Auto magazine ‘Overdrive’ now in Hindi

The Hindi edition of auto magazine ‘Overdrive’ hit newsstands on January 7, 2011. The cover price of the magazine has been kept at Rs 75, though the introductory edition is priced at Rs 50. The magazine will carry approximate 160 pages in each edition.

‘Overdrive’s Hindi edition features sections such as Sampadakiya (Editorial), Is Ank Mein (Contents), Mail Box, Motoring News, Drishtikon (Columns), Product Features, Salah Mashvira (Help Desk), and Car & Bike price guide, among others.

Speaking on the reason behind launching the Hindi edition of the magazine, Sandeep Khosla, CEO, Publishing, Infomedia18, said, “There are various reasons for ‘Overdrive’ going Hindi. Auto enthusiasm and car and bike growth have for long been associated with metro and niche markets. However, for the past few years, this growth is primarily coming for Tier II cities of India.”

He further said that spending power was no longer associated with Tier I cities and that nearly 70 per cent of the auto sales came from the non-metros. “In addition to the fact that car and bike sales are now growing at nearly 25 per cent year-on-year, there is increased curiosity about autos from these cities and there has never been a magazine to cater to this massive audience of 42 per cent, whose primary language is Hindi. All these factors combined presented a perfect opportunity for Infomedia18 to introduce ‘Overdrive’ in Hindi,” Khosla explained.

The magazine targets the Hindi speaking markets such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh and Jammu & Kashmir. These apart, Hindi Speaking Population (HSP) across markets and cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Kolkata, and Bangalore will also be in the radar of the magazine.

On the content strategy of the magazine, Khosla said, “The content of both the magazines (English and Hindi) would have a similar pattern, though it would not be an exact replica.”

To support the launch, an extensive campaign has been rolled out on all media platforms. Organised retail outlets have also been roped in for promotion of the Hindi edition of ‘Overdrive’ in cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Bhopal, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Pune.