In contrast The Logan is the result of a garish cross between the French Renault and the Indian Mahindra. The Logan’s base model is also priced somewhere around 4,70,000 and can be considered a substantially undersold sedan. I would accredit this to the torpid effort by Mahindra & Renault in terms of marketing and branding the car.

I am not comparing the two cars per say, I just want to throw some light on the fate of these two cars and what led to them being that way. The Tata Indica was initially launched as a bigger car in the family car segment. At least that’s what I get from ‘more car per car’. However it did not sell as much as the Tata’s would have liked it to in those days. I am not sure whether it was strategy or it happened by fate that the Tata Indica then started being perceived as the new face of Indian cabs. This propelled the Tata Indica in the direction of glory.

The key to the Logan’s fate lies in the Indica’s example of rebranding. The Logan is currently placed as a power packed sedan with Kunal Kapoor’s masculine face. However, it does not have the muscle and certainly not the Herculean structure. It is a small luxury car, beyond that is pushing it. I somehow feel that if The Logan can be rebranded as a family car with more space, it can still turn around its fate. It has the price of a family car and certainly the space, the looks come to you for free. What’s not to buy?

I went up to him to buy a bottle of water. He very calmly asked me if I wanted cold water. I replied “yes” to the obvious question. He told me that he had a brand of water that I trusted, it was for 5 bucks and asked me if I’d like to try it? I said “yes” hesitantly this time. He took out a bottle of chilled water and handed it to me. It did not have a sticker, it did not have a seal. He said it was “aquaguard” purified as he pointed to the aquaguard fixed in his store.

The next question is “Can Khaledbhai be trusted”, the answer is “yes”. I am sure that all of us have a Kirana store in our neighborhood who we trust with things like “pure ghee” or “fresh fruits” etc.

Finally, the obvious question is not whether it’s ethical to brand someone else’s product as your own and whether or not it should be allowed, because Khaledbhai did pay for the aquaguard installed in his shop. The obvious question is whether Khaledbhai and his several other likes can impact the sales of brands like Kinley and Aquafina in India, keeping in mind that the unorganized retail sector, i.e. the small retailers comprise the majority of the Indian retail sector as of today.