Panasonic launches window ACs, targets small town buyers

Japan's electronic major Panasonic today said it has ventured into the window air-conditioner segment in a bid to expand consumer base in the hinterlands and small towns.
Panasonic, which is aiming to capture up to 8 per cent (value basis) of the AC market this season, has re-entered into the segment with the entry-level models, the company said in a statement.
Its window AC line up is already available in the market in variants of 1, 1.5 and 2 tonnes, ranging from Rs 24,990 to Rs 39,490.
"The consumption pattern in these areas is shifting from necessities to discretionary goods and the consumers have been showing a great appetite for consumer durables.

"Window ACs have strong potential demand from rural India and smaller towns since the first time buyers in these markets essentially prefer window ACs as they want a low cost product with simpler features," the company said.
After this addition, Panasonic would now cater to different audiences with its offerings.

Commenting on the development, Panasonic India and South Asia Managing Director Manish Sharma said: "We want to give our consumers a wide choice of products to choose from and make available products that suit their requirements in context to their economic and demographic limitations".
Panasonic grew 5 per cent in terms of value, he said.

"We are hopeful that year 2014 will definitely open up a plethora of new opportunities and we are expecting the market also to grow by 5 to 8 per cent this year," Sharma added.
It has a network of 700 authorised service centres and over 50 Panasonic service plazas.