Hyundai Get(z) Sania to shore up demand

NEW DELHI: After serving a volley of price attacks, Hyundai is now getting India's teen sensation Sania Mirza to play some deadly strokes in the car bazaar and shore up demand for its premium compact car Getz.

Hyundai Motor India is appointing Sania as the brand ambassador for Getz, a model that has been facing stiff
competition in the market since the introduction of maruti-Suzuki's price warrior Swift.

This is the latest in the string of initiatives kicked off by Hyundai to boost demand for Getz. Prior to this, the firm had introduced a stripped down version of the car, which was about Rs 37,000 cheaper than the erstwhile entry-level version of Getz.

Company officials were, however, not available for comment. This will also mark Sania's entry into the big league of Corporate endorsements.

With cricket losing its sheen among Indians, Sania - with her string of wings in the international circuit - is already being wooed by many corporates for product endorsements.

She is today, in fact, the only sportsperson outside cricket to command a million rupee tag.

"Sania is today the hottest choice among Corporate India for product endorsements and her joining the Hyundai family would surely help the firm improve the brand's visibility and also bring in some customers.

Hyundai seems to be hoping to get Sania to work up the same magic that Shah Rukh Khan did for Santro," an analyst said.

Whether Sania can win this match for Hyundai, only time can tell. But analysts are confident that this might turn out to a match-winning combination in the Indian car bazaar.

"Hyundai has been facing some tough competition in the market from Swift. With new players like Toyota and General Motors planning to enter this market, the presence of Sania will surely help the firm," an analyst said.