Design of New Amphibious Sports Car by Mercedes Benz - Case Study Example

Executive Summary Mercedes Benz has been performing in the automobile industry for over a decade and has been able to deliver quality cars for the affluent section of the society. The automobile giant has looked towards building cars which have superior performance and have looked towards ensuring maximum customer satisfaction. The New Amphibious Sport Car is one in that direction. The report looks to present the manner in which New Amphibious Sport Car by Mercedes Benz is being designed. The New Amphibious Sport Car has been launched for the affluent section of the society and is also aimed at travel agencies. The company has priced its product keeping the features in mind and has also looked to match the competitors. The design of the car has ensured sporty looks and has looked towards matching it with better design. The acceptance of the car is highly possible as it has different features that the customer look for as seen by the research analysis. Overall the New Amphibious Sport Car looks a bright prospect for Mercedes Benz and the chances of acceptability by the public are high. Table of Contents Introduction 3 Purpose of the report 3 Description of the new product 3 Objectives of the new product 4 Target Market 5 Competitor Analysis 6 4 P’s of Marketing 6 Rough Sketch of Packaging 8 Research Findings 9 Recommendations 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Appendix 12 Introduction Mercedes Benz is a German based company and is being operation since 1886. The company has always relied on providing cars which are superior compared to other models and looks to eye the upper segment of customers. Mercedes Benz has looked towards differentiating itself by launching new variant of cars which are high on performance, pick up, and stylish. The company has looked towards launching new variant of cars and New Amphibious Sport Car is a one in that direction. The efficiency and manner of operations has made it possible for Mercedes Benz to grow and has established its network all over the world. Purpose of the report To identify whether the launch of the New Amphibious Sport Car by Mercedes Benz will be successful or not To identify the competitors of the New Amphibious Sport Car and the target audience Mercedes Benz is looking at To identify the rough sketch of the car along with the different aspect of 4 P’s that Mercedes Benz is laying stress on Description of the new product The New Amphibious Sport Car which Mercedes Benz is looking to add in its product line is different from the traditional cars that Mercedes Benz has. New Amphibious Sport Car by Mercedes Benz is a car which can be used both on land and water. Since, it will provide transport facility both on land and water the new concept added to car will help people who are prone to flood and situated at places which is near the water area. The company while designing the car has given importance to different features. Mercedes Benz has looked towards ensuring that the exteriors of the car are trendy as people today prefer sports car. The interior has also been developed on the same concept but at the same time efforts have made to ensure comfort and luxury for the passengers. Mercedes Benz has looked towards using motor sports technology so that the car performs both on land and in water. Mercedes Benz has looked towards ensuring that all aspect of the car is dealt in such a way that it helps to attract customer and enhances their pleasure of driving cars. Objectives of the new product The following are the objectives that has made Mercedes Benz launch the New Amphibious Sport Car To ensure better safety while driving as Mercedes is committed towards accidents free driving. The car has been designed and drawn in a manner which will ensure safety for customers To ensure that the car multiplies the usage for customers as it can be used both on land and in water To save people and help them to travel even if they are caught in water clogged areas Target Market Mercedes Benz has always looked towards the upper section of the society and has also designed and priced their product keeping this in mind. The company while launching its product always looks to provide superior performance and power which has made Mercedes Benz to price its car on the upper end. New Amphibious Sport Car launched by Mercedes Benz is also aimed at the upper segment of the society who has the purchasing power to purchase the car. Along with it the New Amphibious Sport Car launched by Mercedes Benz is also aimed at tourist companies and agencies as there has been a spurt of high end cars used by tourist. This has made travel agencies purchase cars which belong to the upper end as tourist that cannot afford to purchase the car can use it on a hire basis for their tours. This helps to identify the target market as shown in the chart below Target Market Section of the Society Reason for the target section Primary Market Affluent Section of the Society which consist of people in the upper section of the society High Purchasing Power The desire and money to purchase gadgets which are latest and matches changing times Secondary Market Tourist Agencies The increased use of high end cars by tourist as they prefer to use it for their tours as they cannot purchase it due to low purchasing power Competitor Analysis Mercedes Benz faces competition from all other car manufacturers in the industry as all the companies look towards the same set of customers. Mercedes Benz faces stiff competition from Audi & BMW. Both Audi & BMW also look towards the higher end customers and have designed their products in a manner that they are able to aim at the upper end of society. This helps