[libranof1987]

The past few months have been very busy for the Indian automotive world with a slew of cars and bikes being launched.

We saw new models such as the Citroen C3 Aircross and the Honda Elevate, and facelifts such as the 2023 Tata Nexon. In the 2W segment, we have a new entrant in the electric space with the River Indie, and established brands testing waters in dramatically different segments, with Hero+Harley-Davidson launching the X440, and Triumph, the Speed 400.

While the launch events and the media reviews have generally been close to each other, we've observed a tremendous difference in brand strategy when it comes to having the product out in showrooms, available for test-drives and kickstarting deliveries.

Let's take the example of the Harley-Davidson X440 and Triumph Speed 400. We had the media review events for both of them within a week of each other, way back in July. Leave aside test rides for potential buyers, even those who have put in a booking amount are struggling to get test-ride slots for the X440 even today! Deliveries are anticipated to begin later this month.

What has Triumph done in the meanwhile. The bikes were made available at the showroom first week of August, with deliveries commencing within a few weeks. In fact, Triumph made a spectacle of it with hundreds of bikes being delivered at one go. Imagine the brand equity Triumph has developed with their execution.

Mind you, both these bikes have very similar legacy: both run a name plate that have offerings in the much higher capacity segment, while being developed by two of the largest 2W companies in the world. Capability or experience is clearly on par if you consider Hero and Bajaj (for the HD X440 and Speed 400, respectively)

Several people had booked both, the X440 and Speed 400. Which bike do you think people are buying! What will make things worse for Hero, is that the Speed 400 has got generally good reviews.

Essentially, the X440 has got a massive handicap even before the first customer gets to park their new bike in the garage!

The case with the electric scooter, River Indie, is no different. The Indie generated a very favorable opinion when launched in Feb this year, and the reviews from media events in September helped build on that interest, given how well the scooter has been designed and its many features.

But all that goodwill seems to be making way for impatience given the delay in starting deliveries. We can't be as harsh with River, as with Hero, though given they're a startup launching their first product, and such teething problems may be expected.

Things aren't much different in the four wheeler world. Citroen launched their new model, the C3 Aircross, in August. And in what has been a strange departure from how these launches are handles, they made no mention of the variants on offer, or the price! No cars in the showrooms either.

Information trickled in piece by piece all through September, with a lot of predictions and assumptions ("we'll get the 6-speed TC because that's what they launched in Thailand). First came the starting price, then the variant spread, and then the car in the showroom.

It becomes only logical that the average buyer begins to question the brand's commitment to the product and to the market, and in an ultra competitive market such as ours, every piece of the pie is up for grabs and fought fiercely.

We're a demographic that likes to test the product thoroughly before buying, and not allowing that experience especially even after having taken the booking amount, allows for insecurity and doubt to creep in.

What's worse is, the manufacturer loses steam on all the hype and interest generated via the jazzy launch events and media reviews.

And then you have manufacturers such as Maruti and Tata. They churn out models to the showroom, and make them available for deliveries like clockwork. There is no room for guess work, they don't concede an inch of space in the buyer's mind about what the product could be.

What are your views on this? - Would you prefer to be able to check a new car or bike right after its launch / media review so you can take a decision, or you don't mind holding out for a few months.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ashis89]

It's rightly said, "Out of sight is out of mind". This is very relevant in the retail industry. If you launch a product but not make it available for sale, then the initial curiosity of the consumer dies. Without any immediate sale, the vehicle is not seen on the road and hence, additional curiosity is not generated as well. And when deliveries/test drives start, folks would have already forgotten the names.

These days we see delivery waiting periods in months and years for established models. Test drives are available and one can decide if the model is worth waiting for. Even then some lose patience and go for something available sooner. Now imagine waiting for a model about which we hear but haven't seen or haven't driven or don't know the price yet.


Personally, I may not wait long for a final delivery, let alone waiting for test drive, price launch and what not. And if I wait months, I will be swayed by newer launches which are happening every other month.

[GTO]

It's all about execution skills . Maruti, Hyundai & Kia are very, very good with this. With rare exceptions, you'll see new models being available for test-drives and also, they ramp up production in advance for the new model's demand. I remember Kia listening to customer feedback and releasing fresh Seltos variants within weeks of the original launch.

Tata really needs to work on the dealership experience - it's a world of opportunity for them. IMHO, if Tata manages to handle the initial dealership experience (sales inquiry, test-drives, followup) well, it will easily add 15-20% to their sales. In a world where manufacturers fight for even 1% increase, improving the pre-sales experience is a massive opportunity for Tata. Right now, many of their dealerships have the attitude of a government office.

Thanks for sharing! Loved reading about how Harley & Triumph managed their respective launches. Am disappointed that Harley goofed things up, despite having the might of Hero behind it.

[jomson13]

One thing that comes to mind is that maybe the brands want to judge the initial reaction from the public before committing to production numbers.
They are playing safe with their money but unfortunately are losing out on a lot of prospective customers.

[Axe77]

Great thread Libran and completely echo some of the frustration you have expressed here.

