Archive for May, 2010
Shine. Honda Runs Out Of Names And Fonts
A few days back yes guys I have been sluggish I was at the launch of the Honda Shine HMSI’s the other Honda.. new 125 bike. This is an important motorcycle for HMSI as this is the one that will bring in the bread…Unicorn and the scooters already bring in the butter. But at the launch I was a bit disappointed by the Shine. The bike is a good package.
There is nothing new or scintillating in the Shine nothing that will make me sit up and take notice nothing that will excite anything. With this bike HMSI has played it safe and just focussed on putting together a complete package.
And Shine? Couldn’t the whole of HMSI’s marketing department armed with their Mobile Centrino Laptops and Powerpoint presentations come up with a better name? How about Glitter? Heck even the MC2 that HMSI dudes kept on using during the AV presentation sounded better.
I was actually hoping that it was the real name but my hopes disappeared with a poof of confetti.
Talking of the name Shine was written in much the same font as Hero Honda writes Splendor. Has Honda run out of fonts?
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Deepesh Rathore
Research Editor
deepesh.rathoresupplierbusiness.com
For more details on Shine Honda visit www.theautodiary.com
Selling The Volvo C30
For two consecutive years Volvo has been a noshow at the Montreal International Auto Show citing that the show is not part of their marketing strategy. But after the couple of years of absence Volvo has come back to the auto show to unveil its new car their entry to the compact car segment.
The car is the twodoor hatchback Volvo C30 which is a departure from the original reputation of Volvo for producing boxy cars. It is a compact hatchback designed by Canadian born Simon Lamarre which aims to compete against the Audi A3 and the BMW 1Series. Going against such tough competition the company needs to send a strong impression about their car to the public one strategy they have undertaken is their comeback to the Montreal International Auto Show to unveil the Volvo C30.
Its one thing to show your wares off at a motor show and it is also another thing to advertise it to a much larger audience via television or the Web. The companys strategy in advertising their new compact luxury car will have great implications on how well the public will accept their product. And since this is their first outing in the compact luxury class it will be crucial how the public will respond to their ad campaigns especially their target market which is the Generation Y or those on the 2534 age range. The importance of successful advertisement could not be over emphasized since an advertisement can either make or break any product.
To attract the attention of their prospective buyers Volvo has launched their Freewill Campaign on the Web and will soon be aired on televisions. The effect they want is just like the effect of a Volvo starter to its engine which is to start a new generation of loyal Volvo consumers that will not only embrace the Volvo C30 but also other Volvo models. The advertisement is a quirky one which the company hopes would catch the attention of younger car buyers. Volvo moves away from the traditional promotion of cars which is to show the public why they should like their product. Instead they ask the public to assess every aspect of the car from its exterior design to its interior and tell them whether they love the car or not.
While the use of this tactic in promoting the Volvo C30 is risky the company is confident that the good qualities of their car will outnumber the characteristics some may find unacceptable. Whether the campaign will be a success or not still remains to be seen though the company is confident that the advertisements will give them good sales figure of the Volvo C30.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Volvo is making their first bid for a share in the compact luxury car market with their Volvo C30. To bring the car to the attention of their target market they have launched a freewill campaign which allows the consumers to asses the vehicle and decide whether they like it or not.
Room For Improvement Found On Volvo S80
Safety in its mass produced cars is the main priority of Volvo. This company has been long enough in the business to know how much it means to keep your consumers safe in cases of crashes or collisions. They have set the standard again and again in car safety with their innovative safety systems. Their dedication to the safety of their consumers led them to invest in a facility that is dedicated solely in developing safety systems that their cars in production will employ. Time and time again the company has come up with newer safety features that are now anchored in technological advances safety systems now rely heavily on its electronic controls.
While numerous safety features abound in the cars mass produced by the Swedenbased car manufacturer are relying on electronic sensors and modules still the best protection in keeping the occupants of a car depends on the design and construction of the frame and chassis of these cars. Volvo belts and airbags also play major roles in the protection of the cars passengers and drivers during crashes. The complete lineup of airbags on all Volvo car models covers all the occupants of the car. The threepoint seatbelt design being used by Volvo on their cars is one of the safest and best in any car being produced today. However a consumer watchdog recently announced that there is still room for improvement in the seatbelts design.
Which? an organization which studies consumer products to help guide the public conducted studies on different popular car makes and singled out the 2006 Volvo S80 as a prime example of popular car models with safety problems. While the car has been rated as a safe car by other agencies the consumer watchdog cited that it has poor belt buckle design both in the front and the rear seats. This design flaw can lead to the accidental release of the belt during crashes which will put the occupant in grave danger of being thrown out of the car in a worst case scenario. In response to the findings of Which? Volvo has promised to take steps to improve their seatbelt buckle design.
Other car manufactures that have received the same comments for their design of seatbelt buckles are Chrysler Honda Mitsubishi Nissan and Subaru. As of now not one of these companies has responded to the challenge to redesign their seatbelt buckles in the interest of safety. The report from the said organization also states that some new Volkswagen models still has sliding front seats that can be released accidentally by the feet of passengers sitting on the rear of these sliding seats. This problem is still found today even though it has already been brought to the attention of the car manufacturer more than a couple of years back.
While there are still car models that still has safety problems the report also cited that the present cars in production are getting safer and safer and have certainly come a long way from their predecessors that lacks rear seat belts as a standard feature. These previous vehicles employ no airbags at all and have few head restraints. This shows that the automotive industry has come a long way in addressing the safety problems of the past.
Coming this far is not enough though and car manufacturers are working on ways to eliminate further the problems in the safety aspect of their cars being produced. This effort can be seen on Volvos positive response to the criticism it got for its seatbelt buckle design and the companys newly developed safety system the City Safety system aims to cut down in half the number of lowspeed collisions.
About the writer: Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit Mi. She is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.