,
Bajaj Auto Ltd. (BAL) is one of the oldest and the largest
manufacturer of automobiles in India and has been the market leader in
scooters. In 1990s, the near monopolistic market structure, perhaps, lulled
the company into being complacent and they gave way to the competitors
like Hero Honda and TVS. Hero Honda and TVS Suzuki tied up with
foreign majors to bring in the latest in terms of aesthetics and technology,
and Bajaj failed to gauge the changing tastes of consumers. In 1990s, there
was a marked shift in customer preference from scooters to motorcycles.
Bajaj found itself at a loss here, as this was largely an unchartered territory.
Vision:
Bajaj in the community
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Core values:
The white and blue reverse hexagonal symbol with Bajaj Auto in small
lettering, which stood in good stead for Bajaj Auto for many decades, finally
paved way for a refreshing new look symbol with the Bajaj logotype in
capital letters. The new identity arrives at a time when Bajaj Auto has
successfully metamorphosed into a major motorcycle manufacturer with
proven credentials in award winning Pulsar twins and also proved its
technological capability with the introduction the revolutionary Digital Twin
Spark Ignition (DTSi) technology.
The new visual identity of Bajaj Auto emanates from the confirmation of
core values, which Bajaj has identified as its brand values. The Brand
essence for the new Bajaj has been defined as "Excitement". Excitement
engineering will deliver and inspire confidence in to various stakeholders
like Bajaj has traditionally done. Bajaj promises to live its essence thru a set
of five Brand Values of Learning, Innovation, Perfection, Speed and
Transparency.
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scriptfont.This font is to represent learning values at Bajaj and that Bajaj as a
brand moves closer to customer.
The new identity has a fresh new blue colour. This blue represents the
stability and strength of Bajaj. Blue also represents high technology and
precision engineering. The new identity presents a futuristic face of the new
global Bajaj.
The design company Elephant Design has been working with Bajaj on
creating and implementing the new Bajaj identity.
Rajiv Bajaj, joint managing director, BAL says, "Bajaj is on the cusp of a
revolution brewing on various fronts, be it, exports, design, R&D, new
models and marketing. The company thus needed a new identity that would
present the new philosophy. The sweeping changes happening at Bajaj Auto
required a more dynamic, vibrant and exciting identity, which would also
showcase inspiration and confidence through excitement engineering. The
change in identity is expected to present an easier interface for the world to
understand the new Bajaj with the same trustworthy values."
Corporate Announcements:
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• Bajaj Auto - Revised disclosures under Reg.13(6) of SEBI
(Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992 (8/27/2007)
ews Bajaj Auto - Revised disclosures under Reg.13(6) of SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading)
ubject: Regulations, 1992
The Exchange has received the following revised disclosure under Regulation 13 (6) of SEB
(Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992:
No. & %
Name & Date of
ews Date of of shares No. & % of
Address of intimation Mode of Buy Sell
ody: acquisition of pre shares of post
Director / Officer to acquisition/sale Qty Qty
/ sale acquisition acquisition/sale
/ Shareholders company
/sale
Jun 28, 2,000,592 2,001,992
Rahulkumar Bajaj Jun 29, 2007Market Purchase 1,400
2007 (1.98%) (1.98%)
BAL now is taking a leaf out of the FMCG business model to take the
company to greater heights. Bajaj has kicked off a project to completely
restructure the company's retail network and create multiple sales channels.
Over the next few months, the company will set-up separate sales channels
for every segment of its business and consumers. Bajaj Auto's entire product
portfolio, from the entry-level to the premium, is being sold by the same
dealers. The restructuring will involve separate dealer networks catering to
the urban and rural markets as well as its three-wheeler and premium bikes
segments.
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Bajaj Auto also plans to set-up an independent network of dealers for the
rural areas. The needs of financing, selling, distribution and even after-sales
service are completely different in the rural areas and do not makes sense for
city dealers to control this. The company also plans to set-up exclusive
dealerships for its three-wheeler products instead of having them sold
through an estimated 300 of its existing dealers.
Cash is strength: Bajaj Auto has been sitting on a cash pile for over five
years now. Over the next couple of years, competition in the two-wheeler
market is set to intensify. TVS Motors and Hero Honda are on a product
expansion binge. To fight this battle and retain its hard-earned market share
in the motorcycle segment, Bajaj Auto will need its cash muscle. A look at
its own story over the past five years provides valuable insight.
Stake for Kawasaki: Bajaj Auto's attempt to vest the surplus cash in a
separate company may be a prelude to offering a stake to Kawasaki of Japan
in the equity of the automobile company. The latter has been playing an
increasingly active role in Bajaj's recent models, and its brand name is also
more visible in Bajaj bikes than in the past.
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Strategies for the Overseas Markets
Earlier, most of the products that Bajaj exported were scooters and
some motorcycles. However, in its target markets, like in India, the shift was
towards motorcycles. With the expansion in Bajaj's own range to almost
five-six platforms of motorcycles, it had a better offering to export, also the
reason for its stronger showing. For the last fiscal, 60 per cent of its exports
were two-wheelers and the rest three-wheelers. Of the two-wheeler exports,
close to 90 per cent were motorcycles.
