Logan loves India… But, does India loves Logan?

M&M has come up with a new communication campaign for their sedan - ‘Logan loves India’.  

Logan is the most practical car in its category. Be it in terms of comfort, refinement or space; it just outpaces its competition. This joint venture by-product of Mahindra and Renault did a wonderful business at the start, but somehow couldn’t get a hold on the segment. Slowly Renault lost confidence on this untapped machine, (which I believe still has a lot of metal in it to break into the sales figures) and thus it decided to sell off its stake to Mahindra.

Mahindra knew that it has to re-work its strategy and make up the lost time. M&M was very quiet in its Logan campaign right from the start. This was exactly anti-M&M, as Mahindra was always known to have one of the best launches in Automotive history (take launch of Scorpio or Xylo). People were quiet skeptical with the brand, because Renault was continuously tying up with several auto manufacturers (Bajaj & Ashok Leyland) and hence the doubt prevailed on constant supply of parts. The existence of cheaper alternatives in the form of Maruti Swift Dzire, Tata Indigo, Ford Ikon and Hyundai Accent further killed Renault’s sales. People were also dissatisfied with the looks of Logan and it amazed me that Mahindra-Renault didn’t even try to give a facelift in these 3 years..! Except the additional decals and paint job on the Tourer and Play variant, they didn’t try anything new. This further re-instated public skepticism on the brand.

In the mean time the owners of Logan were extremely happy with the product offering. Majority of them being taxi drivers accepted the product with open arms as it provided best in-class rear leg room and the same time had the biggest boot in its category. The maintenance costs too were quite low. And with the mileage of 21-22 kmpl they wouldn’t have to worry about visiting the fuel station time and again. Even the normal customers were contented with the product, their only concern being – too many taxis of the same brand. And thus the number of Logan owners never grew (except in the taxi segment).

With all this happening, Mahindra knew that it was time to strike back with this winner in hand. Now they were independent and wouldn’t need Renault’s approval to carry forward on their plans. Hence on the basis of extensive research, they brought up a 360 degree marketing campaign on customer testimonials. They are now focused to project their biggest advantages – i.e. Space and Mileage. They have also cut the prices upto Rs. 80,000 which makes it on-par with competition in terms of price.

Now the question that emanates here is – “Does India love Logan?”.  I say, Logan’s potential is yet to be tapped and currently Indians do not have the liking on Logan which can give it a blockbuster success. But, with the reinforced communication campaign, Mahindra has set its foot on the right track. If it could build up on this communication and bring some facial changes in the product, I’m sure Mahindra’s cash registers would start ringing again with Logan. And yes, then we would also proudly say that “India Loves Logan”..!