IIJNM Magazine Supplement- Motoring updated

MOTORING

THE Daily OBSERVER SUPPLEMENT MonDAY, April 3, 2017

The Rise of the Cruisers Want to burn some rubber on the racetrack? Choose between Ducatis, Hyosungs and more to satiate your adrenaline rush Aneesh Srinivasan

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here was a time when bikes only meant Hero Honda, Rajdoot, Yezdi, Bajaj and so on. Today, times have changed for good with the likes of Ducati, Harley Davidson, Kawasaki, Aprilia etc., entering the Indian bike scene.

Bikes of yore have now been reduced to collector’s items that are restored and maintained by bike lovers, who have inherited these gems. However, there are a few bikes that are left to rot.

Leisure biking is gaining demand and scope in the country. People are buying these aforementioned bikes for weekend trips or to get away from the tumult of the city.

Due to the comfort that these bikes provide, people are willing to grab it by all means possible.

The raw power and caravan towing capabilities are a few things that make these bikes irresistible. There is a bike for everyone’s need.

Want to go on a quick weekend getaway? You have the Enfields and the Harleys.

Want to burn some rubber on the racetrack?

You are served with the Ducatis, Hyosungs and others that will satiate your adrenaline rush.

The fan following ranges from the youth to the middle-aged.

Albeit the prestige and comfort factors,

the high-end bikes come with their own downfalls. Some have fuel tanks as small as that of a scooter, which would mean that you would have to stop frequently to refill. Others seat you so low that you are left with a sore back once you reach your destination, even if the ride is for a few kilometres. Then there are those that start throwing tantrums like a celebrity once you take them out of their comfort zones. They will refuse to move and make you rethink your investment. So, all is not hunky-dory in the world of modern motorcycles.

Vittal Bharadwaj, a Royal Enfield owner says, “The reason I bought this bike was that it looks stylish, can be modified as you like and can be used for heavy duty purposes.

My first outstation trip was with my dad, which was riddled with a lot of issues. The headlight stopped working in the dead of the night which forced us to waste a full day in fixing it. Maintenance is also not easy and can get pretty expensive.” Speaking of the comfort it provides during trips he says, “It is really comfortable and can carry any amount of luggage. However, problems do not cease to exist. For instance, I just came back from a trip last weekend and the rear swing arm has to be replaced. Such small trips to the workshop can get expensive in due course.”

Riding deep into how bikes were introduced in India, it is essential to understand the biking scene in India.

Earlier people preferred their three-cylinder diesel cars that made a racket

(and left a cloud of smoke) whenever you pressed the accelerator. These were what middle-class families preferred when on a family outing. The same families are now buying these bikes in case the alpha male or female decides to go on a solo trip or with one of those infinite biker groups.

People changed their opinion of these bikes being a pain to one’s ear (thanks to their boisterous thump) to something that is more of a status symbol.

While talking of biker groups, special notice has to be given to them to take themselves quite seriously. There’s Harley Owners Gangs (HOG’s) and then there is Royal Enfield owners group in every city. These groups/clubs bring together bike owners and provide them with a sense of community. These owner groups organise trips that look like expeditions and set off to far off places. One such favourite place for bikers has to be Khardung La- the highest motorable pass on Earth.

In spite of innumerable reasons to not invest in these premium bikes, the freedom that they provide is inspiring enthusiasts to add these two-wheelers to their bucket lists.

The sales figures speak for themselves. Royal Enfield has an impressive sales figure of 56.4 percent. This is despite owning a meagre three percent of the total market share. Their configurations and immense pulling capability along with the retro feel and modern design has contributed in catapulting the sales of these bikes. This is partly due to the changing mindset of people and their willingness to give these machines a try.

Hence, one can conclude by saying that these bikes are not going out of style or demand anytime soon. Unless, the oil apocalypse decides to rear its ugly head in the near future, it would be safe to say that these bikes are going to become more visible on the streets.

Does Safety Mean Expensive in India?

Lack of airbags and poor safety features have cost Indian cars in crash tests Konica Kamra

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oes your car ensure safety? Did your car pass in the frontal crash test or side crash test or lowspeed crash test? Smoothen your frown and keep reading.

