Title: Customer targeting of automotive products

Authors: R. Bertodo

Addresses: Strategic Planning Director, Rover Group Ltd, Fletchamstead Highway, Coventry, CV4 9DB, UK

Abstract: Over the past decade, the Japanese automotive industry has demonstrated a remarkable level of resilience and flexibility. Its progressive evolution into a world force has revolutionised nearly every aspect of the automotive business. Western producers have struggled to remain competitive against an eroding market share. A new challenge is now taking shape as the decade unfolds. Japanese producers have begun to fragment the market with a stream of new products developed on short product cycles, in low lifetime volumes and targeted at specific customers and customer groups. The initiative is bringing with it new concepts of customer care and product offerings. The present article reviews the implications of this approach for a particular European organisation.

Keywords: customer targeting; customer profiling; Fordism; marketing; targeted products; automotive products; autombile industry; customer care.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1991.061689

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1991 Vol.12 No.4, pp.357 - 370

Published online: 27 May 2014 *

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