Submitted To: Submitted By: Mr. Deepak Lalchandani Shivam Pathania Lecturer ROLL NO: 0851921708 Bba Dept Bba - Iii Semester
Submitted To: Submitted By: Mr. Deepak Lalchandani Shivam Pathania Lecturer ROLL NO: 0851921708 Bba Dept Bba - Iii Semester
Submitted To: Submitted By: Mr. Deepak Lalchandani Shivam Pathania Lecturer ROLL NO: 0851921708 Bba Dept Bba - Iii Semester
ON
1
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Mr. SHIVAM has successfully undertaken the
project entitled “Marketing Strategies of TOYOTA” under my
guidance.
This is his original work and he has completed this project with full
commitment and enthusiasm.
(PROJECT INCHARGE)
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
encouragement.
My special thanks are for those who spared time for providing
SHIVAM
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS P.NO
CHAPTER 1: - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6
4
Replica of the Toyota Model AA, the first production model of Toyota in 1936
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
5
The story of Toyota Motor Corporation began in September 1933 when Toyoda
Automatic Loom created a new division devoted to the production of automobiles
under the direction of the founder's son, Kiichiro Toyoda. Soon thereafter, the
division produced its first Type A Engine in 1934, which was used in the first Model
A1 passenger car in May 1935 and the G1 truck in August 1935. Production of the
Model AA passenger car started in 1936.
Although the Toyota Group is most well known today for its cars, it is still in the
textile business and still makes automatic looms (fully computerized, of course), and
electric sewing machines which are available worldwide.
Signify the separation of the founders' work life from home life;
During the Pacific War the company was dedicated to truck production for the
Imperial Army. Because of severe shortages in Japan, military trucks were kept as
simple as possible. For example, the trucks had only one headlight on the center of
the hood.
Commercial passenger car production started in 1947 with the model SA. In 1950 a
separate sales company Toyota Motor Sales Co. was established (which lasted until
July 1982). In April 1956 the Toyopet dealer chain was established.
6
COMPANY PROFILE
7
ASSEMBLY PLANTS OVER THE WORLD
Toyota has factories all over the world, manufacturing or assembling vehicles for
local markets, including its most popular model, the Corolla. Toyota has
manufacturing or assembly plants in the United States, Australia, Canada,
Indonesia, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, and
more recently India, Argentina and Czech Republic. Toyota also builds and sells
cars in China in a joint venture with Tianjin Xiali. Toyota New Zealand assembled
vehicles until 1998, when it switched to importing cars from Japan and Australia.
Cars from these plants are often exported to other countries.
8
Toyota Car Models:
Innova
Camry
Avalon
Matrix
Corolla
Prius
9
Trucks:
Tacoma
Tundra
Vans:
4runner
Land cruiser
10
Overview
In 2006, Toyota was engaged in a variety of projects designed to solidify its
foundations while continuing to grow.
On the product front, Lexus launched its new flagship model, the LS, and the new
global Camry went on sale. In Japan, a new Corolla range was introduced,
emphasizing the importance of this best-selling car.
In manufacturing, several new projects were started around the world. In May,
manufacture of the Camry began in Guangzhou, China, while in the United States,
the Kentucky plant, which in
October celebrated 20 years of production, started manufacturing the first Toyota
hybrid vehicle to be made in North America, the Camry Hybrid. In November, the
Texas plant began producing the new Tundra truck, a key vehicle in Toyota’s North
American lineup. In Japan, Toyota Motor Kyushu, Inc. began full-scale operations
at its engine factory, while Toyota Motor Tohoku Co., Ltd. increased its
manufacturing capacity.
In R&D, Toyota focused its efforts on three key areas: environment, safety and
energy. It made a special effort in the area of the environment by expanding its
lineup of hybrid vehicles, and has worked on R&D relating to plug-in hybrid. In
addition, as part of Toyota’s efforts to respond to the diversification of energy, in
2007 Toyota plans to introduce a flex fuel vehicle* in the Brazilian market that will
run on 100% bio-ethanol fuel. From this point on, based on the philosophy of
providing “the right car, in the right place, at the right time,” and in accordance
with the infrastructure and customer needs of each region, Toyota will continue to
promote efforts to develop environmentally friendly technology and vehicles.
11
Corporate Data
12
Guiding Principles
Honor the language and spirit of the law of every nation and undertake open and fair corporate
activities to be a good corporate citizen of the world.
