Abstract

The case examines the marketing strategies of Volkswagen Group India, the Indian subsidiary of German automobile manufacturer, Volkswagen AG (Volkswagen). Volkswagen entered the Indian passenger car market in 2001 by launching its car brand – Škoda. In 2007, two of its other brands Audi and Volkswagen, were also launched in India. Volkswagen Group India emphasized on all aspects of marketing mix including product, price, place and promotion. The company offered three brands including Audi, Škoda and Volkswagen that together comprised of 15 different models as of late 2009. Volkswagen Group India mainly catered to the luxury segment of the Indian car market. The company had established presence in India through separate distribution channels for each of its brands. In its initial years, Volkswagen Group India primarily used the print media to promote its products. However, considering the growth potential of India’s automobile market, the company started using electronic, digital and out of home media along with print media. In November 2009, the company launched an integrated marketing campaign to strengthen its brand image. The case describes the marketing campaign and ends with a discussion on the growth prospects of the company in future.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the dynamics of the Indian passenger car market
• Examine the growth strategies of Volkswagen Group India over the years
• Analyze the marketing strategies of Volkswagen Group India
• and Study the future prospects of Volkswagen Group India.

Keywords

Volkswagen Group India, Volkswagen India Private Limited, Indian Passenger Car Industry, Marketing Mix, Brand Awareness, Beetle, Skoda, Audi, Product Positioning, Promotional Campaigns, Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited, Skoda Auto India Private Limited, Pricing, Print Ad Campaign, Television Commercials, Corporate Branding Strategy, Integrated Marketing Campaign, Roadblock, Iconic Brand Campaigns, Out Of the Home Campaign, Curves are Back