Bajaj-Kawasaki to break sales & service tie-up from April 2017

NaXal · 27th March 2017, 12:54

FIAT spoiled their Indian Career with TATA (when comes to cars)
Kawasaki definitely spoiled their career with Bajaj (when it comes to 2 wheels)

I am surprised as if we look at the trend, all foreign two wheeler giants started (due to gov regulation) mainstream business with Indian JV, but as the market grew, all of them slowly separated and made their own entry.

Namely,

Hero + Honda
Kinetic + Honda
But Honda made their own foot print and now detached from Hero, Kinetic was long gone.

TVS + Suzuki
Same story, different time line.

In case of Bajaj only, even though Bajaj them self started aggressively to detach, Kawasaki stayed on with Marketing, Sales and After Sales with Bajaj.

As a buyer a point a view, after Bajaj took over KTM, it made me wonder, yes, why would Bajaj Sales team try for Kawasaki sales in same segment when they can make better profit (short and long term) with KTM (RC/Duke series).

Struggling days ahead for Kawasaki, as with so many CBU/CKD models, KTM has pretty much monopoly in price war, where as Yamaha with better brand recognition and dealer foot print, can attract those willing to pay for CBU/CKD.

Harley might be a good example for Kawasaki with their Indian commitments for sales / after sales.

Davis.K · 27th March 2017, 13:28

As a owner of kawasaki from 2009 here is my review. At service, initially we were treated as premium customers but as time passed by kawasaki has been a joke.I had to wait for 2 days to get my bike serviced where as all ktms, bajajs were dispatched same day inspite of personally knowing the ASS mechanic. Reason being, he was sole chief mech for all bikes and only expertise got trained in japan to do Kawasakis.

volkman10 · 22nd May 2017, 09:22

Kawasaki to pull operations out of Bajaj Auto’s Akurdi factory.

Quote:

India Kawasaki Motors (IKM) is planning to pull out its assembly operations from Bajaj Auto’s Akurdi factory in Pune and is learnt to be setting up its own unit in Chakan

Link

CrAzY dRiVeR · 10th July 2017, 16:45

Compiled this as part of a response in another thread. But is of relevance here as well.

What have they achieved in 3 months since the breakup which happened officially in April 2017?

1. Started service centers and showrooms of their own. I don't know how many cities are covered, but I can attest for the fact that Bangalore showroom and service center has been made operational within these three months.

2. CKD assembly operations started in India via their own plant.

3. Brilliant pricing of the new generation products like the Z650, Ninja 650, Z900 and Ninja 1000. All are looking in very competitive in their segments.

4. Entire lineup refreshed. Versys 650, z1000, Versys 1000, ZX10R all received facelifts and minor tweaks.

5. Has full on approach to the superbike market with all products right from the 650s to the H2.

Isn't that a good start for the first three months?

Scope of improvement

1. More areas need to be covered.

2. Spares availability need to be smoothened out

3. Service quality needs to be improved as well.

ReluctantRebel · 10th July 2017, 16:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Isn't that a good start for the first three months?

Scope of improvement

1. More areas need to be covered.

2. Spares availability need to be smoothened out

3. Service quality needs to be improved as well.

It is definitely a good start for the first three months. Shows their intent and their seriousness about the 2-wheeler market here. Unlike Yamaha and Honda, who haven't lined up their biggies the way Kawa has. Personally, i like the design of Kwackers when compared to Honda & Yamaha. Hope ASS is upto the standards. Else, it will be a quick downhill ride.

Red Liner · 10th July 2017, 18:59

From what i have gleaned, service quality in bombay is pretty good. The new dealers, anzen, seem to be up to the game.

Chennai and bangalore on the other hand are absolutely atrocious. Very bad customer service and response is the general consensus. Its not like they are dealing with 100 service appointments a day like honda or a tvs shop. I haven't heard anything about delhi, but am guessing in this case no news is probably equally bad news.

Calcutta, trivandrum, Coimbatore, and Hyderabad are other cities with a kawa presence. Again absolutely no news from these places.

I have seen the service center spaces of both chennai and bangalore and seen the personnel. They dont brook too much confidence.

Ofcourse i later visited the triumph service center in jc road bangalore. That was when i felt better about the kawasaki.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 10th July 2017, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner

From what i have gleaned, service quality in bombay is pretty good. The new dealers, anzen, seem to be up to the game.

Chennai and bangalore on the other hand are absolutely atrocious.

Calcutta, trivandrum, Coimbatore, and Hyderabad are other cities with a kawa presence. Again absolutely no news from these places.

Very true. I had a chat with a big group of Kawasaki owners on this topic and the general consensus is what you said.