Respect the culture and customs of every nation and contribute to economic and social
development through corporate activities in the communities.
Dedicate ourselves to providing clean and safe products and to enhancing the quality of life
everywhere through all our activities.
Create and develop advanced technologies and provide outstanding products and services that
fulfill the needs of customers worldwide.
Foster a corporate culture that enhances individual creativity and teamwork value, while
honoring mutual trust and respect between labor and management.
Pursue growth in harmony with the global community through innovative management.
Work with business partners in research and creation to achieve stable, long-term growth and
mutual benefits, while keeping ourselves open to new partnerships.
13
Toyota Percepts
Be reverent, and show gratitude for things great and small in thought and
deed.
14
Board of Directors
Chairman and Fujio Cho
Representative Director
Vice Chairman and Katsuhiro Nakagawa
Representative Director
President and Representative Katsuaki Watanabe
Director
Executive Vice President and Tokuichi Uranishi
Representative Director
Kazuo Okamoto
Kyoji Sasazu
Mitsuo Kinoshita
Takeshi Uchiyamada
Masatami Takimoto
Akio Toyoda
Senior Managing Director Yukitoshi Funo
Takeshi Suzuki
Atsushi Niimi
Hiroshi Takada
Teiji Tachibana
Shinichi Sasaki
Akira Okabe
Yoichiro Ichimaru
Shoji Ikawa
Koichi Ina
Takeshi Yoshida
15
Shinzo Kobuki
Akira Sasaki
Hiroshi Kawakami
Tadashi Arashima
Mamoru Furuhashi
Satoshi Ozawa
16
Locations of Toyota Facilities
17
Toyota Manufacturing Subsidiaries and
Affiliates
Start of
Main products
operations
Harrier, Harrier Hybrid,
Toyota Motor Kyushu, Inc.
Kluger, Kluger Hybrid, IS, ES
Transmissions, transfers,
Toyota Motor Hokkaido, Inc. aluminum wheels, drivetrain
parts, etc.
Toyota Motor Tohoku Co., Mechanical and electronic
Ltd. parts
Hiace, Liteace, Voxy, Noah,
Estima, Prius, Land Cruiser,
Alphard, Ipsum, Townace,
Toyota Auto Body Co.,Ltd.
Regiusace, Coaster, Estima
Hybrid, Alphard Hybrid,
LX470
Century, Crown, Corolla
Kanto Auto Works, Ltd. Spacio, Corolla Fielder, Isis,
Belta, SC, Auris, BLADE
Raum, MR-S, Scion xB,
Central Motor Co., Ltd. Corolla Axio, Corolla
hatchbacks
Gifu Auto Body Industry Co.,
Hiace
Ltd.
Rush, Passo, Probox, Succeed,
Daihatsu Motor,Co., Ltd.
bB, Porte, SIENTA
18
Toyota Today
Supporting Spirit of Athletics
Toyota continued its support of the ideals and spirit embodied in athletics by
becoming, for the third time since 2003, the Official Partner to the 11th IAAF
World Championships in Athletics, held in Osaka, Japan, August 25th-September
2nd. Through the sponsorship and a global advertising campaign with the
tagline,"Beyond Limits," Toyota aims to communicate its support for athletes who,
like Toyota, continually push themselves further in pursuit of the ultimate goal.
Apart from providing a fleet of 220 cars for use as official vehicles at this year's
championships,Toyota also supported a program to encourage new world records
for women's events by becoming the official women's bib sponsor.
19
Island Adventure
Members of the Philippine motoring press had a wet and wild time at the Toyota
Road Trek 3, held May 31st-June 3rd in the archipelago's central islands. Bringing
media representatives to a variety of well-known destinations across the country, the
annual road trip is conducted by Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. to demonstrate
the toughness and versatility of its IMVs. This year, the event took over 40
participants on an island-hopping adventure, enabling them to fully test the
exceptional capabilities of the Innova, Fortuner and Hilux vehicles.
A series of competitive, water-related activities made it a truly challenging and fun
trip that encouraged teamwork, camaraderie and friendship among all attendees.
The event was prominently featured in major newspapers and magazines, further
boosting the popularity of IMVs in the market.