Bajaj has identified certain key markets, which hold potential. Its first
overseas office established at the Jebel Ali free trade zone has been the focal
point for exports to middle Africa and the Saharan nations. Egypt and Iran
also continue to be strong markets for Bajaj.
External Environment
Entry Barriers :
Entry barriers are high.
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2. The need for technical expertise is high.
3. Owning a strong distribution network is important and is very costly.
All these make the barrier high enough to be a deterrent for new
entrants.
Industry Rivalry :
Substitutes :
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Key Earnings Drivers
Below are the key factors, which strongly affect the auto industry: -
Petrol prices are the highest in India as GOI subsidizes kerosene and diesel.
But with the recent change in GOI policy to reduce the subsidy, the prices of
petrol will remain constant at the current prices. This will have a positive
effect on purchases of two/three wheelers.
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Internal Factors - Strengths & Weaknesses
SWOT Analysis
Let's analyze the position of Bajaj in the current market set-up, evaluating its
strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities available:
Weaknesses:
Threats:
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Opportunities:
All these forced Bajaj to look for an international partner who could
bring in technology and also offer some basic platforms to be manufactured
and marketed in India. Kawasaki of Japan is a world-renowned manufacturer
of high performance bikes. Bajaj entered into a strategic tie-up with
Kawasaki in late 1990s to enhance its product line and knowledge up-
gradation to support long-term strategies. This served the purpose of
sustaining the market competition for a while. From 1996 to 2000, Bajaj
invested hugely in infrastructure while simultaneously developing product
design and innovation capabilities, which is the prime reason behind the
energetic Bajaj of 21st century. Bajaj introduced a slew of products right
from entry-level motorcycle to the high premium segment right from 2001
onwards, and since then its raining success all the way for Bajaj. Last
quarter, Bajaj had impressive performance growing at a rate of 20%+ when
the largest manufacturer grew at just 6%. This stands a testimony to the
various important strategic decisions over the past decade.
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Tows Matrix for BAL
Marketing Strategies
The focus of BAL off late has been on providing the best of the class
models at competitive prices. Most of the Bajaj models come loaded with
the latest features within the price band acceptable by the market. BAL has
been the pioneer in stretching competition into providing latest features in
the price segment by updating the low price bikes with the latest features
like disk-brakes, anti-skid technology and dual suspension, etc.
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Kawasaki 4S –
Boxer - It took the reins from where the Kawasaki 4S left. Target was the
rural population and the price sensitive customer. Boxer marketed as a value
for money bike with great mileage. Larger wheelbase, high ground clearance
and high mileage were the selling factors and it was in direct competition to
Hero Honda Dawn and Suzuki MX100.
Caliber - The focus for the Caliber 115 was youth. And though Bajaj made
the bike look bigger and feel more powerful than its predecessor
(characteristics that will attract the average, 25-plus, executive segment bike
buyer), its approach towards advertising is even more radically different this
time around. Bajaj gave the mandate for the ad campaign to Lowe, picking
them from the clique of three agencies that do promos for the company (the
other two being Leo Burnett and O&M). Going by the initial market
response, the campaign was clearly a hit in the 5-10 years age bracket. So,
the teaser campaign and the emphasis on the Caliber 115 being a
`Hoodibabaa' bike placed it as a trendy motorcycle for the college-goers and
the 25 plus executives both at the same time.
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riding on the back of technological innovation rather than the joint venture
way followed by competitors to gain market share
The Company
Current Situation
Current Performance
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Interestingly, the growth in the motorcycle segment was mainly
driven by the demand from rural and semi-urban consumers. An estimated
60% of the demand for motorcycles came from rural and semi-urban
customers. The rise in their disposable incomes on account of good
monsoons in the 1990s provided the normally conservative rural and semi-
urban customers with extra money that induced them to experiment with
new, innovative products.
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The other focus area is the ASIAN nations, which constitute the third
biggest consumer of two-wheelers. The biggest among them is Indonesia,
where Bajaj distributors are looking to introduce eco-friendly four-stroke
auto rickshaws. But two-wheeler market requires great deal of effort from
BAL. Everybody is there with Honda leading the show. There's Suzuki,
Kawasaki and some Korean and Chinese models. BAL should look at the
right product mix for two-wheelers. Bajaj's Pulsar model has taken off well
there. It also wants to develop a new step-through model for the Indonesian
market, but for now it will create a base there with its motorcycle models.
R&D
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The countries where their products have a large market are USA,
Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Italy, Sweden, Germany,
Iran and Egypt. Bajaj leads Colombia with 65% of the scooter market, in
Uruguay with 30% of the motorcycle market and in Bangladesh with 95% of
the three-wheeler market.
The Future
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and foreign players reinforcing their presence, it was unlikely that the entire
growth in the two-wheeler sector would be due to motorcycles.
Recommendations
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Below are other useful recommendations: -
References :
• http://www.google.co.in/
• www.coolavenues.com/know/gm/ashwin_bajaj_1.php
• www.bajajauto.com
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