PROJECT PROPOSAL

TKM INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENTPROJECT PROPOSALBRAND MANAGEMENT

4/11/2015

Submitted byNaveen Anil4th SemesterTIM 19ASubmitted toDr. Vinithkumar NairDean {External Affairs}TIM

MERCEDES BENZ

Company ProfileThe pioneers of the automobile industry at the end of the 19th century were Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz with Benz patenting what is widely viewed as the first automobile. Mercedes-Benz is a subsidiary of German-based Daimler and the brand is used on luxury cars, buses and trucks. Mercedes focuses its sponsorship spending on events that attract a well-heeled crowd. Its three pillars are golf, tennis and New Yorks Fashion Week.It jumped into football with a 10-year stadium naming rights deal for the Superdome in New Orleans worth an estimated $50 million to $60 million. Mercedes won its first Constructors' Championship as the top team in F1 in 2014 thanks to the dominant performances of drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.Daimler AG (Daimler), incorporated on May 6, 1998, develops, manufactures, distributes and sells a range of automotive products, mainly passenger cars, trucks, vans and buses. It also provides financial and other services relating to its automotive businesses. The Company offers its automotive products and related financial services primarily in Western Europe and in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) region, which consists of the United States, Canada and Mexico. During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company derived approximately 46% of its revenue from sales in Western Europe and 21% from sales in the United States. It operates in five segments: Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services. Its other business interests consist primarily of its equity investments in the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. (EADS) and in Tognum AG. In October 2009, Deutsche Bank AG completed the disposal of its interest in the Company. In June 2011, Daimler AG and Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC had secured around 94% interest in Tognum AG-DJ.Mercedes-Benz CarsMercedes-Benz Cars designs, produces and sells Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, Maybach luxury sedans and smart micro compact passenger cars. During 2009, Mercedes-Benz Cars contributed approximately 51% of the Companys revenue. The Company offers Mercedes-Benz passenger cars with a range of diesel and gasoline engines.

Performance 2012 was another record year for Mercedes-Benz Cars.The figures for unit sales, revenue, and production volume were at all-time highs. At 4.4 billion, EBIT did not reach the high levelof the prior year. The set standards in the compact-car segment with our sporty new A-Class. Additional new model highlights in 2012 were the new SL, the CLS Shooting Brake, and the new GL. The E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID, which have been offering to customers since June 2012, is the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in the world. In 2012, company expanded our Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy to include a new key component: Fit for Leadership. 2014 was a wonderful year for many auto makers in India, especially for brands like Mercedes Benz that are increasingly becoming a preferred choice for uber-rich Indians.The German luxury car maker has a lot to cheer about its performance last year. The company recorded its highest ever sales in India, apart from a 13 percent growth in 2014 compared to 2013. The three pointed star brand sold 10,201 units in 2014 and this is the second year in a row that Mercedes-Benz has posted a double digit growth in India. In 2014, Mercedes brought 10 products to the Indian market starting from S-Class to GL 63 AMG. The year witnessed the launch of E350 CDI, GLA and AMG models including GLA 45 AMG, CLA 45 AMG and ML 63 AMG. The company also opened 14 new outlets in the country.

Performance against competitors After a neck-and-neck race that lasted two years, Mercedes-Benz is back at the top of the heap in the Indian luxury car market. In the January-March 2015 period, Mercedes-Benz has 3,566 units compared to Audi's 3,181 units in the same period, which makes Mercedes-Benz the leader in the luxury car market ousting Audi from the top spot for the quarter. German rival BMW does not disclose sales numbers but estimates put the brand's January-March 2015 sales at nearly 1,500 units, making it the third luxe brand in the pecking order. Mercedes-Benz has returned to the top slot in the Indian luxe car market five years after losing the perch to BMW in 2009.

Conclusion

Mercedes-Benz and with it a shared aspiration to uphold the tradition of the world's two oldest car manufacturers and ensure a successful future for both. Innovation, performance, quality, awareness of tradition: the Mercedes-Benz trademark, one of the world's most familiar and esteemed brand symbols, has stood for these and other values ever since. The Mercedes Benz is often called the Merc or the Mercedes is has the reputation of producing luxury cars for the past years. It's a fact that the Mercedes Benz is synonymous to luxury, well, for those who know their collections very well, it is basically a must to have the Mercedes Benz brand included to complete the collection. You may already have car models of famous Mercedes Benz releases or a well crafted Mercedes Benz insignia, tee shirt, caps, pins or other collectibles that the brand may have released, the Mercedes key chain will not disappoint you in any way as an additional item for your Mercedes Benz experience.

References http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/49916/car_parts/mercedes_benz_luxury_on_wheels.html http://www.daimler.com/dccom/0-5-1279050-1-1279432-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0.html http://www.forbes.com/companies/mercedes-benz/ http://www.bbzautorepair.com/blog/2013/12/bmw-audi-and-mercedes-benz-the-battle-is-on/ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/news/industry/mercedes-benz-tops-indian-luxury-car-market-in-january-march-2015/articleshow/46833099.cms http://ar2012.daimler.com/divisions/mercedes-benz-cars http://www.ibtimes.co.in/mercedes-benz-sells-10201-cars-2014-historic-high-619288