I’ll add the Aprilia 457 to your list as well. They “revealed” an India made bike with much fanfare a few months ago, followed promptly by radio silence on all meaningful information, while still blasting social media at regular intervals with pointless posts about the bike which provided no actual information relevant to prospective customers.

There is no clarity on when the bike will be launched and go on sale, which dealers will be authorised to sell them, what the sales and service strategy. This - not for a niche imported offering but for a made in India offering. Inexplicable to say the least.

Contrast this with Kawasaki who went from announcement to display to selling the first few units of the niche ZX - 4R in a much more compact time frame if I’m not mistaken.

[shancz]

Great thread, I had already started to lose interest in these "unveils" when even the display units haven't made their way to the showrooms.
My hopes had dropped so low that had gone to the only KTM showroom in my city, half heartedly, to check on the 390 Duke and to my surprise, both colours were parked in the showroom, all details available.
If I wanted to I could book it then and there and get a quick delivery.
That's how it should be done IMHO.

Let's take the facelifted Safari. Everything is known but the pricing will be announced on 17th! Why ?

Coming to bikes it was the same Hero who launched the Karizma XMR with all info in that presentation if you skip the overarching presence of the celebrities.
But just look at the situation with X440. Bewildering is an understatement.

The Citroen's case itself proves that they're doing a half hearted effort in India and hence I don't take them seriously regardless of the competency of their cars.

Hence when someone asks why a reputed global manufacturer like X or Y didn't succeed in India, I have one answer :
They didn't recognise us as a separate market with unique needs and hence didn't dedicate enough interest, investment and effort. Hence the result

[Rajeevraj]

I think there is no doubt that vehicles should be available in showrooms immediately after a launch or test drive. That is when the hype is maximum and manufacturers can make most of it. Deliveries should also begin as soon as possible. All this new process that some brands follow of doing an unveil, opening bookings without revealing prices, then having another event for price reveal, then the test drives, then finally having it in the showrooms is highly irritating. Rather than building interest in the product I think it causes drop in interest pretty quickly.

Regarding how long one is ok to wait. I think it depends. Typically I would want a vehicle immediately. When I bought the Vento TSI 10 years back, I was desperate to get it as soon as it was announced. Went from dealer to dealer and multiple follow ups to ensure I got it in the first batch. I would hate to wait months for a vehicle.

As an exception, in today's scenario where I am looking out for a new bike, Harleys slowness on the X440 has actually helped. When they launched in July with the Triumph, I was very confused. In addition, I was not in a hurry to buy also and had October as a target. Hence Harleys slow progress has actually helped clear my mind on what I want and also help almost finalize what I want.

[msnarain]

The launch of Jawa (late 2018) piqued my interest and I was pulled towards getting back to motorcycling after a decade.

But Jawa/Classic Legends screwed it so bad with waiting period of close to 18-24 months. Unfortunately for Jawa (and my wallet), my interest peaked around that time and I ended up buying a Triumph (mid 2019) even though it came at around 5x-7x the cost! I am pretty sure Jawa's poor execution also dramatically bumped up sales of Royal Enfield, KTM etc.

If Jawa had not messed up, I can guarantee you would see a lot more Jawas and a lot less Royal Enfields on the streets.

[Burgman_tales]

Originally Posted by GTO

Tata really needs to work on the dealership experience - it's a world of opportunity for them. IMHO, if Tata manages to handle the initial dealership experience (sales inquiry, test-drives, followup) well, it will easily add 15-20% to their sales. In a world where manufacturers fight for even 1% increase, improving the pre-sales experience is a massive opportunity for Tata. Right now, many of their dealerships have the attitude of a government office.

So much this ! I don't understand why though. Don't the dealers themselves understand that they can make more sales with better behaviour and so on?

I strongly suspect that Tata's business model with dealers is something different than others which is causing this uniformly bad experience across

[dhanushs]

Wonderful thread.. Shows that a good product in hand means little value as long as the business is handled well.

Handling the business end, including branding, marketing, launch, customer experience is as important for sales and overall customer experience as much as a good product it.

[Boringrider]

If a new bike or car is launched, I expect it to be within showrooms available for test rides at least, within a week or max 2 weeks after the announcement otherwise I start losing interest about it. I don't mind the brands delaying their launches because of this since they need the time to keep initial batches ready but once they announce it, then they shouldn't be playing slow with it. A bike being delayed and announced 2 months later than originally planned but available to experience quickly is way better than a bike being announced and then not being visible for 2 months.

[AtheK]

One brand that pretty much nails this is "Royal Enfield" and they hav been extremely successful because of that. There bikes reach the showroom fastest after launch, sometimes the next day for customers to touch and feel. They are also very quick to start deliveries.

[ssoni.1411]

Originally Posted by AtheK

One brand that pretty much nails this is "Royal Enfield" and they hav been extremely successful because of that. There bikes reach the showroom fastest after launch, sometimes the next day for customers to touch and feel. They are also very quick to start deliveries.

I agree with your point. I had gone to attend the launch of the new Bullet 350 and the bike was immediately available for test ride.