autoX Awards 2024: Aprilia Interview

A lot of manufacturers have chosen local partners to manufacture a global product like the RS 457. But Piaggio has decided to do it alone. So, what’s that learning been like?

AR: It is good to make in India, and globally as well. And those are the standards that we’re setting – we’re aiming very high! Our aim is to be the leading player in terms of global automotive technology in markets like China, Japan, Germany, and now India. So, our local engineers have worked on this, manufactured the bike, and we’re exporting it as well. So, this is fantastic news that a made in India, made for India, and make for global product is produced at the Baramati plant in Maharashtra.

AS: We were very sure that we didn’t want to compromise on what Aprilia is! Usually, when you have partnerships, you’re at 50:50. We wanted to be very sure that this is a brand that India is ready for. And if that means making the extra effort in finding the right partners who can come on board, that’s the most important thing. Our aim was to give people a true-blue Aprilia machine, rather than a compromised product. And that’s one of the reasons why it’s been so appreciated. 

On the scooter front, the SR series is very popular. On the other hand, EVs are becoming increasingly popular. Any plans to bring in any EVs?

AR: We are watching this very carefully. This segment is growing. But let’s also be mindful that this was supported a lot by subsidies. If you take away the subsidies, to my understanding, this would have been close to a 5% contribution. But with a lot of support from the government, at present, in the scooter segment one out of every five scooters is an EV. As a global brand, Vespa has been the father of scooters – or, rather, the grandfather of scooters. We have the technology. So, yes, at the right time, with the right product, we can certainly be there. 

You’ve faced some challenges with your big bikes, with respect to a limited dealer network and limited availability. Have those challenges been addressed?

AR: We’ve worked very hard to address them. But I’ll be very candid with you, we have not achieved 100% of what we want, but we have been working very hard to improve our customer experience at each touchpoint. A touchpoint means not only dealerships, but also the website. Starting from the website, to the dealership, to the manpower, and to aftersales, I think we’ve addressed 70% of the challenges, while we’re still working on 30%.

With a bike like the RS 457, which is more expensive than some entry-level cars, the experience has to be impeccable, and in line with global standards – and that’s what we’ve done. Also, to address some of these issues, the RS 457 is not sold through every dealer. It’s only sold through our iconic dealerships, we call them MotoPlexes – these are stores which are completely designed to our global standards. Even the manpower is not just trained, but also appointed by us. So, the customer experience is key.

AS: Last year, we also introduced the entire range of CBUs in April with John (Abraham). And right now, they are sold through about 10 MotoPlexes in India. MotoPlexes is a format where we sell everything, right from our scooters to the CBUs. We definitely have plans to increase this. But what’s most important for us is to choose a channel partner who is confident of investing in manpower. Because one of the biggest learnings that we have with RS 457 is the fact that our consumers know even more than our people. When they walk into a store, at times they would even know more than Ajay and I – that’s how passionate our customers are!

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With a bike like the RS 457, which is more expensive than some entry-level cars, the experience has to be impeccable