FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE 'DIFFERENT'

The latest to hit the roads from Opel after the launch of the New Astra Club 2001 and Corsa ROYALE, is the Swing.  And if you have been watching the television ads during prime time, you should be saying, 'Simply Bindaas'.

The punch line of the ad for the Opel Swing - 'Simply Bindaas', roughly translated means, a carefree and easy going attitude to life.  The Opel Swing caters to the changing needs of the consumer, which is combining work with pleasure and the need for a manoeuvrable 5-door compact car perfect for work and family. 

The Swing is targeted at the owners of hatchbacks and up-graders to regular notchback vehicles.  In the words of Rajeev Chaba, Vice President (Marketing), General Motors India, "The Opel Swing is positioned as a completely different kind of car and is best suited for those who like to be different, indeed, for those who are different.  It is for upwardly mobile individuals seeking work - life integration without compromising work or family and who take life in their stride".

The Opel Swing joins the Baleno Altura and Siena Weekend in what is considered as an already overcrowded lifestyle vehicles segment of the automobile market.  Launched almost a good 10 months after the Altura and Weekend, the Swing still stands a good chance of capturing market share with its competitive pricing and features. And by the way, within 10 days of its launch around 100 units of Swing have been booked, while Baleno and Siena are selling just 25 - 30 units a month.

Speaking at the launch of the Swing in Chennai, Aditya Vij, President and Managing Director of General Motors India, said that the all-purpose 5-door compact Swing is a symbol of space, prestige and style. Among other exclusive features it has a flexi-boot, raised roof rails, low loading height for baggage, a luggage compartment cover, reinforced suspension, superior ventilation, air-conditioning and heating with 14-inch alloy wheels being offered as an option.  The Swing comes with two engine options of 1.4 and 1.6 litres.  Carved out of the Corsa platform, the Swing is ideal for use within the city and highway.  The large interiors coupled with its compact exteriors provide for a low turning radius that offers manoeuvrability. 

Aditya Vij while justifying the launch of Swing in an - 'already overcrowded segment' said that the Swing is the result of an in-depth segment research, which resulted in a segmentation based on needs.  And it was one such segment that formed the genesis of the Opel Swing.

Justifying the tag 'the value for money car', Rajeev Chaba pointed out that both the 1.4 and 1.6 Swing compared favourably, when it came to pricing with its competition.  While the Baleno is available at Rs 8.20 lakh and the Altura at Rs 7.20 lakh, the 1.6 Swing at Rs 6.88 lakh and the 1.4 Swing at Rs 6.41 lakh seem to be priced just that wee bit more competitively.

A comparison of ex-showroom prices with competition...

GM India has not scored with Opel owners, when it comes to after sales service in the past.  It had just one workshop at Guindy with its dealer ACT.  It hopes to make that just a memory.  It has inaugurated another workshop of ACT at Ambattur and roped in a new dealer - MPL, who has 2 workshops, one at Porur and another at Ashok Nagar.  From just one workshop to four is a great climb indeed and with the availability of spare parts to be 94% as promised by Rajeev Chabba, Opel owners should have a smile on their faces. Other satellite service centres are also in the offing at cities in Tamil Nadu like Salem, Trichy, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruppur.  This will be expanded in other states based on vehicle population.

As far as target sales are concerned, GM India hopes to sell 1,000 units in the remaining part of the calendar year and hopes to sell 2,400 units in the next calendar year.  Currently, the Swing has 58% indigenisation and by the next fiscal year, it should be 70% indigenised.

Comparison of technical specification of Swing with other station wagons...

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