Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer – Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India.India’s automobile buyers are no longer defined by age, but by mindset, with expectations shaped by digital behaviour, speed and ease of engagement, according to Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer – Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India.
Speaking at the ETAuto Retail Forum 2026 on Wednesday, Banerjee said traditional age-based customer segmentation is losing relevance as Gen-Z-like expectations become mainstream across demographics. “Age shouldn’t define a customer, mindset should. I believe over 75 per cent of people today think like Gen-Z buyers,” he said.
Banerjee noted that customers now arrive well-informed and decisive, placing greater pressure on automakers and dealers to respond quickly and meaningfully at every touchpoint. Speed of response, he argued, has overtaken persuasion as the key driver of customer satisfaction.
“Today, the customer expects the loan to be processed within two minutes,” Banerjee said, highlighting how rising expectations are forcing changes in sales and financing processes. According to him, understanding customer needs at the moment of interaction has become more critical than pushing standardised sales pitches.
Closely connected with industry’s technology transition
He also linked this shift in buying behaviour to the industry’s broader technology transition. “The Indian auto industry is on a transition from ICE,” Banerjee said, adding that customer hesitation remains a key challenge for electric vehicle adoption. “Penetration of EVs is still low, which means there is some problem,” he said, pointing to the need for automakers to build confidence and clarity around new technologies.
Banerjee also noted that as customer engagement becomes increasingly mindset-driven, automakers must prioritise speed, relevance and trust-building over conventional demographic targeting. “The future of customer engagement lies in responding better, not selling harder,” he said.
