[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by MithunSathianat

This thread is a joy to read All the mods are good and not ..

If I am getting another vehicle, it would be surely the Gurkha.
Yes, Force should bring in an AT with torque converter for this beast.

I may be nitpicking, but the color of sidesteps (aluminum?) looks bit odd. You may think of rock sliders to compliment the beast look!

Thank you for your kind words. Yes the Aluminum sidesteps will be painted black soon. Plan to get them Raptor coated.

Rick sliders are quite heavy so i am a bit reluctant to install them for now. They may not be absolutely necessary given the short wheelbase of 2400 mm and good ramp breakover angle.

Had a wonderful visit at my home today from Nitesh Ji of Force Motors. As you may know he is the Sales Head for North India.

We had a really good discussion about the Gurkha and the warm reception it has received in the market, my experience with Asterix thus far and any suggestions etc that I may have. I was informed that the Gurkha has also generated a lot of interest from the Police and Disaster Management Forces of various states and Kerala has also placed firm orders already.

It was a very pleasant interaction today over coffee and light snacks at my residence in New Delhi. We also talked about what Force Motors is planning in terms of Customer experience drives, offroad events etc.

I told him that even now people do ask me what car it is, from which company etc while showing appreciation for it at the same time.
What i was trying to convey was that there are stil a lot of people out there unaware of what a Gurkha is. Its only when they see Asterix that they do come forward and bombard me with questions about it.
Their reaction/response to the Gurkha has always been very good.

To this Nitesh ji said that soon there will be more visibility with advertisements on Social Media and App based entertainment channels as well combined with Offroad events to highlight the capabilities of the Gurkha.

Over a Video Call we also interacted with Shri N Sankaran who is his immediate boss based out of the Head Office of Force Motors at Pune. He was really appreciative of the small modifications and changes Asterix has undergone especially with the Alloys, Tyres, Grill and also the Bonnet Lettering.

I was informed that the Managing Director Shri Firodia of Force Motors has also taken an interest in Asterix's story on Team Bhp and appreciated it as well.

What really touched me was a gift that had been especially sent from Force Motors, Pune. It was an incredibly warm gesture and I was completely taken by surprise. I sent them an email expressing my gratitude ofcourse. Unfortunately I had no return gift at hand for Nitesh ji.

[digitalnirvana]

Very warm gesture from Force Motors.

I'm sure this teambhp thread will do wonders to their reputation and will make many fence sitters think strongly about the Gurkha. I for one never considered it as a viable option and yet it has already won me over! Consider me a convert!

Force Motors must ensure that they scale, and give the product the sales push and after sales attention it deserves. And this should be all across India - at least focusing on the major metro cities and their catchment areas.

Not always do you have a capable product which can sell on its own merit. Please, please - do not let it down. Do not be left behind.

[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

Very warm gesture from Force Motors. I'm sure this teambhp thread will do wonders to their reputation and will make many fence sitters think strongly about the Gurkha..
Force Motors must ensure that they scale, and give the product the sales push..
Not always do you have a capable product which can sell on its own merit. Please, please -

Yes a very warm gesture indeed! Thank you for your kind words, I am glad you like this thread. The Gurkha is a very capable and well rounded product at a very good price.

I won't elucidate upon these furthur as you have already read my posts on this thread. Force Motors really has made strides in making the Gurkha ownership experience a special one. Right from the test drive, to booking, to delivery and to ownership, each aspect is being looked into and improved from its previous version.

That is why i do not address it as Force Motors but as "All New" Force Motors.

I think they will not scale up production to the levels of the Thar/Creta type production. The Gurkha is a part of their Special Vehicles Division (so apt for the Gurkha!) and their bread and butter will always be the Commercial Vehicles, Traveller, Engines and Components they manufacture for world wide clients like Mercedes, BMW & Ford to name a few. All those sales probably subsidize the Gurkha production in some way.

The Gurkha will be sold by fewer dealers also as they have very strict guidelines for Dealers to conform to before they can be issued a LOI to sell a Gurkha. The look and feel of the showroom, the sales team training, special mechanic specifically trained for the Gurkha, special service bay with two post lift dedicated to the Gurkha etc etc to name a few. The earlier dealers and sales team mostly dealt with commercial buyers and their attitudes were attuned to that kind of interaction.

I feel the Gurkha will keep getting perfected and as people see it a lot more on the road, over time, the reputation of Force Motors will move away from a purely commercial vehicles seller which in turn will give a fillip to more sales and the cycle will continue. It will be a slow process but by doing things correctly at the start, it will ultimately give the Gurkha a firm foundation upon which to build its sales over time.

I remember clearly my interaction with a Mahindra & Mahindra dealer back in 1994. It was exactly the same look and feel as Force Motors was. Mahindra changed early under the able guidance of Shri Anand Mahindra. The advent of the Bolero and Scorpio changed its fortunes and helped make Mahindra the absolute giant it is today.
In some ways the huge success the All New Thar enjoys today is a result of the changes Mahindra made way back then.

