Infomedia 18 to launch another automotive title

Aftermarket, the automotive aftermarket magazine, will follow a controlled circulation model and will be available from July.

Infomedia 18 is launching a magazine for the automotive aftermarket titled Aftermarket. The group claims that it will be India's first magazine dedicated to the automotive aftermarket. The inaugural issue of the magazine will be available from the first week of July.

The monthly title will have a cover price of Rs 50, and will have an initial print run of 15,000 copies. This will gradually be scaled up within the next six months. Aftermarket will follow a controlled circulation model of distribution, and for this purpose the group is currently validating and qualifying readers data of over 1,00,000. The group will decide the retail presence as it goes forward.

Sudhanva Jategaonkar, associate vice-president, B2B Publishing, Infomedia 18, says, "The magazine would offer a comprehensive coverage of the automotive aftermarket business in the form of news, views and analysis. The magazine will occupy its rightful space as an authoritative guide to the Indian automobile aftermarket and trade business."

The magazine is targeted at automotive garages and service stations, dealerships, third party outlets, authorised sales network of spares and components manufacturers, automotive paints, garage equipment, BFSI, TBA retail network, associations and the government.

The magazine, on an average, will have over 64 pages every issue. A full-page ad in the magazine would cost Rs 50,000.

The new title will focus on retail, repair and the trade side of the industry, whereas Infomedia 18's other title, Auto Monitor, talks about the components, technology and manufacturing.

According to T Murrali, editor, Aftermarket, the Indian automotive aftermarket is expected to expand rapidly over the next five years. "The Indian automotive aftermarket is expected to expand rapidly over the next five years. The total size of the Indian aftermarket is currently estimated at Rs 33,000 crore, while the global market is worth Rs 2,700,000 crore."

Keeping in mind the scope of the market, Murrali feels there is much potential for growth. "The magazine will prove to be a vital link between manufacturers and dealers and help meet the communication needs of a significant section of automotive professionals and entrepreneurs," says Murrali in an official communiqué.

The content of the monthly magazine will include industry news, developments, views, trends, technology, analysis and features on best dealerships, and review of service centres. Aftermarket will initially have eight sections -- News, Rearview, Cover Story, Interview, Cutting Edge, Focus, Viewpoint and Extra Mile. It will also have snippets on new products being launched in the aftermarket space.

While the News section will provide updates on the recent happenings, Rearview will look back at some of the best service centres and their best practices. While the Interview section would include chats with CEOs (chief executive officers) of companies operating in the aftermarket, Cutting Edge will feature stories on technology.

The other sections in the magazine include Focus, which will deal with various issues concerning the segment, Viewpoint, which will carry points of view of industry representatives. The Extra Mile section will talk about the art of selling automobiles.

For the record, Infomedia 18 publishes other automotive titles as well, such as Auto Monitor and Overdrive.