|
Dear Arsalan, kindly check the info i have mentioned below ,ull find some of the usefull information. Regards, Sajid /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////////////// Executive Summary Introduction The Automobile Market Competition Leading Suppliers of Cars Current Offerings Prius Target Market/ Segmentation Criteria Demographic Psychographic Geographic Toyota SWOT Analysis Marketing Communication Major Trends Communication Mix Marketing Campaign Media Strategy Post Campaign Testing Summary Current Future Environment Executive Summary _object_ive In our marketing plan we will be analyzing the many different aspects of the current marketing environment of the Toyota Prius, a sedan that is currently in the lead of the relatively new hybrid market, what we will attempt to do is to educate possible investors and the general public about the current marketing situation and various issues, that the Toyota company has to tackle to continue to have a strong hold in the hybrid market, and the sedan market in general. We feel that there has to be a focus on a propagation of information to the public on the benefits of the hybrid vehicles. We will show that through mass media saturation and greater communications of the benefits of owning a hybrid, Toyota could capture a larger target market. Toyota also has to make an effort to limit the myths that have been surrounding hybrid vehicles, such as that it needs to be plugged in to be charged. Changing Ideas Ever since the advent of the internal combustion engine there has been an ever-growing need for fossil fuels. As automobiles have gotten faster, larger and more gas dependent we have seen depletion in the worlds fuel supply. The automobile industry has had to look to new and better ways of utilizing the ever-shortening supply of natural gas. One solution that has emerged is the electric powered automobile, which is totally independent of the thirst for natural fuel. The problems with electric cars are that they are heavy. They are bulky, they have a limited capacity, and a typical lead-acid battery pack might hold 12 to 15 kilowatt-hours of electricity, giving a car a range of only 50 miles or so. They are slow to charge, typical recharge times for a lead-acid pack range between four to 10 hours for full charge, depending on the battery technology and the charger. They have a short life, three to four years, perhaps 200 full charge/discharge cycles. The many problems have kept the leading car manufacturers from delving into the electric car market. The Compromise: Hybrid Vehicles In the late 90's the car market received a new addition, this was the hybrid vehicle, which took an idea that had been in locomotives since the dawn of the diesel engine and decided to incorporate it into the automobile world. The Hybrid vehicle was the compromise between the totally fuel dependent vehicle and the ultra expensive fully electric powered vehicle. The Prius was the first major hybrid vehicle to hit the car market in 1997 it first hit markets in Asia and in the end of 1999 it arrived in the United States. What separates the Prius from other hybrids such as the Honda Insight is that improves emissions in urban driving. The Prius does this by utilizing a parallel hybrid powertrain, this is known as the Toyota Hybrid System. Breaking Into the US market Toyota must focus on increasing the exposure and market potential of the Prius in the ever growing U.S market. Even though the Prius has done well in the U.S markets, almost doublings its profits every year since 2001, there are still issues that the Prius has had in the U.S car market. One of the problems that have plagued the Toyota Prius according to Car and Driver and Motor Trend magazine is the fact that the Toyota Prius has an unconventional shape. When the Prius arrived in 1997 the Prius was a sight to behold with its round look it seemed unconventional to say the least, but this is something that Toyota has been able to work on, with the introduction of the 2005 Prius which has a nicer sleeker look, Toyota has also tackled the acceleration problem by cutting off 1.7 seconds in its 0-60 acceleration to give the Prius an 11.6 acceleration which according to Car and Driver magazine gives the Prius a lead over the fully gasoline powered Subaru Legacy. What has given the Prius continued growth has been the ever growing trend of higher gas prices that has led many gas guzzling Americans to take a second look at the Toyota Prius, this is evident by recent trend in increase in the U.S. Prius sales in which there were 15,556 in 2001. They increased to 20,119 in 2002, from 2003 to 2004 the Prius saw a 110% increase in sales. We Got Company: Competition Toyota has been able to prove that the Hybrid vehicle is not the vehicle