The masculine magic!
The Pulsar brand changed it ‘all’ for Bajaj Auto...

The disposition in Bajaj Pulsar’s branding has always been very masculine... and successfully so! Talk of perception that this product has built in the minds of the masses – and it is associated with a male character with a well-built muscular body, a husky voice, and a power- ful heart! Marketed as ‘Definitely Male’, this bike apart from winning glances from the ladies has also earned great credits for its amazing performance and can alone take total credit for breaking away from the ‘scooter’ image of Bajaj. Currently the top-dog in the premium segment, Pulsar does serious numbers for its parent. The key highlight of the machine is the front appearance and the curvaceous bulgy tank, thus making it a visual treat! The most successful bike in the premium segment with a whopping 51% market share in its segment, Bajaj has successfully leveraged the product by consistent modifications. After riding high with the success of Pulsar twins, the company resorted to the DTSi (Digital Twin Spark ignition) technology, revolutionizing the motorcycle segment in India. Talking about the Pulsar, S. Ramnath, Auto Analyst, SSKI, says, “Bajaj has been performing remarkably in product launches and is phenomenal in terms of quality and technology. Pulsar has a great average and sophisticated designing which gives a splendid riding experience.” The premium segment, with a growth of 12% in monthly sales during January 2007 has worked well for the company. For sure, this male has inspired biking addiction among Indians!

Economically yours
Splendor is India’s true value-for-money transporter!

Splendor has come across as a messiah for Hero Honda (HH), as the bike proved to be the loyal soldier who put to use its complete armory and pulled a company out of oblivion single-handedly. Splendor’s engineering is very similar to that of the CD100 and it was essentially a bike meant for the ‘fuelcost’ conscious Indians. Though, the bike was well aligned with the ‘fill–it, shut-it, forgetit’ ad-campaign, which gave a greater emphasis to fuel economy and further helped re-establish Hero Honda as a credible brand, the subsequent Splendor variants offered something which was not very different from the HH style! The Splendor came when the market was smitten by the very successful Yamaha RX100. However, the battle was finally won by the ingenious Splendors and its variants.

Speaking on the variants (Splendor NXG & Plus) to 4Ps B&M Anil Dua, VP (Sales & Marketing), HH said, “When you have a high potential product like the Splendor then you should leverage it fully. The Splendor consumer is intensely brand loyal...” The motorcycle is good-looking, highly fuel-efficient and offers decent power – all ingredients for a great product that targets a commuter’s two-wheeled requirements. Today, the company controls 50% of the Indian twowheeler market and is the single largest two-wheeler company in the world. A great deal of this success can be credited to Splendor!

Activa’ting the self...
Activa represents the new Indian youth...

Honda Activa epitomises the sheer power of a dream. Besides revitalising the Indian scooter market, it has harmoniously moulded the power of dream into a well-defined package of aesthetics, convenience, safe-handling, and simple, yet ultra-reliable fourstroke engine. Setting new standards for the new era of scooters in India, the Honda offering is superior by all means. Activa, which positioned itself at the premium end of the mid-sized scooter segment, sensibly resorted to feeton- ground approach and successfully delivered upon the promised claims. The product model range is specifically designed to cater to the entire needs of the young Indian families, reflecting the personality of a flamboyant youngster as well as a sober elderly. A self/kick ignition with a displacement of 102cc powers this 7bhp city slicker. The build is undoubtedly sturdy and high-speed handling is terrific. M. S. Madhukar (CRM, Planet Honda, Bangalore) comments, “It is the design and pick up which attracts youngsters… After-sales services certainly needs to be looked into as well.” It was the result of the sheer blend of technology and consumerspecific approach that helped Activa cross the one million mark within a span of five years. However, analysts argue that it is the brand which rules the market and merely being present in the market, with a product, is not much help. The mehendi ad campaign conceived by ‘Contract’ helped to further enforce the elements of authenticity and commitment. Operating in a fast-drying segment, HMSI with its Activa is now looking beyond just ordinary market share as its endeavours are oriented toward preventing the slide and help the market rejuvenate and blossom again!

