New trend of pre-launch bookings emerging in Indian auto industry

As the Indian auto industry is growing at the best ever pace, a new trend of pre-order bookings is taking hold in the Indian market. Just few months back, there was a tradition of keeping the upcoming car under covers until the final day of launch, but the scenario seems to be changing a bit as car makers are now preferring to display their upcoming cars long before its final launch date. With this, the pre-order bookings for these upcoming cars start much before the launch date.

The upcoming cars following this new trend include Toyota Etios (to be launched by the end of this year), Nissan Micra (will be launched on July 15th) and Skoda Yeti (expected to be launched by the end of this year). The mega event of Delhi Auto Expo can be seen as the initiator of this new trend as the cars which were on display at the event received an overwhelming response from the visitors and car enthusiasts.

Many new cars launched recently in India have managed to create a buzz among buyers long before their launch. Few examples include Chevrolet Beat, Ford Figo and Volkswagen Polo. In a recent statement, Mr P Balendran, vice-president, General Motors India, said that the company has opened pre-launch booking for only two cars including Beat and Cruze, but the response from the Indian buyers is overwhelming.

Nissan India, which is all set to launch its compact car Nissan Micra in the Indian market on July 15th, has been receiving the pre-launch bookings for this car since the last week of June. Moreover, the car is available for display at company's dealerships across India. On the Other hand Toyota Etios, which is scheduled to be launched in the Indian market by end of this year, has been the flagship model of the company in the Toyota Q Word program, in which company is displayed its portfolio across various Indian cities.