Revamped Omni gains ground

Omni, the mini-van from Maruti Udyog (MUL), has received a fresh lease of life after its Bharat Stage-III version was rolled out in April, 2005.

Company officials said between April and May 2005, the demand for Omni has moved up by 13 per cent to give a monthly volume of around 4,400 units.

Though the increase in demand by 13 per cent may not seem significant, the Omni has outshined the M800, which too went through a full makeover in January this year, but failed to regain customer loyalty.

From its glory days in 2003, when the M800 was clocking a monthly sales of 15,000-18,000 units and in one month even managed to breach the 20,000 units mark, the demand for the product has steadily declined.

Even the new look M800 today manages an average sales of not more than 7,000 units. The Omni, however, has not only managed to maintain its usual volume but also received incremental sales over the last two months.

"Earlier (before the BS-III version launch) LPG/CNG versions of the Omni managed to keep the mother brand floating. But since the launch of the new-look BS-III compliant version, the mother brand has managed to attract volumes on its own," said a MUL spokesperson.

The new look apart from some additional features such as radial tyres, re-designed dash boards, disc brakes and cosmetic corrections to the upholstery have been cited as some of the possible reasons for volumes picking up.

An estimated 50 per cent of the mini-van's sales go into commercial applications. Apart from the taxi segment, the Omni also finds buyers in the logistics business with large courier companies such as DHL.