Toyota Turns 40
Toyota AG (TAG), Toyota's distributor in Switzerland, celebrates its 40th
anniversary with year-long promotions and a series of activities for its customers
and partners. Kicking off its commemorative year with an elaborate Auris media
launch on February 16th, TAG has since initiated a comprehensive advertising
campaign that creates awareness of its special promotion packages for customers as
well as Toyota's successful history in Switzerland. In March, a birthday gala dinner
for 900 associates, dealers and partners served to thank everyone within the TAG
Family for their support and encouragement throughout the distributor's four
decades in the country.
21
Growth of Toyota
Lasting growth for Toyota will depend on aligning our interests with the larger
interests of customers and the community. We must be a company where people
think seriously about the role and responsibility of their company in the world.
Our economic and industrial contribution in each region grows, for example, as we
globalize our operations. Another way to align our interests with the larger interests
of the community is through technology.
By the end of 1997, we will introduce the world's first new-energy transport that is
commercially competitive with conventional automobiles. That is when we will put a
hybrid-electric passenger car onto the market in Japan. Our hybrid-electric car will
have a gasoline engine to generate electricity or provide supplementary power to the
wheels. It is twice as fuel-efficient as conventionally powered vehicles of comparable
size and performance. Equally important, the value of its potential fuel savings
could prove greater than its cost premium over conventional vehicles. So, it actually
could save money for car owners.
Survival and growth in our industry will hinge on developing technologies for
reducing environmental impact of our products and operations, as well as
improving vehicular safety. Photos and text on the following pages introduce some
of the technologies we are developing to position Toyota as an environmental leader.
22
Market Share of Toyota
Toyota Motor Corp. grabbed more U.S. retail market share than Ford Motor Co. in
early November and it was less than one share point behind General Motors Corp.,
Toyota, Japan's largest automaker, had a 15.4 percent U.S. retail market share a
year earlier.
World’s second largest automaker wants to get offensive in the Indian domestic
auto market. Toyota is very much interested in launching a small car here in the
segment currently dominated by Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. Tata also has a
decent presence in the market with their Indica range of diesel vehicles.
Toyota is at the moment carrying out a feasibility study for launching such a vehicle
in the domestic market where it has models like the Innova and Camry amongst
others. They have had an incredible success with their stopped Qualis model and
are selling Toyota Innova in large numbers. T Ino, director (marketing), Toyota
Kirloskar Motor Pvt Limited has expressed that the Indian auto market is a huge
one and has the capacity to involve more players in the small car segment.
Toyota has a variety of interesting models in its global lineup, which it can consider
to launch in the Indian market. Some of these are Vios, Platz, and Passo. The
company also expects to break even here in India this year with all the accumulated
losses were expected to be wiped out during 2005. They also plan to invest around
Rs 130 crores during the current year to enhance efficiency.
23
Competitors
Hyundai Motors India Limited (HMIL)
A decade after the Korean War and during the period of reconstruction, Hyundai
Motor Company began its fledgling efforts at automobile manufacturing by
entering into a technology transfer agreement with Ford of Great Britain, receiving
design and styling from Ital Design of Italy, and assembling technology from both
England and Japan, all of which made the production of our first model car, the
"Pony," possible. In just ten years, in 1976 Hyundai began to export to the world
market. In 1986, we entered the U.S. market establishing the Excel as a new
contender among small cars and promoting the image of the Korean automobile
industry.
Upon expansion of our Ulsan plant, which enabled Hyundai Motor Company to
have a large scale production base, and the founding of HM Canadian Corporation,
which established Hyundai throughout North America, we produced a record 10
million cars and exported over 4 million, breaking records in a short span of time.
No other automobile company can boast of these figures over such a short time
span. We also poured our efforts in creating concept cars such as the HCD-I,
followed by the HCD-II and III, electric cars, and high technology hybrid cars that
will bear fruit in the future with their low pollution emissions, safety features, and
environmentally-friendly recyclable components. From Pony to Equus, Hyundai
Motor Company is committed to its growth as a mature company, constantly
keeping in mind its customer-oriented mottoes: "Customer Satisfaction" and
"Create Value for Customers."
24
Marketing strategy of Hyundai
Products:
Sonata Embera
Tucson
Getz
Elantra
Terracan
Santro Xing
Accent
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The Price Strategy
In August 2004, a leading business newspaper reported that Hyundai Motors India
Limited (HMIL), an Indian subsidiary of the South Korea- based Hyundai Motors
Company (HMC) was expected to reduce the price of its flagship car - Santro - by as
much as Rs 40,000. Industry experts were expecting a reduction in Santro's price in
response to the price war being waged by the market leader in India - Maruti Udyog
Limited (MUL), which had reduced the price of its largest selling car in the B
segment - Alto - by Rs 58,000 in two price cuts starting from September 2003. This
move had resulted in Alto replacing Santro as the largest selling car in the B
segment in the period January to June 2004 (Refer Exhibit I for the market
segmentation of the Indian car industry).