On another note, I realised today that I have never posted a pic of the Gurkha Rear Lights at Night.

Only the top round portion(and not the entire tower) lights up during normal night driving and it gives a special vintage Defender type feel when lit up.


The rear lights have a beautiful pattern.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

That is why i do not address it as Force Motors but as "All New" Force Motors.

I think they will not scale up production to the levels of the Thar/Creta type production. The Gurkha is a part of their Special Vehicles Division (so apt for the Gurkha!) and their bread and butter will always be the Commercial Vehicles, Traveller, Engines and Components they manufacture for world wide clients like Mercedes, BMW & Ford to name a few. All those sales probably subsidize the Gurkha production in some way.

The Gurkha will be sold by fewer dealers also as they have very strict guidelines for Dealers to conform to before they can be issued a LOI to sell a Gurkha. The look and feel of the showroom, the sales team training, special mechanic specifically trained for the Gurkha, special service bay with two post lift dedicated to the Gurkha etc etc to name a few. The earlier dealers and sales team mostly dealt with commercial buyers and their attitudes were attuned to that kind of interaction.

I feel the Gurkha will keep getting perfected and as people see it a lot more on the road, over time, the reputation of Force Motors will move away from a purely commercial vehicles seller which in turn will give a fillip to more sales and the cycle will continue. It will be a slow process but by doing things correctly at the start, it will ultimately give the Gurkha a firm foundation upon which to build its sales over time.

I think that is a good strategy. The Gurkha (and the Thar) are niche products but its nice to know that FM is working slowly and carefully on this. Better be slow and steady rather than starting with a bang and ending with a whimper. We have had some major OEMs in that category. Its heartening to see that the top management is watching the feedback in the digital space keenly. And you are already an (unofficial) brand ambassador of sorts. In fact, FM should take this idea up of getting all t-bhp members who have bought the Gurkha and making them the brand ambassadors during their marketing campaign.
We have had enough of the movie stars and sportspersons doing this job earlier and they almost never drive the cars they sell.

[shady]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Asterix!!

Congratulations on your ride Manuuj. Lovely write up & I'm just loving the mods that you have been adding to Asterix. You have made an imposing vehicle even more imposing!! Waiting for more updates on your thread. This vehicle has definitely got my attention.
It was a great gesture by Force India. Being a niche product I would love to see Force India to showcase it's off-road potential to prospective customers and work on feedback to improve the Gurkha.

[madbullram]

@manuuj: I am not at all surprised by the visit because in my opinion your thread has more marketing impact than their entire sales budget!

In fact, my experience hasn't started well, registered for test drive ( Chennai Force dealer) and got a response after six days from a sales lady who did not know much about the Gurkha. I assume she just called to confirm ride and she would put me on to a sales guy who knows about the vehicle (giving them the benefit of doubt). If they had called me within 2 days I might have booked it and now I am out of station and won't be able to visit them till Feb.

[swarnava.ch]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

To this Nitesh ji said that soon there will be more visibility with advertisements on Social Media and App based entertainment channels as well combined with Offroad events to highlight the capabilities of the Gurkha.

Congratulations on your ride and loved your thread.
As many other members have pointed out, Force Motors need to step up their game to make an impact in the market today. The thing is the game has changed since the launch of new Thar and FM needs to come up with a Product Differentiation for Gurkha. It needs to stand out on some aspects.
Thar is just the easy choice, for a guy like me if I were looking for a lifestyle vehicle. This kind of Product needs some dedicated efforts from FM higher-ups and not just from marketing. Some one needs to invest their heart and soul and then there are guys like you on TBhp to spread the love.

Something that I think will immediately put Gurkha to stand out will be:
1. A five seater model. Thar is still limited in use due to this single flaw and FM has had this body shell from the previous gen so time to market is important here.
2. Confident Sales experience and more stories like yours to talk about on social media
3. Great After sales and service experience including spares availability can change the game completely

[Spinnerr]

Originally Posted by madbullram

@manuuj: I am not at all surprised by the visit because in my opinion your thread has more marketing impact than their entire sales budget!

True, True.

Passionate threads like this from real owners work wonders in terms of instilling confidence about a model and its brand. But then, end of the day, dealership experience too adds to the final decision making.

If not in south, up north, Manuuj's thread will translate to a few more Gurkhas on road

[Ulysses]

Originally Posted by madbullram

@manuuj: I am not at all surprised by the visit because in my opinion your thread has more marketing impact than their entire sales budget!

In fact, my experience hasn't started well, registered for test drive ( Chennai Force dealer) and got a response after six days from a sales lady who did not know much about the Gurkha. I assume she just called to confirm ride and she would put me on to a sales guy who knows about the vehicle (giving them the benefit of doubt). If they had called me within 2 days I might have booked it and now I am out of station and won't be able to visit them till Feb.

