Wikicars - User contributions [en]

Interactive Car Site

2009-05-05T10:41:50Z

MeKnowCars: /* About Indian Interactive Car Sites */

''' How an ‘Interactive car site’ should be?'''

==Introduction==
Interactive media is emerging as a prominent feature of websites these days. From AJAX to Flash to streaming movies, they all provide a rich user experience. Advertisers were never out of mediums to sell their ideas and products to the people. Now information is available from all over the world at home. The automobile industry is emerging as an important user of the Internet for its various activities.

==Page Ratings of a Site==
A car site owner has to plan in such a way that the strategy includes enhancing user experience through interactive mediums. It is more beneficial to the car site owner if there are 500 visitors who view 10 pages per visit rather than 2,000 visitors of which 90% exit as soon as they hit the home page.

==Design Factor of an Interactive Car Site==
A professional design might decide if your next website will be a success or not. The site should not be drowned with Flash players and AJAX with car images that take for ever to load; rather they should use these media types thoughtfully, in order to strike the right balance between getting users to their car site and then keeping them there to close the deal. The site should provide the exact information that a person is looking for and also be interactive and fun. Successful car salesmen don’t work in the parking lot, they make it attractive for buyers to come into the showroom and not leave without a new set of car keys.

A car portal’s web design should focus on their target group and address specific needs of visitors. The site should include a home page that immediately interests the target audience while clearing portraying the company's market niche. Other pages should cover information about the products being offered with product details including images and specifications such as cars available in a particular city, special features of the car, the price of the car, dealers close to the visitor’s residence or place of convenience, and so on. Inquiry forms, such as car loan applications or car insurance applications, should be technically incorporated. A general form to contact the portal or customer care department should be on the site’s contact page.

==Benefits from a Quality Design on the World Wide Web==
Large companies gain greater benefits through a website than a smaller enterprise. However, regardless of the company's size, products developed, or location, any company can certainly benefit from having a customized high quality presence in the virtual world. People around the world search websites through search engines and if they enter the appropriate key word(s) /phrases, they are immediately shown multiple websites relevant to the search words or term used. Once the user selects a website from the displayed list of a search engine he is able to access the company’s products, history, development process, prices, and delivery procedures, etc. Design and usability of the website will increase the number of leads or sales prospects.

A common mistake seen in car website development is that the information provided is the same content as the actual traditional marketing material such as brochures, manuals, newspaper articles, radio or TV ads, and so on. The World Wide Web is a completely different media type and therefore needs to be used in a more appropriate manner. First of all, it is an interactive media; therefore the user needs to be actively involved during the navigation experience of the website, such as a 360 degree car animation or a forum or a blog posting option. If the website is not interactive, the user has only passive involvement that is provided by any other media source, which leads to loss of interest and eventually a quick exit from the website.

Defining the content and design of a website includes organizing it, finalizing a layout, easy navigation, providing user-friendly content, and inserting user-friendly attention-grabbing interactive material to give the user an unforgettable experience. Maintaining the tone and look of the website throughout its pages, keeping in mind the target audience is extremely important. The tone and feel of the website decides the sort of target audience that the website is trying to attract.

==Value Added Service==
When looking for information about cars, the first thing a browser expects the site to be is user-friendly. The car site should provide accurate information because time is precious and the quicker a site provides accurate and quality data, the better it will perform. The site should present information in an easy-to-understand method. People visiting a car site are not auto experts, they are looking for certain information that will facilitate their car buying or selling, and if the website does not satisfy these basic requirements, then there is another competitor site that will.

Keeping a close watch on all competitor websites to stay a step ahead is a part of the game. Having a team dedicated to track the changes that various competitor websites are making, be it offers, design, or services provided is a good step to ensure that the website is and stays better than others. Trumping the competition with better offers brings better traffic to your site. Developing original ideas and continuously changing and developing a website to introduce more and better information and interactive features is definitely a great way to get a site noticed.

==Important players==
Auto makers are heavy online advertisers. A recent US survey revealed that more than 85% of car buyers prefer to use the internet for research prior to purchase. With the help of web analytics, car site owners can monetize the value of having interactive media on their websites. Some analytics packages are advanced enough to correlate their users’ behavior with interactive media with the conversions such as form completions or purchases. In order to stay up-to-date, search engines release spiders that are more intelligent and able to easily index content found within Flash and media files.

