Two-wheelers morphing out of their socialist utility shadow

The days of getting 30 kilos of wheat from the ration shop in a much used sack on your dependable Bajaj scooter are long gone. Today, the slow transition from low powered scooters to status symbol bikes has come full circle and the scooter has become a symbol of chic and fashion too. Girls in urban Indian society who till 10 years ago were demurely moving into tank tops and jeans have now become blasé about such style statements and would want a personal scooty of their own to zip around with boyfriends who lovingly caress the pillion seat with their behinds.

Scooters, heavy bikes and also cruiser bikes number greatly in the urban and suburban roads of India and are neck to neck in small towns with cars. Companies such as Mahindra Scooters and Harley Davidson India have repeatedly tried to gain consumer mind recall with their unique positioning. Harley Davidson, a brand, which is firmly etched with the vision of biker leather and long, deserted highways, has been trying to creep into the other areas of consumerism.

However, Mahindra Scooters has remained steadfastly onto the positioning of fun scooters, which are easy to ride and do not pinch your pocket or your time during servicing. They have also been positioned as being tough products, which can go to Leh and come back.

The product, company and operations have been continually successful, as the company, under the successful leadership of Sulaja Firodia Motwani has worked extensively on the products, designs and technology along with the advertising and marketing of the product . Slowly and gradually, the product has made inroads into the hearts of the average Indian from all kinds of economic profiles.

In comparison, Bajaj Scooters gave up manufacturing scooters and declared that scooters do not sell any more. However, Mahindra Scooters are doing very well and looks like they will continue to do so.

This has resulted from their foolproof research into the target segment and execution .In fact, the same reason Bajaj has given up.