Bajaj CT100, Hero Honda Splendor+, Honda Unicorn, and Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Delight their Customers
Future car purchase intention to fuel 4-Wheeler growth New Delhi, June 23rd 2005…
According
to the findings of the 2005 total customer satisfaction study released
today by leading market information provider, TNS, the newly launched
Bajaj CT100 and Honda Unicorn rank highest in their respective
segments, while Hero Honda Splendor+ leads the competitive ‘executive’
bikes.
Royal Enfield continues to dominate the niche ‘cruiser’ bikes with its Bullet 350 recording segment-best ratings.
Representing
the responses of more than seven thousand new-motorcycle buyers towards
the performance of 40 models in the key areas of sales satisfaction,
product quality, motorcycle performance and design, after-sales
service, brand image, and cost-of-ownership, the 2005 Motorcycle Total
Customer Satisfaction (MTCS) study conducted by TNS specialist
division, TNS Automotive, is the largest syndicated motorcycle study in
India. The TCS index score provides a measure of satisfaction and
loyalty a given model or brand enjoys with its customers.
“The
overall industry average TCS score remains unchanged compared to 2004,”
said Rajeev Lochan, General Manager - Asia Pacific of TNS Automotive.
“The gains recorded by most premium and cruiser bikes are nullified by
the lack of improvements in the high volume standard and executive
segments.” he added.
A commonly observed trend is the
strong performance of new models such as Bajaj CT100, Honda Unicorn,
TVS Star, and Yamaha Fazer. The common differentiator for all these
models is evident in their relatively higher ratings on product
performance & design. “Among the new models, Honda Unicorn receives
the best ratings to overtake Bajaj Pulsar in the premium segment,”
comments Lochan.
“Product quality and cost of ownership perception emerge as Unicorn’s key strengths.”
“While
newness generally has a positive rub-off on customer perceptions, this
phenomenon is not universally true,” mentions Lochan. “Hero Honda
Splendor+ defies the general trend with a strong performance on all
measures of customer satisfaction. Splendor’s universal appeal is also
evident from its consistent ratings across regions and over time.”
The
Indian market is extremely sensitive to mileage/ fuel efficiency – a
trend seen since TNS’ inaugural study in 2003. While this sensitivity
is generally seen among all types of owners, it is particularly
relevant for ‘standard’ and ‘executive’ bikes where customers attach a
high importance to fuel efficiency.
"Bajaj CT100
benefits from its segment leading rating on fuel efficiency with its
owners also reporting industry-best mileage of 70 kilometers per
liter," adds Lochan. "However, it is important to diffuse focus from
fuel efficiency due to the heightened customer expectations. This is
reflected by TVS Centra’s performance where satisfaction with fuel
efficiency is relatively lower despite strong mileage figures reported
by its owners."
In addition to the customer evaluations
on various aspects of their ownership experience, this study also
examines key trends in the industry. Some of the significant
observations are:
• 14% of the motorcycle owners surveyed indicate their preference for a car in the next 3 years
•
Among those intending to buy a car, the average budget varies from
about rupees 3.6 lacs for ‘standard’ and ‘executive’ bike owners to
over 4 lacs for other bike segments; While small car manufacturers such
as Maruti, Hyundai, and Tata Motors finds the strongest preference
among this group, the preference for Honda, Chevrolet, and Toyota too
is significant
• 28% of the current motorcycle owners
intend to buy an additional or replacement motorcycle in the future;
While a majority of these owners prefer Hero Honda and Bajaj, there is
a growing preference for Honda
"The shift in
four-wheeler market composition is already evident with car owners
upgrading from two-wheelers accounting for a higher proportion of the
market compared to 3-5 years back," observes Lochan. "The current
findings validate that this growth will continue given the rapidly
increasing base of motorcycle owners. Car manufacturers offering
premium compact models are likely to benefit most from this trend."
About TNS
TNS
is a leading global provider of market information. We collect,
analyze, and interpret information to help our clients better
understand the needs and wants of their customers. We provide research,
advice, and insight on market segmentation, advertising and
communications, new product development, brand performance, and
stakeholder management. We are also one of the leading providers of
social and political polling.
From our global network,
which spans 70 countries, we provide local expertise and knowledge,
together with internationally consistent information and analysis to
multi-national organizations.
2005 MTCS
The
TCS study was conducted from April through June 2005 across 21 centers:
Ahmedabad, Ahmednagar, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin,
Coimbatore, Delhi (NCR), Gorakhpur, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata,
Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Patna, Pune, Surat, and Trivandrum.
TNS Automotive
TNS
Automotive (earlier known as NFO Automotive that is now a part of the
TNS group) has launched its services in India with a long-term plan of
providing actionable marketing information. TNS Automotive has been
conducting a range of studies to cater to the information needs of both
two and four-wheeler industry. Some of the other studies conducted by
TNS Automotive for the automotive industry are Dealer Satisfaction,
Brand Health & Needs Segmentation (4-wheeler), Total Customer
Satisfaction (4-wheeler), and Used-Car Buyer Study.
