When it comes to racing and performance bikes, the Yamaha name comes up. Yamaha, which began its journey from Japan in 1955 nearly 66 years ago, has today become one of the leading two-wheeler brands in the Indian market. Currently, Yamaha’s automotive portfolio includes a range of scooters ranging from everyday commuters to heavy bikes. Although the corona epidemic has completely changed the entire world market over the past one year, the company is looking very carefully at the Indian market, but the company’s plans for the Indian market are much better.
The epidemic has had a major impact on consumer demand, interest in automobiles, and companies’ vehicle production capacity. But in spite of all this, the market is always hoping that the darkness will come and the sun will come out. Meanwhile, Yamaha Motor India Vice President Ravinder Singh had some questions on digital correspondence (email) about Hindustan, the company’s plans and some of the experiences of the past year, and its answers are very interesting. Today we are presenting some highlights of this question.
Q: How has your campaign in India been affected by the corona epidemic? What effect did this have on production and what are the symptoms of recovering from it?
Answer: Our operations in India were initially affected when the government announced a lockdown in the last week of March last year. But in mid-May, we started working in a Chennai-based factory, and a few months later it started working at the Surajpur plant. However, there are some issues with manpower availability and internal production with suppliers, such as the availability of drivers for the movement of goods in the cantonment sector and maintaining contact with our customers. But we have carefully studied the conditions with the supplier and prepared ourselves to regain the market.
In fact, before the lockdown was announced in the country, a task force consisting of top management members was formed. Cross functional groups were formed to project ideas and development. COVID 19 Our team of skilled engineers has worked intensively in design, process-flow and other processes, following the rules of social avoidance to deal with the situation. In addition, we continue to communicate with our potential markets and customers with the help of various Internet-based activities and digital platforms. As a result, the company has seen a steady rise in sales since July last year.
Q: What was your marketing strategy during this period?
Answer: The two-wheeler segment has faced significant challenges since last year due to the corona epidemic. There has also been a change in demand behavior from customers. In the meantime, we retain access to our customers through a digital platform for a contactless and risk-free experience. We have fully prepared our vendors for this. So they also get in touch and follow the rules and embrace digital media and regularly inform customers about their products’ features, promotions and attractive offers.
We have made online shopping available through the company’s official website. Customers can purchase and purchase all the information about the vehicle of their choice through the Virtual Store right from home. To improve our customers’ shopping experiences, we’ve made Yamaha Clothing & Accessories available on the online shopping site Amazon. Social media is at the forefront of all our digital initiatives and we hope it will remain a key medium to engage with our target customers.
Q: What changes have been observed in the two-wheeler market since the epidemic? Have you found any difference in consumer buying options?
Answer: The demand for two-wheelers is expected to grow slowly this year. In view of the current situation, there is an incentive for people to relate to personal mobility and social exclusion is a major reason. Indian consumers have begun to choose mobility options with new features and advanced technology. Because of this epidemic, people are avoiding public or transport sharing, and in such a situation, there is definitely a growth in personal mobility. Another big change we have seen is that people are increasingly using digital platforms from vehicle purchases to services or inquiries. During this epidemic, the two-wheeler segment has seen an increase in appointments, door-to-door pickups and online bookings.
Q: What is your best-selling model in 2020? How do you compare your performance with the previous year?
Answer: As for the best performers, in the past 2020, the Ray ZDR rally in the scooter segment and the FZD series in the motorcycle segment have performed well. We have performed well in the second half of 2020, and we hope to be able to continue this growth through other technology channels such as Internet-based engagement and the “Call of the Blue” campaign. Yamaha’s sales grew 4 percent year-on-year in July, reaching 33 percent in December. In 2020, the company sold a total of 5.04 lakh units.
Q: What are you expecting for the two-wheeler market in India by 2021? Are you planning to introduce models in the new category?
Answer: Personal mobility (use of personal vehicles) will remain a priority in the new context of the economy. For some players, last year’s festive season was much better than retail. Retailers are reaching out to consumers through a variety of digital platforms, which has increased sales. We believe the demand for two-wheelers will increase in 2021 this year. Yamaha will also promote its campaign through digital media.
With regard to the new segment models, our goal for this year 2021 is to improve the growth of our existing models. We launched the 125cc scooter in December last year, but our scooter was doing well due to the corona epidemic and we didn’t get the best response. We continue our products through our digital campaigns, as well as activities such as the Blue Fiesta and the Test Ride My Yamaha campaign, so that more and more customers are aware of and enjoy these features.
Q: Are you going to release a new model in the Indian market in 2021 this year?
Answer: We will definitely let you know about this at the right time.
Q: The electric segment is becoming more and more popular in the Indian market, are you planning to launch the electric vehicle in the market?
Answer: We believe that electric vehicles have greater potential for the future and longer term of India’s automobile sector. However, its real success depends on the infrastructure, affordability and customer acceptance available. India can achieve success in this direction only through a clear roadmap, consistent policy and proper planning and implementation. There are major challenges with investing in infrastructure, switching infrastructure to charging stations, battery production and electric vehicles. Yamaha is currently studying the feasibility of electric vehicles (EVs) and is trying to understand the electric vehicle market requirements and the government’s roadmap. We are now considering all these factors. Once, after working in all fields, in one to two years, we hope to introduce electric vehicles to the Indian market.