Some automotive sites, like Vehix.com [http://www.vehix.com] are already leading a visitor’s experience with video. This site is privately held and based in Salt Lake City; it devotes the top of the home page to its Vehix TV initiative that among other things features a new set of video buying guides. It is very useful as it extends the amount of time people spend on the site, while giving the user an enjoyable experience. The more information a user has the more ready they are to buy. The other car sites that used video was Edmunds.com, [http://www.edmunds.com] which last year began producing “interactive vehicle tours” for new cars, but stopped that effort after studying their site visitors’ behavior and taking into account their feedback. This reveals that the popularity of the site purely depends on the visitor’s reaction and that Edmunds is known as a database that contains data and more data.

==Key factors for a site==
Some key factors identified as having the most impact on overall satisfaction with a website visit are:

• Information reliability and website functionality

• An eye-catching and pleasing web design

• Direct links that allow information to be found quickly

• Easily understandable user-friendly navigation to various sections

These key factors play an extremely important role in the success of any website, whether automotive or not.

==About Indian Interactive Car Sites==

Why talk about India? Because it is currently the fastest growing car sector in the developing world. The Indian economy is booming and so is the Indian Automobile Industry and the Internet is a very important information source for the Indian marketplace.

Interactive car sites are almost an alien concept in India. Among the various car sites in India, [[Carazoo.com]] [http://www.carazoo.com] seems to be the only Indian car portal that has made an effort to be interactive with its users. It features 360 degree interactive animations and blogs, reviews, images, articles, and various other features that make it quite an interesting portal. Recently, they have started showing car interiors in 360 animations.

==Conclusion==
Interactive car sites require features that are fun and make a user stay and browse. It is not a very difficult task, but it definitely needs a lot of planning. This is definitely a closer step to having an e-buying world that is fast, convenient, and competitive.

Cars in Society of India

2008-06-10T05:12:13Z

MeKnowCars:

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'''The Role Cars Play in the Society of India'''

Cars have been associated with comfort, luxury, style, and social standing. The future may well see cars being used as a fashion statement. India’s British Raj was solely responsible for introducing cars to Indian roads. It was not done to start progress, but rather to provide comfort to the high ranked officers in India. History identifies 1898 as the year that first saw cars on Indian roads. Soon, these cars were utilized by the more affluent Indians in society, namely the Kings (Maharajas) and Landlords.

'''History of Cars and their Stature in Society'''

India’s first manufacturing plant for cars was established in Okha, Gujarat, before Independence in 1942 by Hindustan Motors (HM). However, HM was mainly restricted to manufacturing car parts and accessories. Another manufacturing unit was also established in 1942 called Premier Automobiles Limited (PAL). The year before Independence, 1946, PAL imported and assembled the De Soto and Plymouth cars in a partnership with Chrysler. These were the first cars assembled in India for use by the masses. However, the prices were maintained such that only the upper stratum of society could afford to buy and maintain these cars.

After Independence, the Government of India established protectionist policies to protect Indian companies and industries and counter foreign-trade influence. In 1949, the Ambassador became the first completely indigenized car to take to Indian roads. Mahindra and Mahindra captured the SUV market with its rugged looking Willys Jeeps. PAL introduced the Premier Padmini in 1962, which was another completely Indian-manufactured car, albeit with an outdated “foreign” car body mold.

The 1980s saw the Government relax some of the trade policies that allowed the Indian car industry to suddenly expand with sudden investments from foreign manufacturers and collaborators. Maruti in collaboration with Suzuki of Japan was the first beneficiary of the new government policy and re-wrote the rules of the Indian Car Market, capturing nearly 85 % of the market share. The policies still protected Indian car manufacturers and did not allow their direct competitors to enter the market, but all foreign investors with cars that were above the price range of cars produced by Indian manufacturers flocked to India in a hurry. Indians were given more choices with new models and new technology pouring in from around the globe. People with high social standing in government jobs or with successful businesses or with abundant ancestral heritage were the crux of the car market. Cars were a possession of luxury that only successful or rich people could afford.

'''Advent of the Middle-Class'''

The Government in early 1991 affected a liberalization movement allowing foreign manufacturers and competitors to enter the Indian market in earnest. There was a sudden surge of foreign car manufacturers entering the Indian market. During the same time India witnessed the IT Boom and businesses opened up, which spread wealth to a large section of the population. The progress of the Indian economy empowered many Indians with the ability to purchase cars, not for luxury but for convenience. Soon the market was flooded with impressive small cars for the middle class population that could now afford to travel in comfort. Financial institutions jumped on the bandwagon and started offering low interest rates on EMIs for car loans. Suddenly, possessing a car was no longer a dream but an affordable reality for many. Manufacturers did not ignore the upper stratum of society either. The market saw a flood of imports starting from high-end luxury car brands to sporty SUVs, so that the rich could still distinguish themselves from others using the cars they owned. A Mercedes-Benz was style, a Skoda Octavia was luxury, while a Hyundai Santro was comfort.

