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xBhp interviewed Atul Gupta, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd about the future of the company in India and the recently launched motorcycles, the Inazuma and Gixxer 155.
X: How has the response been to the Gixxer?
Atul Gupta: The Gixxer has been appreciated by knowledgeable enthusiasts. When the informed media says that the Gixxer is good, then it is actually good. All the media and press people have said that the Gixxer is very good offering from Suzuki. In terms of styling it has been very well received, as only styling is visible to everybody. In July, when the bike is launched, the performance will be as good as the styling mainly because of the technology called SEP (Suzuki Eco Power). This bike will be the first in India to feature SEP. It gives you the best of power, initial torque, low end power and top speed, without disappointing you on mileage. Generally, people would think that with this kind of power you can expect 40kmpl maximum, but it will be far more than that.
X: Where do you plan to position the bike in terms of age segment and why the gap between launch and sale of the Gixxer?
AG: College kids 20-22 will be targeted. The reason of the time difference between launch and sale is that Auto Expo is a fantastic platform to get maximum eyeballs and publicity for a new launch. That is the reason we have displayed and launched in Auto Expo.
X: Is this bike on display, a production ready model or are you taking feedback from customers and planning to make changes?
AG: This is a tested model, and is production ready. There is no possibility of change between the bike on display and the bike that will hit the roads in July.
X: Will the Gixxer be sold alongside the GS150 or will the GS be phased out? Any plans to upgrade the GS, as it has not been updated for some time now?
AG: The GS will remain as it is. The Gixxer will be a new addition to the 150cc segment. There is no change in the GS, that product has its own value and we would like to concentrate on the Gixxer.
X: Now coming to the Inazuma, the Inazuma is priced very steeply, at par with the Ninja 300? Factors behind pricing?
AG: One reason being that it is a CKD. Two, the tee shirt which you are wearing is a half sleeve which is a Ninja, but a full sleeve shirt is an Inazuma, there needs to be a differentiation between the two bikes. This bike is a very practical bike; it is very good for city and long ride. It is the first two cylinder bike in the street bike category. We do not have sale numbers expectations from the Inazuma. We only wish to showcase that we have a range of bikes with this level of technology. With the intention of showing our range of bikes, we will not reduce the price to sell a few more numbers. We do not want to put any numbers in general on big bikes.
X: The Gixxer is the flagship bike for Suzuki, where does that leave the Inazuma?
AG: The Gixxer is the flagship bike which has a target for the number of units that has to be sold, we would like to sell about 10000 units of it per month in the beginning. As far as the Inazuma is concerned there is not target, we are not looking for any numbers. It is for anyone interested in this bike.
X: The Inazuma has a fantastic fit and finish as we found out in our review of the bike in Australia.
AG: Yes, there are a lot of things borrowed from the big bikes, which are in the Inazuma, that is why the ride experience is fairly good.
X: Overall strategy of Suzuki? What is your immediate goal?
AG: Any company looks at numbers, but I will not comment on numbers here. But at Suzuki we are looking at the brand, to build the Suzuki brand. So when a person decides that they want to buy a bike or a scooter, they should think of Suzuki as a brand to buy from in the top 3. Irrespective of whether he/ she buys or not. And the person who does buy Suzuki, should say good, that they have made a good choice by buying a Suzuki. With keeping brand building in mind, we assume that sooner or later as we increase dealers, service centres and touchpoints the numbers will follow.
X: Investment plans in After Sales Service?
AG: We will have a very large set of sub dealers who have showrooms and service centres. And very importantly training of the people in that area, so that customer is satisfied with trained service and availability of parts.
X: Will Suzuki focus on the scooter like Yamaha and Honda and commuter motorcycles? X: Where do you see the market 2-3 years down the line?
AG: 70:30, maximum will be motorcycles, with 30% being scooters for the entire industry.
X: Suzuki has not been a very aggressive player in the last few years, how do you hope to build the brand or will that approach change in the near future?X: Is Salman Khan part of the strategy to connect with the rural market and help Suzuki build an identity there?
AG: Yes, Salman Khan has given us a head start in the rural market; he has given us a certain identity in a short time. He has given us a unique identity.
X: In the big bikes, Suzuki is the second highest seller after Harley, any plans to expand in this segment?
AG: We are not into number games at all in big bikes. It is not our bread and butter; we are only in it for brand positioning. No plans for CKDs for the bigger bikes, we are testing with the Inazuma. Depending on the response we will see what we can do with the bigger bikes.
X: Is there any plan for a fully faired quarter litre from Suzuki? Baby Gixxer?X: Would a lot of diehard fans think that this is a dilution of the Gixxer Brand?
AG: I think anybody would want their younger brothers to ride a smaller Gixxer. If they cannot afford a Gixxer 1000, then how do you make them happy. If the Gixxer becomes successful in 150cc, then I have to take it forward to a 250cc etc. If it is not successful then I have no option to leave it to 1000cc. I cannot comment because I do not know myself.
