'There's incremental growth in two-wheeler sales performance'

Bipul Chandra, MD,  Ducati India revealed that Ducati has invested a lot in the R&D and is still weighing the options when it comes to electrification Ducati’s onslaught and growth spree in the Indian market continues with each pass

by Misbaah Mansuri
Published - June 29, 2021
6 minutes To Read
'There's incremental growth in two-wheeler sales performance'

Bipul Chandra, MD,  Ducati India revealed that Ducati has invested a lot in the R&D and is still weighing the options when it comes to electrification

Ducati’s onslaught and growth spree in the Indian market continues with each passing day. Three new bikes will vroom in in June: the 2021 Ducati Panigale V4 and Diavel 1260 will be introduced in the first week and the Multistrada V4 in the last week.

The new Multistrada V4 will be its third V4 offering. Going forward, Ducati plans to deliver on its promise for the year and launch more exciting bikes and cater to the growing superbike market. In the midst of this buzz, exchange4media caught up with Bipul Chandra, Managing Director of Ducati India on how 2021 has shaped up for the auto industry so far, spending on advertising when compared to pre-Covid levels and how bullish the company has been about its performance in the market as companies take on electrification.

Coming into the New Year, the first few months were a good sign for the industry in general. We saw incremental growth in two-wheeler sales performance. At Ducati, we announced our aggressive plan to launch 12 bikes in this calendar year. So far, we have already introduced 6 bikes in the country and are on track to deliver the rest to infuse the market with new and high-quality products that our customers have been waiting for.

Our latest launch, Streetfighter V4 and V4 S have been off to a great start and the first two batches allotted to the Indian market have already been booked. Currently, while the situation isn’t ideal for the industry with regards to supply, going forward, we are certainly hopeful things will get better. Brands are getting creative and putting in the effort to ensure customer’s peace of mind by taking the after-sales service to the next level, which is directly connected to sales.

Q: What’s hot and upcoming in the sector, and from Ducati?

2021 has already seen a lot of action from our industry. There have been some very important launches from two-wheeler brands after a long wait. From the Ducati stable, 6 new bikes have already hit the roads, from the updated Scrambler range including Nightshift, Desert Sled, Icon, Dark Icon, and 1100 Dark Pro to the super naked, the Streetfighter V4. We are committed to our plans for the remainder of 2021 and have a lot more in the offing as we launch the rest of the BS6 lineup and complete the Ducati portfolio in India again.

Q: How has Ducati been bullish about its performance in the market as companies take on electrification?

We are proud of our rich history, legacy, motorsport success, and our ability to transform these experiences into high-quality, performance-oriented, tech-infused products that can be used daily by both, motorcycle enthusiasts and new riders. This has allowed us to understand our customers and share our passion with people around the world to experience and relish in the joy of owning a Ducati. Joy and experience are high on every Ducati product that comes into ideation and ultimately creation, offering a sensation that is peerless.

To get all these experiences into fruition, you just have to test ride a Ducati, that’s how confident we are of the product. Also, we ensure that every motorcycle produced in Italy, makes its way to India, therefore we are one of the few manufacturers who have such a diverse range of motorcycles, from racing to sport touring to heritage and ensure that each of the models makes its way to India.

Coming to electrification, Ducati has invested a lot in the R&D and we are weighing the options. We are clear about one thing, no matter what the source of power is we will not compromise with the signature experience of riding a Ducati.

Q: What is your spending on advertising when compared to pre-Covid levels?

Due to the ongoing situation, the majority of our advertising is via social media and digital platforms. We have a highly engaged community on Facebook, Instagram and we use lead gen advertising to reach out to prospects and book their test rides for when things are better. We also run promoted posts on social media and Google Display Network to amplify our new launches as we did for the Streetfighter V4 which has got an exceptional response on social media as well as our website.

We constantly promote initiatives like our Bike Configurator on the website where a customer can accessorize and customize his Ducati via an extensive range of accessories, and get the new bike delivered exactly as he/she configured it online.

Q: What steps have been taken for Ducati's existing customers facing the pandemic with their stranded bikes?

We at Ducati, are fully committed to providing the best services to our customers and will stand together with them during this global pandemic. All our Ducati dealerships are constantly in touch with customers via Whatsapp groups, Facebook groups and emails. Some of our dealerships have been allowed to open their workshops so pick and drop facilities are also available at select outlets for Ducatisti who need assistance with servicing and repairs. Since most of the country is in lockdown, we are constantly sharing content on our social media to amplify the ‘Stay Home’ message, urging Ducatisti to park their bikes and wait for the pandemic to pass.

Q: How has the brand been dealing with the slew of lockdowns that India has been grappling with?

We all are still bound by our home offices with very limited movement of our staff members to oversee the supply chain and the delivery aspect of the bikes to our customers. We have taken extra precautions to allow for easy and safe servicing of the bikes, and delivery of new bikes at home. Ducati has always been a very customer-oriented brand and that’s why last year we introduced the Ducati Cares program which has a detailed and a defined SOP related to sanitization, social distancing, temperature checks, etc. at our showrooms. Understandably, it has not been smooth sailing for every operation to go remote, but we are getting there, we are learning, and implementing changes rapidly to empower ourselves to deal with problems in any situation.

Q: What will be Ducati’s focus areas and targets for the year ahead?

For the rest of the year, we are looking at finally being able to resume on-ground events and activities to reconnect with our customers via our world famous DRE events like Track Days, Off-Road Days, Dream Tour and Scrambler Land of Joyriding experiences. If the situation permits, we would love to launch our bikes at on-ground events, meeting our friends in the media and of course, attend MotoGP events with the Ducatisti.

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