oltas, the consumer durables arm of the Tata Group, has introduced a range of air conditioners priced below Rs 10,000 as part of its new marketing strategy built around the theme, Ab Har Koi Le Sake AC Ka Maza (now everyone can enjoy an AC). A first for the air conditioner market in India, this 0.6 tonne AC is priced at Rs 9,990, making it "affordable and accessible for the larger section of Indian households". This is also the first time that a sub-0.75 tonne AC has been launched in the country. The company has also introduced a 0.8-tonne AC without a remote control priced at about Rs 11,000 and a variant with a remote control priced around Rs 12,000.

The company, claiming to have pioneered the sub-tonne AC segment in India, currently has four brands in the market - Vertis, Vectra, Verdant and Ventura - ranging from 0.6 to 4 tonnes. "The sub-tonne AC is the result of an extensive study conducted across 43 markets throughout the country by Rama Bijapurkar (research consultant based in Mumbai) on the existing scenario and the gaps that negatively impact AC penetration in the urban and semi-urban markets. Researches indicate that if the AC is priced below Rs 15,000 then the penetration moves up by six times," says the company. ... more