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96
MOTORINDIA
l
July 2012
Garage equipment market:
the changing landscape
With close to two decades
of experience in the automo-
bile industry as a profession-
al and as a car user, I believe
that the changing landscape
of garages, the equipment
they use, their customer
interaction and skill set of
employees is analogous to
the changing economic and
social environment in India.
Taking out a page from
history we all know that we
do not have to depend on
only a few models of cars
to choose from. We today
have around 40 models to
choose from. Theoretically
there are over 200 but I am
talking only of those that are
current.
Such model crowding has made
many people’s lives complex while
simplifying the customers’ lives.
It has also given rise to a host of
other challenges. These forces have
given rise to two significant fac-
tors – changing customer attitudes
and expectations and growing car
population and variety. Combined
together and interacting with each
other, these drivers have effected
significant changes in workshops,
garage equipment and the skill re-
quirement of technicians.
I owned a big elephant ‘Ambassa-
dor’. I used to take my car for engine
tuning every two months to a self-
proclaimed expert mechanic. The
workshop was around 12 km from
the place I stayed in. The approach
road to that shop was littered with
mud, garbage and pot-holes. Most
of today’s modern sleek cars do not
provide as much of ground clearance
to drive through them. On reaching
the spot, I would silently wait for the
expert’s attention for 15-30 minutes,
request him for a service, make him
recount all the innumerable
visits that I have made and
prove myself to be a loyal
customer. I always used to
wonder: will the situation
always be like this?
With the opening up of
the economy in the 1990s,
every possible brand of
automobile entered the In-
dian market. Their swanky
and up-market design cars
could be seen on city roads.
Showrooms and service
set-ups were revamped and
job opportunities in the au-
tomobile sector widened.
These were a paradigm
shift for car consumers. We
jumped from being submis-
sive to being aggressive and
at times peeve.
Customers are maturing, buying
more of C segment and SUV cars,
looking for more subtle differentia-
tions and are getting refined. At the
same time they have started ques-
tioning everything – prices, service
standards, soft service qualities, and
so on. They are able to see function-
al aspects of cars distinct from other
frills, and as the products become
more or less the same they only see
the quality in each.
Today customers do differentiate
By R. Srivatchan, President, TVS Automobile Solutions Ltd.
Mr. R. Srivatchan
focus on garage equipment