Rebutting the report on price cuts, HMIL's managing director, BVR Subbu (Subbu)
said, "We are not cutting prices on the Santro. We have allowed our competitors the
prerogative of cutting prices." Several dealers of HMIL also felt that the company
would not reduce Santro's price as it had not adopted such tactics earlier.
Santro had been the most successful product of HMIL and was also the largest
selling car in the B segment till the fiscal year 2003-04. Introduced in late 1998,
Santro had emerged as the second largest selling car in India after MUL's M800 and
had retained its position till March 2004 (Refer Exhibit II for the total units and
value sales of the top eleven car models in India). In mid 2004, HMIL with its four
models, Santro, Accent, Sonata and Elantra, was the second largest car company in
India with 19% market share in the industry. The company was planning to launch
another model, 'Getz', in September 2004.
26
Competitive analysis
Strength of Hyundai
Volumes has been Hyundai's main strength, as can be seen with the rollout of its
2,00,000th car in 32 months from its Chennai plant. The company also returned a
profit of Rs 67.61 crore in its very first year of operations in 2000.
Hyundai Motor India will not get into CBU (completely built unit) imports like the
other car manufacturers, as the company wants to concentrate only on models that
will fetch it high volumes hyundai have already announced that they would be
importing CBUs for niche markets, either in the high-end bracket or in the sports
car segment in limited editions.
Weakness of Hyundai
Hyundai's traditional weakness has been the chassis, which has never really
matched the competition, especially European rivals, but the company claims this
has been sorted out.
Brutal price cuts failed to prop up the Sonata's flagging sales, and worse, tarnished
Hyundai's image, proving price isn't everything in the upper crust of the market
I have had numerous problems with the Hyundai dealerships also. When I
complained directly to the maufacturer, their response was to offer me a Hyundai
totebag or other promotional itme of my choosing.
Brand Strategy
Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group today announced the launch of its new global
brand management strategy, in which Kia and Hyundai will pursue differentiated
brand images as a means of boosting the Group’s overall market share and
increasing the value of the two brands.
In accordance with the new strategy, Hyundai and Kia will be promoted under two
separate brand slogans. The Hyundai slogan - "Drive your way" - is designed to
communicate the company’s ‘refined and confident’ brand attributes, while the
slogan - "The Power to Surprise" - is aimed at embodying the ‘exciting and
enabling’ values of the Kia brand.
27
Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL)
It was established in Feb 1981 through an Act of Parliament, to meet the growing
demand of a personal mode of transport caused by the lack of an efficient public
transport system.
Suzuki Motor Company was chosen from seven prospective partners worldwide.
This was due not only to their undisputed leadership in small cars but also to their
commitment to actively bring to MUL contemporary technology and Japanese
management practices (which had catapulted Japan over USA to the status of the
top auto manufacturing country in the world).
A license and a Joint Venture agreement were signed between Govt of India and
Suzuki Motor Company (now Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan) in Oct 1982.
The objectives of MUL then were:
28
Marketing strategy of Maruti:
Maruti 800
Maruti versa
Omni
Gypsy
Zen
Wagnor
Esteem
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Swift
Alto
Omni 2,51,000
Zen 2,85,000
Wagnor 3,43,221-4,68,609
Esteem 4,25,000-
5,09,000
Baleno 6,62,556
GrandVitara-xl7 17,31,400
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Since 1985, Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) has been the market leader in the
passenger car industry in India. Its flagship product - M800 had the distinction of
being the largest selling car model in India since its launch in December 1983.
Positioned as people's car, M800 ruled the Indian passenger car market and
remained unchallenged ever since it occupied the top slot, five months after its
introduction. In March 2003, MUL sold 20,687 units of M800, the highest ever sales
by any single model in a month. It was also the highest sales since M800 debuted,
surpassing its previous monthly high of 18,735 units in August 1999.
For the first few months of 2004, M800 performed well, selling 15,301 units in
January, 13,518 units in February and 15,540 in March. But gradually Alto, another
MUL product, began eating into M800's share. Alto reported sales of 8,399 units,
8,324 and 9,011 units in January, February and March respectively. In April, its
sales increased to 9,350 units and in May 2004, Alto took over M800's position as the
largest selling car with sale of 10,373 units, slightly over M800's sales of 10,016 units.