The harsh reality is that cars in India are nor fairing really well in Global NCAP. Global NCAP is a UK based company who promotes public safety and public health and focuses on consumer-oriented vehicle safety. It conducts tests and looks for design parameters to assess the magnitude of risk associated with the cars that are launched or to be launched in the market. It tests the structural stability of a car and the kind of impact it has on an average person at the time of the collision.

The USP of this whole concept lies in emulating real life situation with comprehensive crashes. Last year in May 2016, some of the popular Indian cars — Hyundai Eon, Maruti Suzuki Eeco, Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Mahindra Scorpio, and Renault Kwid didn't do well in the crash test and all of the cars scored zero in adult front occupants’ safety. The collapse of the structure in the passenger compartment and the lack of airbags were not up to the mark.

Global NCAP first conducted its crash test for Indian cars in January 2014, on the eve of biennial Dehli motor show. Five cars — Tata Nano, Maruti Alto 800, Hyundai i10, Ford Figo and Volkswagen Polo, fared miserably in the

crash test and received poor ratings.

Toyota Etios Liva hatchback got completely eclipsed, but it scored an extremely respectable 4-star rating for front adult occupants. Volkswagen is complying with the

fitment of dual front airbags as standard equipment on all versions of the Polo, in India. With dual front airbags, the Volkswagen Polo secured a 4-Star safety rating for adult occupant protection, which is highest safety rating for any car in the premium hatchback segment in the country.

“Tata Zest, for that matter, scored a 4-star rating in Global NCAP crash test. Most of the Tata crash test carries out test

for two versions of a standard non-airbag version and an updated version of cars with dual airbags. Most of the Indian cars score zero without airbags and with air-bags, they score as high as 5,” says Sachith Kesari, spokesperson from Tata Motors, Bellary Road.

The basic reason lies in this failure is the type of roads in India which impose threat at every second. Thus, road safety measures lagged global standards. Indian car manufacturers are gearing up for upgrading their car safety quotients. Government has mandated safety norms that will come into effect from October 2017. It will require fresh launches to be fitted with dual airbags from October 2017, while new cars of existing brands would have to comply with it from October 2019.

Carmakers are raising concerns and claiming for different issues to withstand the International standards. For instance, car makers in India believe that Global NCAP’s frontal impact crash test for the star rating in developed markets such as the US is done at a speed of 56 kmph. While those in India are being carried out at a much higher 64 kmph even as the average vehicle speeds in India are much lower.

Most famous manufacturers including Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor, Tata, Mahindra and Honda are now realising the importance of safety standards and fitting their cars with such features. But on the other hand, the price of an airbag and ABS is surging high. Cars that are picked for the test by Global NCAP are the basic variant, which in India means no airbags and no ABS (Anti-lock Braking System).

MOTORING

THE Daily OBSERVER

SUPPLEMENT MonDAY, April 3, 2017

BS-IV Chugs to a Greener Future Analysing the Supreme Court ruling on BS-IV norms and its impact Bibin Raj

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ndia’s automobile industry is set to produce vehicles that are compliant with Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) emission norms. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Supreme Court has banned the sale of vehicles which follows BS-III norms from April 1st, 2017.

Bharat Stage emission norms were first introduced in 2000 based on European regulations. Since then, car manufacturers have spent crores of rupees in developing engines that could follow these norms. After the initiation of these norms, government has also updated these norms; first in 2005 (BS-II), then 2010 (BSIII) and in 2016(BS-IV). In 2016, the Indian government announced that the country would skip the BS-V norms entirely and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020.

The importance of these norms is still unknown to many. Here are the emission standards for different kinds of vehicles.

Government however had tried to root against this Supreme Court order. The central government came out in support of vehicle makers arguing before the Supreme Court that the March 31 deadline is for manufacturing and not sales or registration. But court overturned the appeal.

Bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta

said that “the Centre had spent thousands of crores of rupees to upgrade technology to produce BS-IV fuel”. They added that the companies could not be allowed to frustrate the government's initiative to check increasing pollution

levels by selling around 8.2 lakh BS-III vehicles which they are holding in stock.

Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) recently submitted data to the Supreme Court, and it showed that companies were holding stock of around 8.24 lakh vehicles. It includes 96,000 commercial vehicles, over six lakh two wheelers and around 40,000 three-wheelers. A num-

ber of dealerships are offering discounts on BS-III compliant vehicles in order to clear their existing stock. This does result in a loss at the outlets' end, but it is not major and the dealer would not have to deal with recycling or scrapping of BS-III vehicle.

Ajay Singh, Director of sales and marketing of Advaith Hyundai said, "As BS-III vehicles are now outdated, the stock we have is practically useless. BS-IV vehicles will certainly be good for environment but as of now it is a loss for us."

According to the research findings, BS-IV vehicles have 80 percent less Particulate Matter (PM) and 50 percent less NOx emission. This meant that turning into BS-IV would soften drastically the effect of exhaust gas that comes out of automobiles.

Environmentalists believe that this move will bring down level of air pollution in our country. “Today the world stands on the cusp of an environmental nightmare. Global warming, climate change and pollution are already imposing huge costs on communities. And the costs on developing countries such as India will be particularly heavy. Switching over to cleaner vehicular emission norms is a critical component of a larger fight against air pollution. It’s time to convert intent into action,” said Professor C.R.Neelakandan, an environmentalist and activist.

Royal Enfield Pulses Ahead of Rivals The spiraling popularity of the classic ride

Keyur Joshi

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n January 2017, the sales data of the Indian automobiles released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) were rather shocking. The data gave unique stats about how Indian automobile market is changing and accepting more powerful bikes than before. Chennai-based two-wheeler manufacturer Royal Enfield sold 2935 units more than that of Bajaj Pulsar. As per SIAM, Royal Enfield sold 39391 units of the Classic 350 in January 2017 as compared to the Bajaj Pulsar which sold 36456 units. The Royal Enfield has managed to overtake its biggest sales competitor for the first time. The brand also saw an increase of 43.96 percent in the domestic sales as compared to how many were sold last year.

When it comes to the range of products, Bajaj brand Pulsar offers more model options with different displacements right from 135cc to 220cc.

This includes 135LS, 150, 180, 200NS, 200AS, RS200 and 220. On the other hand, Royal Enfield has almost half the number of models, which includes Classic 350, Thunderbird 350 and legendary Bullet 350.

The two major reasons that drive customers towards any bike are product appeal and pricing. One cannot be overruled by the other. The Royal Enfield carries a rugged, retro, hairy biker’s look which makes it stand out. With a 346cc which churns out 19.5 bhp of maximum power and 28 Nm of peak torque at 4000 rpm, the rider gets humon-

gous power output at a very low rev which makes it popular amongst the youth. Bajaj Pulsar focuses more on delivering a low budget bike with a higher performance.

When it comes to the price, Royal Enfield has a flat out price that begins at 1.3 lakh, compared to Bajaj Pulsar

which starts at 0.6lakh and goes all the way to 1.3lakh.

Bajaj says such a price bracket is for the people who want more speed at a low price. Whereas Royal Enfield’s strategy is clear from the very beginning, they target customers who prefer a more powerful and rugged bike. They cater to a more niche audience which only appeals to a certain customer base. Their Classic 350 has taken commuting and leisure needs into consideration in the designing of the

bike. The Royal Enfield is not burdened by a price sensitive commuter market which is why they appeal to those who are not impacted by domenitisation. Thus the Enfield customer base hasn’t been hit like the lower budget bikes due to the cash crunch.

The new models under Royal Enfield are easier to maintain. Their Classic series get a service period of 3,000 km which shows how the brand is confident about their product. Royal Enfield’s UCE powered Classic has a 24 month warranty on completing 24,000 km which puts the Royal Enfield models at par with other high end bikes in the market. Even the smallest Royal Enfield Classic has a 346cc engine capacity. An ARAI certified mileage of 37 km/l makes the Classic an even better buy if not a bargain. The Classic 500’s mileage has improved significantly from the older Royal Enfield models, but the signature ‘Bullet’ remains popular.

Even after Bajaj’s strategy of acquiring a large customer base by providing low budget bikes, Royal Enfield’s aggressive pricing, brand building, and customer satisfaction has found its way to the leader's scoreboard by defeating the sales of the former leader after almost one and a half decade. The hairy bikers’ ride is here to stay.