X: How has the response been to the Gixxer?
Atul Gupta: The Gixxer has been appreciated by knowledgeable enthusiasts. When the informed media says that the Gixxer is good, then it is actually good. All the media and press people have said that the Gixxer is very good offering from Suzuki. In terms of styling it has been very well received, as only styling is visible to everybody. In July, when the bike is launched, the performance will be as good as the styling mainly because of the technology called SEP (Suzuki Eco Power). This bike will be the first in India to feature SEP. It gives you the best of power, initial torque, low end power and top speed, without disappointing you on mileage. Generally, people would think that with this kind of power you can expect 40kmpl maximum, but it will be far more than that.
X: Where do you plan to position the bike in terms of age segment and why the gap between launch and sale of the Gixxer?
AG: College kids 20-22 will be targeted. The reason of the time difference between launch and sale is that Auto Expo is a fantastic platform to get maximum eyeballs and publicity for a new launch. That is the reason we have displayed and launched in Auto Expo.
X: Is this bike on display, a production ready model or are you taking feedback from customers and planning to make changes?
AG: This is a tested model, and is production ready. There is no possibility of change between the bike on display and the bike that will hit the roads in July.
X: Will the Gixxer be sold alongside the GS150 or will the GS be phased out? Any plans to upgrade the GS, as it has not been updated for some time now?
AG: The GS will remain as it is. The Gixxer will be a new addition to the 150cc segment. There is no change in the GS, that product has its own value and we would like to concentrate on the Gixxer.
X: Now coming to the Inazuma, the Inazuma is priced very steeply, at par with the Ninja 300? Factors behind pricing?
AG: One reason being that it is a CKD. Two, the tee shirt which you are wearing is a half sleeve which is a Ninja, but a full sleeve shirt is an Inazuma, there needs to be a differentiation between the two bikes. This bike is a very practical bike; it is very good for city and long ride. It is the first two cylinder bike in the street bike category. We do not have sale numbers expectations from the Inazuma. We only wish to showcase that we have a range of bikes with this level of technology. With the intention of showing our range of bikes, we will not reduce the price to sell a few more numbers. We do not want to put any numbers in general on big bikes.
X: The Gixxer is the flagship bike for Suzuki, where does that leave the Inazuma?
AG: The Gixxer is the flagship bike which has a target for the number of units that has to be sold, we would like to sell about 10000 units of it per month in the beginning. As far as the Inazuma is concerned there is not target, we are not looking for any numbers. It is for anyone interested in this bike.
X: The Inazuma has a fantastic fit and finish as we found out in our review of the bike in Australia.
AG: Yes, there are a lot of things borrowed from the big bikes, which are in the Inazuma, that is why the ride experience is fairly good.
X: Overall strategy of Suzuki? What is your immediate goal?
AG: Any company looks at numbers, but I will not comment on numbers here. But at Suzuki we are looking at the brand, to build the Suzuki brand. So when a person decides that they want to buy a bike or a scooter, they should think of Suzuki as a brand to buy from in the top 3. Irrespective of whether he/ she buys or not. And the person who does buy Suzuki, should say good, that they have made a good choice by buying a Suzuki. With keeping brand building in mind, we assume that sooner or later as we increase dealers, service centres and touchpoints the numbers will follow.
X: Investment plans in After Sales Service?
AG: We will have a very large set of sub dealers who have showrooms and service centres. And very importantly training of the people in that area, so that customer is satisfied with trained service and availability of parts.
X: Will Suzuki focus on the scooter like Yamaha and Honda and commuter motorcycles? X: Where do you see the market 2-3 years down the line?
AG: 70:30, maximum will be motorcycles, with 30% being scooters for the entire industry.
X: Suzuki has not been a very aggressive player in the last few years, how do you hope to build the brand or will that approach change in the near future?X: Is Salman Khan part of the strategy to connect with the rural market and help Suzuki build an identity there?
AG: Yes, Salman Khan has given us a head start in the rural market; he has given us a certain identity in a short time. He has given us a unique identity.
X: In the big bikes, Suzuki is the second highest seller after Harley, any plans to expand in this segment?
AG: We are not into number games at all in big bikes. It is not our bread and butter; we are only in it for brand positioning. No plans for CKDs for the bigger bikes, we are testing with the Inazuma. Depending on the response we will see what we can do with the bigger bikes.
X: Is there any plan for a fully faired quarter litre from Suzuki? Baby Gixxer?X: Would a lot of diehard fans think that this is a dilution of the Gixxer Brand?
AG: I think anybody would want their younger brothers to ride a smaller Gixxer. If they cannot afford a Gixxer 1000, then how do you make them happy. If the Gixxer becomes successful in 150cc, then I have to take it forward to a 250cc etc. If it is not successful then I have no option to leave it to 1000cc. I cannot comment because I do not know myself.
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