Analysts felt that Alto had taken the top spot because of its price reduction in
September 2003 by Rs. 23,000 followed by the launch of the non-AC Alto for Rs.
0.23 mn in the first week of April 2004.
On reducing the gap between its bread and butter model M800 and its compact car
Alto, MUL said it had "long term" plans for M800. Commenting on Alto's pricing
strategy, Jagdish Khattar (Khattar), managing director of MUL, said, "The new
price positioning of the Alto would cannibalize existing A1 segment product the
M800 which is also considered an old model. But, the cannibalization will remain
within the Maruti family and the bigger numbers will help Maruti depreciate Alto
faster. Net M800 sales may be less but we would be pushing more Alto and the more
we sell the Alto the faster it will depreciate."
Though industry analysts said this move would boost MUL's profits, they also
expressed their views that MUL's long-term plan might be to discontinue M800 and
replace the entry segment with Alto. However, Khattar clarified that MUL's pricing
strategy was not meant to replace M800 with Alto. He said, "Now, we have two cars
in entry-level. Maruti 800 is still a dream of Indians, how can I replace it?"
Competitive Analysis
31
Strength
In an era when owning a car was a distant dream for a vast majority of Indians,
MUL rolled out its first car, the M800. The company labeled it a people's car, with a
796cc 3-cylinder engine that delivered 39.5bhp at an affordable price of Rs. 65,000.
The first vehicle was released for sale in December 1983. Initially, the car was
criticized for its diminutive size, but it proved to be spacious enough to carry four
adults. Better technology and an affordable price due to a higher level of
indigenization helped MUL achieve a dominant position in the Indian passenger car
market
Weakness
MUL reduced the price difference between these two models positioning them on an
almost equal platform, which resulted in confusion in the minds of consumers and
industry analysts.
Threat
M800 had ruled the passenger car market as the only car in the entry-level segment
in the Indian automobile industry and was now facing the danger of cannibalization
from one of its own family members, Alto
For the first few months of 2004, M800 performed well, selling 15,301 units in
January, 13,518 units in February and 15,540 in March. But gradually Alto, another
MUL product, began eating into M800's share. Alto reported sales of 8,399 units,
8,324 and 9,011 units in January, February and March respectively. In April, its
sales increased to 9,350 units and in May 2004, Alto took over M800's position as the
largest selling car with sale of 10,373 units, slightly over M800's sales of 10,016 units.
Analysts felt that Alto had taken the top spot because of its price reduction in
September 2003 by Rs. 23,000 followed by the launch of the non-AC Alto for Rs.
0.23 mn in the first week of April 2004.
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Marketing Strategies of Toyota
Products:
Avalon
Camry
Camry Salora
Corolla
Matrix
Prius
4runner
Highrunner
Land Cruiser
Sequoia
Sienna
Price:-
As far as pricing strategy of Toyota is concerned. They are focusing on the very
segment of the market not only particular segment. Basically they are focusing on
official and business class people
Product Line
33
Avalon $26,625 $28,875 $31,075 $33,815
Camry $18,445(standard) $19,545(LE) $20,375(SE) $22,795(XLE)
Camry Salora $19,530 $21,025 $23,405 $26,942
Corolla $14,005 $15,050 $15,215 $17,780
Matrix $15,110 $16,590 $19,100
Prius $21,725
4runner $27,635
Highrunner $34,625
Land Cruiser $56,115
Sequoia $32,820
Sienna $23,625
Sources of competitive advantage - are the products differentiated in any way, or are
they the lowest cost producer in an industry? Competitive scope of the market - does
the company target a wide market, or does it focus on a very narrow, niche market?
34
The generic strategies are: 1. Cost leadership, 2. Differentiation, and 3. Focus.
1. Cost Leadership
The low cost leader in any market gains competitive advantage from being able to
many to produce at the lowest cost. Factories are built and maintained; labor is
recruited and trained to deliver the lowest possible costs of production. 'cost
advantage' is the focus. Costs are shaved off every element of the value chain.
Products tend to be 'no frills.' However, low cost does not always lead to low price.
Producers could price at competitive parity, exploiting the benefits of a bigger
margin than competitors. Some organization, such as Toyota, are very good not only
at producing high quality autos at a low price, but have the brand and marketing
skills to use a premium pricing policy.