Apa’cherry bomb?!
Stylish Apache is one of those explosively powerful machines...

Winning comes easy for this brand – especially when it comes to counting the number of ‘awards’ this bike has won. Sample this – since launch, TVS Apache managed to scale seven awards – ranging from bike of the year (Overdrive, Autocar et al ‘06) to best design (BBC Top Gear ‘06) – in a single calendar year, which is a record of sorts! The strong and muscular bike is spot-on in terms of performance too and has a superior genetic material striking the right chords with the consumers, especially the youth. Apache has definitely put the Indian premium biking segment into an altogether different platform. The bike also managed to pierce through tough competition in the segment with heavyweights like the Pulsar and the CBZ. According to Prasad Narasimhan VP-Marketing, TVS Motors, “Apache is every youth’s dream machine. It’s a perfect blend of looks, design, styling, comfort and cutting edge technology. The new Apache RTR 160 will reinforce our dominating position in the industry...”

With a new variant launch, TVS hopes to attract more eyeballs and for sure give a greater thrust to its already improving sales. For long, TVS has remained in the shadows of Bajaj and Hero Honda. Is there a near term focus change for it? Well, lets’s ask Apache!

Who’z discovery is IT?
Discover is Pulsar’s poor cousin. Not anymore!

The Bajaj Discover 125 was launched under its predecessor – Pulsar’s shadow... only making enough room for flares of doubts to rise high. But three years have gone past since its launch, and going by the terrific performance (on roads and in showrooms) its sceptics can just start... well, doubting their own doubts! Launched primarily to cater to the executive segment, a slice infested by many 100cc bestsellers and the supposedly 150cc mega-machines; Bajaj’s Discover 125 can be said to have played a crucial role in carving a whole-new segment for itself. With the bike’s 4-stroke heart buzzing ferociously, Bajaj has been instrumental in setting higher standards. “The Discover 125 DTS-i is a technologically differentiated product compared to all other 125cc bikes. Thanks to our DTS-i technology, it offers superior power and fuel efficiency as compared to all other bikes in the 125cc segment. The customer is aware of this advantage,” told a confident Amit Nandi, GMMarketing, Bajaj Auto Ltd.

Getting Discover to capture more imaginations, a strategy was devised to push it into the volume driven 100cc segment. And thus emerged the Discover 110cc, a prototype of big brother 125! The Discover 110 made a dent (within the 100cc segment) that could not be ignored easily. ‘Why, you may ask? A distinguished ride quality and styling that impresses the eye, the Discover 110 scores a perfect 10 when it comes to buying a bike that’s light on fuel but heavy on style. And the tag of ‘Pulsar’s poor cousin’ has just blown away with the wind.

Did I hear ‘eter’no?!
Strangely, Honda Eterno played in a lost segment and won. Wow!

Like the ‘holy cow’ and the proverbial snake charmer, another picture perfect image of India that strikes upon from a lonely planet guide is that of the great Indian family of four breezing down crowded by-lanes on a 2-stroke scooter! Of course, n o t much has changed in the way the whole experience looks even today. The only thing perhaps that has undergone a transition is that the good old two-stroke scooter has gone four-stroke and is now endorsed by MNCs like Honda.

After Activa’s flaring sales charts and Dio’s relatively buoyant north projecting figures, Honda in 2003, launched the Eterno redefining public perception of the way one recalls the good old scooter days. As compared to its pre-historic counterparts, the Eterno – apart from the 4-stroke ride and a mileage to stare right into any 100cc category bike – offers loads of storage space in the under seat box, a wide and a flat footboard, a bag hook and a side grab rail, all a testimony to Honda’s focus towards the common Indian family! “HMSI believes that full-size customers have unique needs. It is only because their needs have not been adequately met by existing models that they have begun looking at other 2-wheeler categories like motorcycles, which is witnessing growth. Thus, with this understanding, we decided to launch the Eterno,” expressed Haruo Takiguchi, President & CEO, HMSI. Sure, Indians have taken note of your product, Takiguchi!