With the launch of the Let’s scooter, Suzuki Motorcycle India is done having one product per mass market segment. It will soon add the Gixxer 150 motorcycle, that will be their premium offering and will be placed above the GS150R. In order to expand its business in the country and compete with the biggies, the two-wheeler manufacturer is soon going to follow Maruti Suzuki and their business strategy.
Maruti Suzuki is the only passenger car manufacturer in India that offers a wide range of products per segment, giving maximum options to Indian consumers. The company created sub-segments within a segment, where it offered low-value products like the Alto 800 and high value products like the Swift. It has made sure not to leave any void that will help other manufacturers. Suzuki Motorcycle India wants to do the same. It plans to offer more than one product in the segment, which will give a buyer many options, unlike now, where it needs to select just one product as it’s the only one available.
Over the next three years, the company plans to increase its product numbers to 12 from current six, all of which will be manufactured in India. It plans to increase its dealer touch points to 3,000 from current 600, most of these will be opened in rural and semi-rural areas.
"Sharing the Suzuki brand is both a boon and a bane. While the name Suzuki has top-of-the-mind recall, expectation on the sales and service front is huge due to what Maruti Suzuki has been able to put in place in the past three decades. While we both share the 'value-for-money' positioning of our products and have also created capacity, we have to augment our network and portfolio to challenge the leaders," said Atul Gupta, executive vice-president, Suzuki Motorcycle India.