2. Differentiation
The focus strategy is also known as a 'niche' strategy. Where an organization can
afford neither a wide scope cost leadership nor a wide scope differentiation strategy,
a niche strategy could be more suitable. Here an organization focuses effort and
resources on a narrow, defined segment of a market. Competitive advantage is
generated specifically for the niche. A niche strategy is often used by smaller firms.
A company could use either a cost focus or a differentiation focus. With a cost focus
35
a firm aims at being the lowest cost producer in that niche or segment. With a
differentiation focus a firm creates competitive advantage through differentiation
within the niche or segment. There are potentially problems with the niche
approach. Small, specialist niches could disappear in the long term. Cost focus is
unachievable with an industry depending upon economies of scale e.g.
telecommunications.
Customer satisfaction
Toyota's believes in putting the customer first and aims to provide the best levels of
customer satisfaction as its main marketing strategy. Their dealers have also
worked hard to provide their high levels of customer support."
"In the last one year, Toyota has taken many initiatives, which has made Innova the
most successful product. Innova has successfully become a category creator.
We will continue to meet the ever-challenging customer expectations and will come
out with innovative marketing strategies.
With a change of guard at Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd., the company has evolved a
new strategy to capture 15 per cent market share in the Indian automotive segment.
Effective from January 1, Atsushi Toyoshima has been appointed Managing
Director of the company, replacing Sachio Yamazaki. "Competition is intense in the
Indian market for domestic and foreign companies. The Indian market is important
36
for Toyota with potential to aid its growth strategy," Yoshio Ishizaka, Executive
Vice-President, Toyota Motor Corporation, said.
According to analysts, the Indian market would touch annual sales of 1.2 million
units by 2005. Last year, Toyota sold 3.8 million units overseas, manufacturing six
million vehicles at 56 plants in 25 countries. In India, the Toyota Quails notched
sales of 25,000 units since its launch last year, he said. Toyota's strategy to corner a
significant chunk of the Indian market involves "superior product offering and
dedicated technology". In this context, the change of leadership in Toyota's Indian
division is important, indicating a more important role for the company's
manufacturing base in Bangalore.
Research Methodology
Objective of the study
The object of report is not only to focus on competitors but also to get the
competitive position in the national as well as international market through
customer satisfaction. These are as follows.
To discover and translate the needs and desire of customer into products and
services so as to create the demand of the product (through planning and
producing planned product).
37
To serve the customer through channel of distribution.
To know where Toyota stands as far as the BCG –matrix models concerned.
Primary Source:
Observation
Experiment
Secondary Source:
38
Company website
Because it was not possible to consider each and every person of those cities or of
villages so, PROBABILITY SAMPLE or RANDOM SAMPLE was taken.
39
Limitations of the Study
Since the road to improvement is never ending, so this study also suffers from
certain limitations. Some of them are as follows:
Findings
The strong industry position of toyota is based upon a number of factors
including a diversified product range, highly targeted marketing and a
commitment to lean manufacturing and quality.
The company(Toyota) uses marketing techniques to identify and satisfy
customer needs. Its brand is a household name. The company also maximizes
profit through efficient manufacturing approaches (e.g. Total Quality
Management).
Toyota is to target the 'urban youth' market. The company has launched its
new Aygo, which is targeted at the streetwise youth market and captures (or
attempts to) the nature of dance and DJ culture in a very competitive
segment.
Toyota's believes in putting the customer first and aims to provide the best
levels of customer satisfaction as its main marketing strategy. Their dealers
have also worked hard to provide their high levels of customer support."
40
Competition is intense in the Indian market for domestic and foreign
companies. The Indian market is important for Toyota with potential to aid
its growth strategy,
They have had an incredible success with their stopped Qualis model and are
selling Toyota Innova in large numbers.
While Suzuki-Maruti, Tata Motors, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra and
Toyota command the top five positions in the domestic passenger vehicle
segment, Honda, GM and Ford are fighting each other for the sixth position.
Strengths
New investment by Toyota in factories in the US and China saw 2005 profits rise,
against the worldwide motor industry trend. Net profits rose 0.8% to 1.17 trillion
yen ($11bn; £5.85bn), while sales were 7.3% higher at 18.55 trillion yen.
Commentators argue that this is because the company has the right mix of products
for the markets that it serves. This is an example of very focused segmentation,
targeting and positioning in a number of countries.
