot. Nissan, Tata Motors and Volkswagen made up the balance in the Top 10 league.
As for India’s most trusted luxury four-wheeler brand, the study put BMW on top with Audi, Volvo Cars, Jaguar and Ferrari taking up the next four places. At No 6, Mercedes Benz was the only brand to have lost ground, said Chandramouli. Porsche, Lexus, Rolls Royce, and Lamborghini were the other brands to figure in this list.
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