She’s got the look — that’s what they say about cars today!

Noise-free, ground-pounding sound by Kicker or Soundstream, lounge-bar mood lighting, GPS navigation aid or aerodynamic body kits… The deal when it comes to the wheel is simple: accessorise or lose out.

Factory-fitted frills can no longer satisfy Calcutta’s new-generation car owner, prompting auto accessories retailers to rev up. “Time was when we had only the Ambassador and Fiat on Calcutta roads and all that the owners wanted were new bumpers or a set of floor mats. Everything has changed over the past few years,” says Himanshu Shah of Selection.

The car accessories outlet in Ballygunge, in the trade for over 25 years, receives a caravan of customers straight from the showroom. “The number of car-owners has more than quadrupled in Calcutta in the past three years and accessories like car audio and premium upholstery have almost become a necessity,” says Sanjay Bhawnani of Xlusiv on Sarat Bose Road.

Bhawnani has used the Poila Baisakh peg to unveil his second Xlusiv car-detailing outlet on the Rashbehari Connector near Siemens. “This will be the largest organised retail store for car accessories in Calcutta with many firsts,” he claimed.

A rough trade estimate puts the size of the auto accessories market in town at Rs 3-4 crore a month. “We should touch Rs 10 crore a month in the next two years, but even that is miles behind today’s Delhi market size of Rs 30-40 crore a month,” points out Vinay Daga of Glix. With a host of high-end models being rolled out, the size of the organised accessory pie is set to grow fast, he feels, as “no one will take a Rs 20 lakh car to a roadside vendor for detailing or value-add”.

There’s fresh momentum in the market, but the Calcutta consumer still lacks awareness about car accessories and detailing options, laments Neeraj Banka, a leading distributor of Pioneer car audio-video systems in town. So, innovative marketing initiatives are a must.

“We are adding a car audio demo room supported by Pioneer in our Alipore outlet,” says Daga of Glix. “We will be offering customers demo audio sets with speakers fitted in their cars for a day or two to listen and decide if they want to go in for the system,” adds Bhawnani of Xlusiv.