41
In 2003 Toyota knocked its rivals Ford into third spot, to become the World's
second largest carmaker with 6.78 million units. The company is still behind rivals
General Motors with 8.59 million units in the same period. Its strong industry
position is based upon a number of factors including a diversified product range,
highly targeted marketing and a commitment to lean manufacturing and quality.
The company makes a large range of vehicles for both private customers and
commercial organisations, from the small Yaris to large trucks. The company uses
marketing techniques to identify and satisfy customer needs. Its brand is a
household name. The company also maximizes profit through efficient
manufacturing approaches (e.g. Total Quality Management).
Weaknesses
Being big has its own problems. The World market for cars is in a condition of over
supply and so car manufacturers need to make sure that it is their models that
consumers want. Toyota markets most of its products in the US and in Japan.
Therefore it is exposed to fluctuating economic and political conditions those
markets. Perhaps that is why the company is beginning to shift its attentions to the
emerging Chinese market. Movements in exchange rates could see the already
narrow margins in the car market being reduced.
The company needs to keep producing cars in order to retain its operational
efficiency. Car plants represent a huge investment in expensive fixed costs, as well as
the high costs of training and retaining labour. So if the car market experiences a
down turn, the company could see over capapacity. If on the other hand the car
market experiences an upturn, then the company may miss out on potential sales
due to under capacity i.e. it takes time to accommodate. This is a typical problem
with high volume car manufacturing.
Opportunities
Lexus and Toyota now have a reputation for manufacturing environmentally
friendly vehicles. Lexus has RX 400h hybrid, and Toyota has it Prius. Both are
based upon advance technologies developed by the organization. Rocketing oil
prices have seen sales of the new hybrid vehicles increase. Toyota has also sold on its
technology to other motor manufacturers, for example Ford has bought into the
technology for its new Explorer SUV Hybrid. Such moves can only firm up Toyota's
interest and investment in hybrid R&D.
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Toyota is to target the 'urban youth' market. The company has launched its new
Aygo, which is targeted at the streetwise youth market and captures (or attempts to)
the nature of dance and DJ culture in a very competitive segment. The vehicle itself
is a unique convertible, with models extending at their rear! The narrow segment is
notorious for it narrow margins and difficulties for branding.
Threats
Product recalls are always a problem for vehicle manufacturers. In 2005 the
company had to recall 880,00 sports utility vehicles and pick up trucks due to faulty
front suspension systems. Toyota did not give details of how much the recall would
cost. The majority of affected vehicles were sold in the US, while the rest were sold
in Japan, Europe and Australia.
As with any car manufacturer, Toyota faces tremendous competitive rivalry in the
car market. Competition is increasing almost daily, with new entrants coming into
the market from China, South Korea and new plants in Eastern Europe. The
company is also exposed to any movement in the price of raw materials such as
rubber, steel and fuel. The key economies in the Pacific, the US and Europe also
experience slow downs. These economic factors are potential threats for Toyota .
Competitive Analysis
Strength
In an era when owning a car was a distant dream for a vast majority of Indians,
MUL rolled out its first car, the M800. The company labeled it a people's car, with a
796cc 3-cylinder engine that delivered 39.5bhp at an affordable price of Rs. 65,000.
The first vehicle was released for sale in December 1983. Initially, the car was
criticized for its diminutive size, but it proved to be spacious enough to carry four
adults. Better technology and an affordable price due to a higher level of
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indigenization helped MUL achieve a dominant position in the Indian passenger car
market
Weakness
MUL reduced the price difference between these two models positioning them on an
almost equal platform, which resulted in confusion in the minds of consumers and
industry analysts.
Threat
M800 had ruled the passenger car market as the only car in the entry-level segment
in the Indian automobile industry and was now facing the danger of cannibalization
from one of its own family members, Alto
For the first few months of 2004, M800 performed well, selling 15,301 units in
January, 13,518 units in February and 15,540 in March. But gradually Alto, another
MUL product, began eating into M800's share. Alto reported sales of 8,399 units,
8,324 and 9,011 units in January, February and March respectively. In April, its
sales increased to 9,350 units and in May 2004, Alto took over M800's position as the
largest selling car with sale of 10,373 units, slightly over M800's sales of 10,016 units.
Analysts felt that Alto had taken the top spot because of its price reduction in
September 2003 by Rs. 23,000 followed by the launch of the non-AC Alto for Rs.