The beginning of the new millennia saw an eruption in terms of luxury cars, which included sedans, coupes, convertibles and SUVs. Why? Because people driving an 800 in the 90s were fast moving towards an Accord and the people driving the Civics and Corollas were getting behind the wheels of Mercs and BMWs. Standards of luxury and comfort were being redefined. Now, the people who drove the BMW and Mercs in the 90s had nowhere to go but higher. Manufacturers soon started importing high-end luxury cars from Rolls Royce, savvy sports coupes and convertibles from Audi and Porsche, innovative technologies from Volvo and Volkswagen, and breathtaking power devils from BMW and Mercedes who didn’t want to be left behind either. The middle class Indian population too was engulfed in a sea of choices that was not even imaginable a couple of decades ago.

However, no frenzy came close to the one that had enveloped the small car market. Led by Tata Motors, the introduction of the Nano as the cheapest car in the world shook the global automotive market. Tata was soon joined by Bajaj-Renault and other manufacturers who promptly announce their version of low cost cars. Saturation of small cars in the market caused some manufacturers to look for other avenues and rethink their strategies on SUVs, which wooed the affluent Indian youth who were moving up the ladder of success at a fast pace. SUVs from Tata and Mahindra targeted those who wanted SUV comfort, but were hesitant about the exorbitant prices. Others targeted everyone else.

Those who didn’t want to compromise on brand, but were economically cautious, looked towards the pre-owned car sector, which saw a sudden surge in trade-ins and sales of top-end brands. Small cars did just as well with waves of people moving from two-wheelers to four at nominal rates. Cars were no longer just luxury but a means of comfort for the common man.

'''Current Car Trends'''

The sanctum of social standards that most people feel, while owning luxury brands, is fast disappearing due to the booming pre-owned car sector. Today, the distinguished Indians are looking for new ways to highlight their social stature and to differentiate themselves from others in society.

The fast-becoming popular trend is vehicle registration number plates. This is a tradition that is common in UK and Thailand. The U.S. also has its share of people who like their very own distinguished number plates. Defining social status by paying huge sums to acquire a fancy number plate is a trend that is now picking up pace in India. There are different types of expensive and fancy numbers used on plates. There is the single digit number like “1” or “6” or “9”. Then there is the plate with identical numbers like “6666” or “9999”. Palindromes are quite popular; for example “7667” or “3553”. Another popular type of usage is consecutive numbers like “1234” or “6789”.

Another way of showing class in Indian society is by collecting and displaying vintage and classic cars that are treated with utmost awe and respect. Various rallies around the country allow participants to drive these beauties while thousands of envious eyes follow the trail of the vintage splendor that beatifies their streets once every year. However, vintage cars do not exclusively belong to the rich in society. There are those who had the foresight of preserving their ancestors’ purchases and are now proud owners of what the world has labeled as “vintage”. Of course, these numbers are fast dwindling since many offers thrown their way are too good to resist. After all, to some people, money is more important than social status. There are other vintage car owners who have turned their possessions into fruitful businesses and rent out these cars to people during festivities like marriages, film promos or shootings, and so on.

'''What the Future Holds?'''

In another decade, India will experience another burst of economic progress that will further diminish the societal differences between the middle-class and the rich. In other words, expensive or vintage cars and distinguished number plates will no longer be out of reach for the common man. However, the society in India is such that it will still try to maintain a recognizable difference between the different strata of society. This will give birth to a new genre of “customized” cars.

This trend is already noticeable in some cities of the country. These cities have seen a flourishing growth of auto-designers who not only use graffiti on the car’s body to make it stand out, but also completely redesign the car by changing the suspension, tyres, and engine. The most famous auto-designer in India today is Dilip Chhabria, whose recent expedition to completely revamp an Ambassador attracted a lot of media. He is best known for his successful endeavour in revamping a Maruti Esteem car into a Roadster. Honda, Nissan, GM, and Fiat have provided funds to initialize the establishment of an auto-design school that will be headed by Dilip. His successes in revamping cars, vans, and even buses for years have always held Indian car enthusiasts in awe, but the trend to move towards designer cars is yet to peak.

Young and rich Indians will soon look for “something different”. These cars will imbibe new technologies that will suit each individual’s requirement of comfort and luxury. Each car will be customized to take on the personality of the owner and have an identity of its own. This will be the future of cars in a society that has come a long way from the Ambassador.