equivalent of the pet rock. Creating this opening for the hybrid market has given Toyota a lot of competition. The Prius's closest competitor came from Toyota's chief rival Honda, which a year after the introduction of the Prius saw the arrival of the Honda Insight in the Asian markets. The Insight provides consumers with a more fuel economic vehicle at 61 / 70 mpg, which are at about the same price, with a 10-mpg advantage in city miles over the Prius and a 25-mpg advantage in highway travel. What the Insight does not have is the Space, the Honda Insight has an overall space of 155.1 inches while the Prius has an additional twenty inches of space, in a country that demands horsepower the Prius provides its buyer with an above average 160 horsepower, while the Insight brings a sub par 73 horsepower to the fight. The dominance of the Prius has been evident with the ever-slumping sales of the insight; Honda was only able to sell only eight Insights in 2004. The failure of the insight was the refusal of Honda to update the Insight. While Honda let the Insight die, Toyota overhauled the Prius. The modern Prius looks and feels less offbeat and more like a typical midsize sedan. It is much longer than the Insight, and its four doors make it more practical. The Ford Escape, and other SUV manufactures have also expanded into the hybrid market with the creation of Hybrids that drive and look exactly like their gas powered equivalents. Another source of competition comes from diesel vehicles which are being revolutionized by German automakers such as Volkswagen with its TDI and Mercedes, while Japanese vehicles have adopted the hybrid technology with fervor the European car market sees the hybrid market as a dead end and maintain the diesel _base_d engines which have been a dominant force in European markets. Diesel engines have been revolutionized to shake the smelly, and noisy stigma that hampered market growth in the U.S in the 80s.The problem with diesel is the lack of availability of diesel fuel is also a concern for many drivers. Only about 33% of neighborhood service stations carry diesel, and often the diesel pump is dirty since spilled diesel does not evaporate like gasoline does. The diesel vehicles do have their advantages, according to a report by USA Today the Jetta TDi gets about 44 mpg, and has a longer range then the Prius in recent road tests. The problem for diesel is that it spews out six times more sulfur particulates than the Prius, which for the environmentally savvy shoppers might be a problem. As the Prius enters into almost a decade of existence it is obvious that there will be a saturation of new more fuel economic vehicles with car manufacturers catering to the needs of the fossil fuel thirsty nation. Who's Buying the Toyota Prius? Who would be willing to pay a few thousands dollars extra so they can help save the planet? Well an analysis of the Prius's demographic by JD Power and Associates shows that the average Prius buyer is highly educated, and considers themself savvy shoppers who are willing to pay a premium on a quality product. They have a higher income then average driver at approximately $100,000. The typical Prius owner is predominantly female and is a few years older then the average driver, the average driving age being 40. They drive fewer miles then the average driver and they also plan to keep their vehicle a lot longer than the average. The typical Prius owner also is conscience about the environment and feels that they have a personal responsibility to do something about the problems facing our environment, and are willing to pay a little extra to do their part. The Prius like a lot of other Japanese hybrids has done amazingly well in Asia and with sales reaching new heights in 2004, the U.S seems to be really catching the Prius fever, analysts see this trend to continue with the ever growing gas prices, and with the inevitable death of the Insight the Prius should dominate the medium size hybrid market for sometime. The problem that Toyota faces is that the Europeans are not as ecstatic about the Prius as their American cousins, because in Europe Diesel has been the dominant fuel-efficient vehicle, with a virtual monopoly as the source of energy for automobiles. The Prius continues to try to penetrate the Diesel dominant geographic areas, but the major problem is the fact that diesel _base_d engine vehicles are almost $2000 less then hybrid vehicles, and European nations don't have a shortage of diesel stations. Toyota as a Company Toyota Motor Corporation is one of the world's leading automakers, offering a full range of vehicles, from mini-vehicles, to large trucks, states
... read more »
|
i've to complete strateginc _object_ive for launching prius... plz plz plz is any1 can mail me????