To add to your points -

Bangalore seems better than Chennai though, as it seems some Chennai members rode to Bangalore for Service. Chennai is the worst as per feedbacks. The biggest issue with Bangalore center is that they need to start answering calls!

Hyderabad seems to be very good as well. Plus owners are happy with the space and posh feel of the new setup compared to crowded KTM days.

For Cochin center, only member was there to provide feedback and he was satisfied. Thats to less a number though.

Red Liner · 10th July 2017, 22:05

Yeah, just read those messages. I am shocked that the chennai guys are coming to bangalore... Whereas we bangalore guys are looking for other options lol!

Kawasaki has to hire up and bolster their customer support team...i am sure funds are not the issue at all, india is a huge market, and kawasaki are doing quite well globally.

I am also quite surprised that nobody here has a direct line to the kawasaki management... Just so we know what the heck is happening.

That said, i read on another thread just now that Kawasaki are aggressively looking to ramp up service and spares in the following months, so all is not lost.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 10th July 2017, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner

That said, i read on another thread just now that Kawasaki are aggressively looking to ramp up service and spares in the following months, so all is not lost.

And I just read the news that the product onslaught is still not complete. Versys-X 300 and Vulcan S to be launched in 2017 itself, as per ACI sources.

http://www.autocarpro.in/news-nation...can-soon-25278

CrAzY dRiVeR · 11th July 2017, 13:48

Service camps are being planned for areas not currently covered under the Kawasaki network.

The Bangalore SVC had one in Mysore two weeks back, and the next one in plan seems to be Udupi.

Bajaj-Kawasaki to break sales & service tie-up from April 2017-img_20170711_134328.jpg

Vasuki · 11th July 2017, 14:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Service camps are being planned for areas not currently covered under the Kawasaki network.

The Bangalore SVC had one in Mysore two weeks back, and the next one in plan seems to be Udupi.

That's great initiative by Kawasaki. It shows they are really serious about improving their image and going to stay here for long time.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 22nd July 2017, 19:47

An interesting note (atleast for me) -

Triumph opened their 14th dealership in India last week. I was surprised seeing the number (expected a few more) and hence went to Harley Davidson India website and tried a dealer count.

I could count to 13 on the map, as a dealer list is not available.

Kawasaki is already at 12. Now hopefully, the service quality and spares availability is streamlined at the earliest as well.

//M · 24th July 2017, 09:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

An interesting note (atleast for me) -

Triumph opened their 14th dealership in India last week. I was surprised seeing the number (expected a few more) and hence went to Harley Davidson India website and tried a dealer count.

I could count to 13 on the map, as a dealer list is not available.

Kawasaki is already at 12. Now hopefully, the service quality and spares availability is streamlined at the earliest as well.

Triumph has 15 dealerships IIRC and Harley has atleast 23-24 dealers across India. Pretty sure about this.

Triumph & Harley both have two stores in Delhi. Harley also has two stores in Bangalore if I'm not wrong.

CrAzY dRiVeR · 24th July 2017, 10:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by //M

Triumph has 15 dealerships IIRC and Harley has atleast 23-24 dealers across India. Pretty sure about this.

As per this news dated 19th July - the count is 14 for Triumph.

https://auto.ndtv.com/news/triumph-e...eshwar-1726768

I'm not really sure of Harley and you could be right. Yes, there are two outlets in Bangalore.

//M · 24th July 2017, 10:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

As per this news dated 19th July - the count is 14 for Triumph.

https://auto.ndtv.com/news/triumph-e...eshwar-1726768

I'm not really sure of Harley and you could be right. Yes, there are two outlets in Bangalore.

Yes 14 cities as per the article. Since Delhi has two Triumph stores, so 15 stores across India.

27th March 2017, 12:54	#31
NaXal BHPian Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Kolkata Posts: 555 Thanked: 1,986 Times	Re: Bajaj-Kawasaki to break sales & service tie-up from April 2017 FIAT spoiled their Indian Career with TATA (when comes to cars) Kawasaki definitely spoiled their career with Bajaj (when it comes to 2 wheels) I am surprised as if we look at the trend, all foreign two wheeler giants started (due to gov regulation) mainstream business with Indian JV, but as the market grew, all of them slowly separated and made their own entry. Namely, Hero + Honda Kinetic + Honda But Honda made their own foot print and now detached from Hero, Kinetic was long gone. TVS + Suzuki Same story, different time line. In case of Bajaj only, even though Bajaj them self started aggressively to detach, Kawasaki stayed on with Marketing, Sales and After Sales with Bajaj. As a buyer a point a view, after Bajaj took over KTM, it made me wonder, yes, why would Bajaj Sales team try for Kawasaki sales in same segment when they can make better profit (short and long term) with KTM (RC/Duke series). Struggling days ahead for Kawasaki, as with so many CBU/CKD models, KTM has pretty much monopoly in price war, where as Yamaha with better brand recognition and dealer foot print, can attract those willing to pay for CBU/CKD. Harley might be a good example for Kawasaki with their Indian commitments for sales / after sales.
	(2) Thanks