I will ditto this. I registered for a TD, online with Kshatriya Force Mysore way back in September. I visited their showroom in Oct, the vehicle did not reach then and no one in the showroom had any idea what it is, they just could vaguely tell me that it is BS6 Jeep!!!. Then I got a call from Force motors (not sure whether it was from Karnataka or Pune), and they wanted to reconfirm my interest in TD, which I affirmed promptly. Since then, 2 months passed and no communication.
I think it is a few enthusiastic officers, who make that extra effort for customer delight. In fact my earlier experience with TAPL Force was much better (at the time of Xtreme lauch) and someone from Force Motors actually came (along with the TAPL sales person) to my place at Noida for TD. Although I was not impressed with the vehicle much, but the gesture from company did impressed me. But it is not company wide culture, as it seems.

[HTC]

I would suggest to ignore the dealership experiences and follow up on the TD with the showroom. This is a niche vehicle and sales are very low. Last I heard from the showroom person around 10 Gurkhas were sold by the Bangalore dealership. I guess, Maruti will do this kind of sales in one day. Force might not be in a position to invest in training and people for this main reason.

[digitalnirvana]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Yes a very warm gesture indeed!
...
That is why i do not address it as Force Motors but as "All New" Force Motors.
...
I think they will not scale up production to the levels of the Thar/Creta type production.
...
The Gurkha will be sold by fewer dealers also as they have very strict guidelines for Dealers to conform to before they can be issued a LOI to sell a Gurkha.
...
I feel the Gurkha will keep getting perfected and as people see it a lot more on the road, over time, the reputation of Force Motors will move away from a purely commercial vehicles seller which in turn will give a fillip to more sales and the cycle will continue. It will be a slow process but by doing things correctly at the start, it will ultimately give the Gurkha a firm foundation upon which to build its sales over time.

Absolutely agree Manuuj! It is a niche lifestyle product and needs to be handled that way.

What I meant by "scale" in my post is not just limited to number of units built or number of showrooms or service centers.

Any organisation can be rated in terms of the maturity of its processes. Remember CMMI/TMMI levels 1 through 5?

At the moment (and happy to be corrected) All New Force Motors is delighting you as a customer through specific interest and personal connect of a few officers. This is driven by passionate people, not by structured processes.
It can work to delight 100 but not 10000 customers.

Force needs to ensure that they have this personal attention recipe, and exemplary sales and after sales touch points down to a working model.

That needs to be replicated across India, at least in the areas where they see the Gurkha selling well. Perhaps in the metros and up north in Punjab / Chandigarh and catchment areas.

You are right, they must grow organically and not attempt to cut corners to expand. But they must also not lose this opportunity that their wonderful product has given them.

To me, and I'm not a brand or marketing guy, the only lasting way to positively capture mind space is:

• to do the right things and to do the things right
• incrementally
• iteratively
• till it becomes an organisation wide practice

And then suddenly the goodwill they would have earned will work as a force multiplier. Their early adopters, once they reach a critical mass, can become brand evangelists.

I'm sure they must be reading this thread and will have experts figuring this out already.

I am excited to see how they leverage this opportunity. All the best to the Gurkha!

[BhayanaV]

A friend in Delhi bought a Gurkha - Orange color, last week. He upgraded from an Alto which is completing 15 years hence needed to be replaced/scrapped. Gurkha is indeed getting some visibility now.

[careind]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

What really touched me was a gift that had been especially sent from Force Motors, Pune. It was an incredibly warm gesture and I was completely taken by surprise. I sent them an email expressing my gratitude ofcourse. Unfortunately I had no return gift at hand for Nitesh ji.

It is not the gift that matters but the intent, and that is evident from the unwrapped gift! It is a great gesture for someone at FM to connect with a buyer.
Based on your ownership thread and Mods undertaken, Gurkha has moved to the top of my list though I can never drive a manual transmission due to my physical restrictions And so cannot own one ( atleast till the transmission offered is only Manual) .That is the level of passion that has oozed out of this thread and kudos for that!
Hopefully I would get my Obelix one day, or at least a Getafix.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by careind

Gurkha has moved to the top of my list though I can never drive a manual transmission due to my physical restrictions And so cannot own one ( atleast till the transmission offered is only Manual)

For people like you who are devoid of much options in some cars/vehicles, there is a wonderful product:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...quDN8g0O_O44b1

Have heard both good and not so good about it. Costs about 45K, and the car can be used as both Automated Manual Transmission or Manual depending upon who wants to use it.

[powertrain]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

We had a really good discussion about the Gurkha and the warm reception it has received in the market, my experience with Asterix thus far and any suggestions etc that I may have.[/ATTACH]

Hey Manuuj!

Your thread is indeed a treat to read!! The passion with which you possess this beast shines through!!

I hope one of the suggestions you have given is that on an AT gearbox!! Did it come up during the discussions?!

Mr. Firodia, now that we know you're listening - Please get an AT with 4x4 & diff locks on the Gurkha.

Regards,
Powertrain