Cadillac SRX
GM ends Daewoo chapter, models to be rebadged as Chevrolets
On a similar note to my previous post, yet another automotive brand has been sent to the coffers. Daewoo, the erstwhile Korean brand, which expanded and grew exponentially in the early nineties before going bankrupt in the late nineties only to be acquired by General Motors, has become the latest victim, this time due to badge engineering by its parent company. General Motors has decided to rebadge all Daewoos as Chevrolets throughout the world, including South Korea.
If you think that this is already happening, you are not wrong. All Daewoos are being sold as Chevrolets in most parts of the world except South Korea, the home country of Daewoo. Even in India, models which are sold as Chevrolets – Beat, Spark, Aveo, Optra and Captiva are all actually re-badged Daewoos. But, GM has decided that its time to kill off the Korean brand even in its home country. Knowing how patriotic Koreans are when it comes to all things Korean, this will turn out to be a very crucial decision in GM’s Asia operations. Officially, GM Daewoo Automotive Company in South Korea has been renamed as GM Korea.
For lovers of the Matiz - Daewoo’s superbly-styled, multiple award-winning and most popular car ever, of which I am one, it’s going to be tough to imagine it as a Chevy. Daewoo now joins an already exhaustive list of automobile brands killed off within the past one year. The list includes brands such as Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac and Mercury, the former three belonging to GM and the last one belonging to Ford. Rest in Peace, Daewoo.
If you think that this is already happening, you are not wrong. All Daewoos are being sold as Chevrolets in most parts of the world except South Korea, the home country of Daewoo. Even in India, models which are sold as Chevrolets – Beat, Spark, Aveo, Optra and Captiva are all actually re-badged Daewoos. But, GM has decided that its time to kill off the Korean brand even in its home country. Knowing how patriotic Koreans are when it comes to all things Korean, this will turn out to be a very crucial decision in GM’s Asia operations. Officially, GM Daewoo Automotive Company in South Korea has been renamed as GM Korea.
For lovers of the Matiz - Daewoo’s superbly-styled, multiple award-winning and most popular car ever, of which I am one, it’s going to be tough to imagine it as a Chevy. Daewoo now joins an already exhaustive list of automobile brands killed off within the past one year. The list includes brands such as Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac and Mercury, the former three belonging to GM and the last one belonging to Ford. Rest in Peace, Daewoo.
Bajaj kills 'Bajaj' from its models
There is a quote that goes like “Trust is the easiest thing in the world to loose and the hardest thing in the world to get back”. Perhaps it’s time for people, or rather companies, to remember that quote. Bajaj, the iconic Indian brand, which enjoys blind trust, unmatched respect and unflattering loyalty of thousands of our countrymen is slowly fading into oblivion. When Mr. Rajiv Bajaj said that Bajaj brand will cease to exist in automobiles in a candid interview last year, most of us, myself included, would not have imagined that the end of Bajaj would start so soon.I completely admire and adore Mr. Rajiv Bajaj for the way in which he turned around ‘Bajaj’, the erstwhile scooter manufacturer into a powerhouse of motorcycles. The Pulsars and Discovers that you see in millions on Indian roads is a testimony for that. While it’s true that our market is predominantly ruled by motorcycles, scooters are not a segment to be totally abandoned. Ask Honda, whose Activa is still its biggest seller by a huge margin.
So, when Bajaj decided to completely quit the scooter segment which it ruled undisputedly for decades, it not only signaled the end of a product, but also the end of a legacy – a legacy which tickled the heart strings of generations of Indian families who have dreamt of, grown up with, driven, owned and loved the ‘Chetak’, a true classic and an icon of our times. Heck, even its ad campaign - the sensational and touching ‘Hamara Bajaj’ would never get out of our memories.
It was this legacy of ‘Bajaj’, strengthened by the Chetak and immortalized by the Hamara Bajaj campaign, that made people queue up for the Pulsars and Discovers initially, when they were all-new. And it is exactly the same legacy which Mr. Rajiv Bajaj wants to chop off from the company’s future products, the prime reason cited being the ‘Bajaj’ name associated with diversified products ranging from electricals to insurance to automobiles.
It is hard to believe that this process has already started with the Pulsars and Discovers coming out without the Bajaj badge or stickers for quite some time now. KTM and Boxer, the company’s future models would also follow the same trend and all these will evolve into separate entities and sub-brands, as per the statement issued by the company. Even the dealerships would be remodeled without the name ‘Bajaj’ appearing anywhere, though I am quite unsure about how this is going to work out.However it may be, critics have, as always, voiced their opinions both for and against this move by Bajaj. I, for one, hope and wish that this move doesn’t backfire but turns out to be yet another bold, strategic and successful decision in the growth-path of ‘Bajaj’. Oops, I forgot, growth-path of the (what should I call it) company.
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