27th March 2017, 13:28	#32
Davis.K BANNED Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 28 Thanked: Once	Re: Bajaj-Kawasaki to break sales & service tie-up from April 2017 As a owner of kawasaki from 2009 here is my review. At service, initially we were treated as premium customers but as time passed by kawasaki has been a joke.I had to wait for 2 days to get my bike serviced where as all ktms, bajajs were dispatched same day inspite of personally knowing the ASS mechanic. Reason being, he was sole chief mech for all bikes and only expertise got trained in japan to do Kawasakis.
	(1) Thanks

10th July 2017, 16:45	#34
CrAzY dRiVeR Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bangalore / TVM Posts: 17,174 Thanked: 73,464 Times View My Garage	Re: Bajaj-Kawasaki to break sales & service tie-up from April 2017 Compiled this as part of a response in another thread. But is of relevance here as well. What have they achieved in 3 months since the breakup which happened officially in April 2017? 1. Started service centers and showrooms of their own. I don't know how many cities are covered, but I can attest for the fact that Bangalore showroom and service center has been made operational within these three months. 2. CKD assembly operations started in India via their own plant. 3. Brilliant pricing of the new generation products like the Z650, Ninja 650, Z900 and Ninja 1000. All are looking in very competitive in their segments. 4. Entire lineup refreshed. Versys 650, z1000, Versys 1000, ZX10R all received facelifts and minor tweaks. 5. Has full on approach to the superbike market with all products right from the 650s to the H2. Isn't that a good start for the first three months? Scope of improvement 1. More areas need to be covered. 2. Spares availability need to be smoothened out 3. Service quality needs to be improved as well.
	(1) Thanks

10th July 2017, 18:59	#36
Red Liner Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,209 Thanked: 18,042 Times	From what i have gleaned, service quality in bombay is pretty good. The new dealers, anzen, seem to be up to the game. Chennai and bangalore on the other hand are absolutely atrocious. Very bad customer service and response is the general consensus. Its not like they are dealing with 100 service appointments a day like honda or a tvs shop. I haven't heard anything about delhi, but am guessing in this case no news is probably equally bad news. Calcutta, trivandrum, Coimbatore, and Hyderabad are other cities with a kawa presence. Again absolutely no news from these places. I have seen the service center spaces of both chennai and bangalore and seen the personnel. They dont brook too much confidence. Ofcourse i later visited the triumph service center in jc road bangalore. That was when i felt better about the kawasaki. Last edited by Red Liner : 10th July 2017 at 19:02.
	() Thanks

10th July 2017, 22:05	#38
Red Liner Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,209 Thanked: 18,042 Times	Yeah, just read those messages. I am shocked that the chennai guys are coming to bangalore... Whereas we bangalore guys are looking for other options lol! Kawasaki has to hire up and bolster their customer support team...i am sure funds are not the issue at all, india is a huge market, and kawasaki are doing quite well globally. I am also quite surprised that nobody here has a direct line to the kawasaki management... Just so we know what the heck is happening. That said, i read on another thread just now that Kawasaki are aggressively looking to ramp up service and spares in the following months, so all is not lost.
	() Thanks

11th July 2017, 13:48	#40
CrAzY dRiVeR Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bangalore / TVM Posts: 17,174 Thanked: 73,464 Times View My Garage	Re: Bajaj-Kawasaki to break sales & service tie-up from April 2017 Service camps are being planned for areas not currently covered under the Kawasaki network. The Bangalore SVC had one in Mysore two weeks back, and the next one in plan seems to be Udupi.
	(1) Thanks

22nd July 2017, 19:47	#42
CrAzY dRiVeR Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bangalore / TVM Posts: 17,174 Thanked: 73,464 Times View My Garage	Re: Bajaj-Kawasaki to break sales & service tie-up from April 2017 An interesting note (atleast for me) - Triumph opened their 14th dealership in India last week. I was surprised seeing the number (expected a few more) and hence went to Harley Davidson India website and tried a dealer count. I could count to 13 on the map, as a dealer list is not available. Kawasaki is already at 12. Now hopefully, the service quality and spares availability is streamlined at the earliest as well. Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 22nd July 2017 at 19:51.
	() Thanks