0.23 mn in the first week of April 2004.
FINDINGS BASED ON
QUESTIONNAIRE
44
OWNERS OF TOYOTA
YES
24%
YES
NO
NO
76%
INFERENCE:
45
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
17%
SATISFIED
DISSATISFIED
83%
INFERENCE:
46
PREFERENCES OF BUYING A NEW CAR
40
30
20
10
0
TOYOTA HYUNDAI MARUTI HONDA
INFERENCE:
47
INFORMATION ABOUT TOYOTA
12%
DEALERS
20%
PRINT MEDIA
T.V.
55%
INTERNET
13%
INFERENCE:
48
FUEL EFFICIENCY OF TOYOTA
100 78
80
60
40 22
20
0
YES NO
INFERENCE:
49
FEATURES OF TOYOTA
12%
8%
GOOD
10% VERY GOOD
NOT SO GOOD
70% SATISFACTORY
INFERENCE:
50
FEATURES THAT BEST
DESCRIBES TOYOTA
38
40
29
30
18
20 15
10
0
HANDLING FUEL DESIGN COMFORT
EFFICIENCY
INFERENCE:
INTERIORS OF TOYOTA
7%
3%
GOOD
16%
VERY GOOD
NOT SO GOOD
SATISFACTORY
74%
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INFERENCE:
INFERENCE:
52
15% and 13% respectively want cheaper
spare parts and more service stations.
MAKE IT MORE
10 SPORTY
GIVE IT A RETRO
60 LOOK
15
GIVE IT A
CONCEPT CAR
LOOK
INFERENCE:
53
HAPPY WITH AFTER SALES
SERVICES PROVIDED BY TOYOTA
15%
HAPPY
UNHAPPY
85%
INFERENCE:
54
Conclusion
While Suzuki-Maruti, Tata Motors, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra and Toyota
command the top five positions in the domestic passenger vehicle segment, Honda,
GM and Ford are fighting each other for the sixth position. Incidentally, in the first
five months of the fiscal (Apr-Aug ’04) Skoda has moved to the tenth position,
overtaking Italian major Fiat.
Maruti Udyog (MUL), which has been the market leader in the mini, compact and
mid-size segments, retains its leadership position with sales of 1.9 lakh units,
followed by Tata Motors with 70,022 units, Hyundai Motor India with 48,360 units,
Mahindra with 28,530 units and Toyota with 19,797 units.
Competitive pricing and a better value offerings were driving the sales of most auto
majors for the past few months. Despite a competitive business environment, most
of the car majors were able to hold on to their market shares in the April to August
’04 period. The exceptions were Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindustan
Motors and Fiat, who saw their market shares fall marginally.
The market is slow and there are visible signs of discounting, particularly in the
higher end of the car segment. However, since entry level and compact cars are
volume segments, the slowdown’s effect is more visible here.
For many automobile companies, it was a double whammy in August ’04. The
truckers’ strike and adhikmas (inauspicious period) last month affected dispatches
of most car companies, including Maruti Udyog, General Motors and Tata Motors,
resulting in lower sales. The exceptions were Honda Siel Cars India, Ford India and
Toyota Kirloskar.
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Recommendation
Toyota should adopt the defensive marketing strategy because as being the
second largest car producer in the international market,
Toyota must at the moment carry out a feasibility study for launching a
vehicle in the domestic market where it has models like the Innova and
Camry amongst others.
Toyota should conduct market survey in Indian market for quails in order to
know the perception of Indian consumers.
Toyota must plan out an ideal marketing producing capacity ,becaue it faces
the problem of over and under capacity in case of upturn and downturn of
the market.
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Annexure
57
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CONSUMER
A) NAME
B) ADDRESS
C) CONTACT NUMBER
D) INCOME GROUP
58
5. WHERE DO YOU MANAGE TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT
TOYOTA ?
(i)DEALERS (ii) PRINT MEDIA
(iii)T.V. (iv)INTERNET
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11. ACCORDING TO YOU WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO MAKE
TOYOTA THE BEST CAR?
(i)MAKE IT MORE FUTURISTIC
(ii)MAKE IT MORE SPORTY
(iii)GIVE IT A RETRO LOOK
(iv)GIVE IT A CONCEPT CAR LOOK
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Books referred: -
Marketing Management 30th editon - Philip Kotler
Web Sites: -
www.yahoo.com
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