Marina may cannibalise Indigo, hurt Getz sales

Competitively priced between Rs 4.29 lakh and Rs 5.27 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai), the Indigo Marina from Tata Motors is poised to give the recently launched Hyundai Getz run for its money.

The Getz, costs between Rs 4.72 lakh and 4.98 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai) and is a hatchback while the Marina is an estate car.

Given their success with the Indica and the Indigo, the Tatas should be able to do the same with the Marina, which was launched yesterday. However, it could cannibalise sales of the Indigo itself. The earlier model is priced between Rs 4.15 and Rs 5.07 lakh (ex-showroom) and is also fitted with the same engines.

The Indian passenger car market has not really taken a fancy to estate versions in the past. However, this time round, it could be different, thanks to the popularity of Tata's Indica and Indigo, the availability of a fuel-efficient diesel engine and the Marina's competitive pricing. The Marina is available in three petrol and two diesel variants.

Speaking at the launch, Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata said the management believed Marina could meet with similar success as the company's other two cars.

Though Tata Motors expects some degree of cannibalisation by the Indigo, industry observers do not feel the same way since the production volumes of the Marina are going to be relatively small at around 8000 a year and sales at around 4000 and 6000.

Rajiv Dube, vice-president, commercial, passenger car business unit, Tata Motors said: "Both the Indigo and the Marina cater to different customer segments and there was a market for the station wagon and the sedan."

But analysts and dealers said it will take some effort on the part of the company to promote usage of station wagons in India. Estates or station wagons, which are popular in Europe, have not had a good track record in India.