to identify the competitors’ analysis as follows Mercedes Benz Audi BMW Aims at the affluent section of the society Aims at the affluent section of the society Aims at the affluent section of the society Offers variety at high prices which is high on power and speed Offers variety at high prices which is high on power and speed Offers variety at high prices which is high on power and speed Looks to sale cars through exclusive car outlets which is available world wide Looks to sale cars through exclusive car outlets which is available world wide Looks to sale cars through exclusive car outlets which is available world wide Addition of New Amphibious Sport Car will help to increase the competitive edge Needs to look towards increasing its product line Needs to improve its product line by developing new cars 4 P’s of Marketing The 4 P’s of marketing will help to understand the manner in which Mercedes Benz looks towards positioning its car and the price they are looking to charge from its customers. Price Mercedes Benz is looking to price its new Amphibious Sport Car at $28,000. The price is slightly higher compared to the price charged by its competitors. The competitors have priced the cars in the range of $23,000 to $26,000. When we look at the features that New Amphibious Sport Car launched by Mercedes has in comparison to the competitors the price charged by the company is justified. Product Mercedes Benz has ensured that the product is designed according to a sports car so that it has a stylish look. The company has looked towards having the exterior and interiors matching to a sports car and has also used the next generation Mercedes Benz styling. Along with it Mercedes has ensured that the New Amphibious Sport Car has an effective interplay of taunt lines and smooth surface so that people looking it at it are amazed. The company has also ensured technological capabilities to the maximum extent possible and has used all the different settings which will ensure that the car is easily accepted by the target customers. Place Mercedes Benz has looked towards making its New Amphibious Sport Car available at a few places. Firstly, Mercedes Benz is looking to have the cars available from their exclusive outlets in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne & Perth. Based on the acceptability and popularity of the product Mercedes will be looking towards having the car available in other outlets. Promotion Mercedes Benz already has a brand image which will come handy in the marketing of New Amphibious Sport Car. To ensure effective coverage and make people aware about the new car Mercedes Benz is looking towards having print and visual advertisements. The company through these advertisements will highlight the features the New Amphibious Sport Car has. The company is also looking towards having promotional schemes which will help to attract customers to this new variant of car. Rough Sketch of Packaging Mercedes Benz has looked towards designing its product in a manner which ensures safety and superior design for its customers. The following is the rough design for New Amphibious Sport Car The new car has been designed to ensure enhanced customer satisfaction and pleasure in driving the car. Research Findings The research carried out on the basis of questionnaire filled by various customers of different customers of various age groups shows the following for the features The above chart shows that customers rate different parameters important and look towards a mix of different factors before choosing a car. The New Amphibious Sport Car by Mercedes Benz has these features thereby will ensure that the car is accepted by the public easily. Recommendations Mercedes Benz can look forward towards the New Amphibious Sport Car as it has all the features that will make it successful. The new car has looks, safety measures, interiors, exteriors and can be used in different situations. This increases the likelihood of the car to be accepted easily by the public and if the company looks towards marketing the car in a way which ensures that all aspect of marketing is looked into will ensure that the car is easily accepted by the public Conclusion The New Amphibious Sport Car by Mercedes Benz provides an opportunity for the company as it will help to extend product line and at the same time ensure that the company is able to deliver a new product which increases the likelihood of the company getting a new section of customers. This will ensure that Mercedes Benz is able to strengthen its product line and increase its customer base by having a new variant of car. References Mercedes Benz. 2011. Mercedes Benz. Retrieved on November 16, 2011 from http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/index Appendix QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Do you have a car?    YES / NO 2. If yes, what brands car do you have?        3. Did you hear about the Amphibious Sport Car by Mercedes Benz? YES/ NO              4. Please rank the following features of Amphibious Sport Car on a scale of 1-7? (1-most important, 7-least important)        Performance           Speed            Looks          Price          Comfort           Maintainence Cost        Brand Image  5. What influences you to buy cr?        Advertising           Word of mouth        Attractive Packaging        Dealer        Display        Family/Friend/Relatives        Any Other (Pls. Specify) 6. Did you like the design for Amphibious Sport Car? YES/NO 7. If a particular car is out of stock what will you do -              Drop the idea of buying a car              Go to another retail outlet              Try another (competitor’s) brand 8. The advertisements of Mercedes Benz you remember. 1 2. 3. 4. Read More