brands illustrated 6 | Page 47

RY R LUXU O F P S LINE U CAR IS THE ON PER LUXURY AND SU TOMIZATION CUS The online USP for luxury and super-luxury cars is customization. Mercedes introduced the iPad-based iConfigurator, which allows customers to create the car of their dreams. For those who want a new look Porsche, that’s possible too. Buyers can log in to the brand’s official website - choose exteriors, interiors and other options that will enable the customer to have a Porsche no one else has. Once done, final images of the car are shown, enabling the buyer to see what their Porsche would look like. This option is something even a visit to the showroom would not be able to provide. Though the automotive industry is renowned for being ahead of the curve in most areas and is a sector known for innovation, for using science to drive technology and for testing new ideas to make things better, yet the online journey of car brands is still in its nascent stages in India and needs to catch up to grow their market share. But with a continued slump in luxury car sales, it is expected the fight for the customer is only set to get bigger on the web. [email protected] 47