Established in 2012, DSK Motowheels—a part of the DSK Group (a diversified business group with a turnover of Rs 5,000 crore)—forayed into the automobile sector by entering the niche segment of powerful and aspirational bikes. “One of our objectives was providing a world-class superbiking experience to Indian buyers,” says Shirish Kulkarni, chairman, DSK Motowheels, which has a CKD plant in Maharashtra where the company assembles both the Hyosung and Benelli brands. While Hyosung is a Korean superbike manufacturer, Benelli is Italian. In an interaction with Vikram Chaudhary of The Financial Express, Kulkarni adds that DSK Motowheels is in the planning stages as far as targeting the 250cc segment goes, for both Hyosung and Benelli. Excerpts:
First DSK Motowheels started selling Hyosung in India, and now Benelli. How did these tie-ups happen?
As far as Hyosung is concerned, the Korean brand had first entered the Indian market in association with Garware Motors. However, the association didn’t turn out to be a successful one. In 2012, we took over from Garware Motors.
When Benelli—which is one of the oldest Italian brands, established in 1911—was looking at expanding operations, the company believed that DSK Motowheels would be an ideal partner, considering the success we had already created with Hyosung in such a short span of time. That’s why they approached us.
Which of the two brands—Hyosung and Benelli—is more difficult to promote and sell in India?
As far as promotion goes, there is no brand which doesn’t face challenges of some sort. What matters is promoting and positioning the brand in the right way to the right target audience. We have managed to do this for both Hyosung and Benelli. The kind of traction they have received is, we believe, very good.
Don’t you think that, compared to say a Ducati or a Harley, a lot of work needs to be done to educate Indian buyers about Hyosung and Benelli? Have you encountered such buyers who haven’t even heard of these two brands?
We certainly don’t think so. Those who are enthusiastic about superbikes and are auto fanatics in general are well aware of the heritage and high performance that Hyosung and Benelli brands offer. These are the people who comprise our target market; in fact, they have been the most excited about the launch of Benelli in India. Also, Harley and Ducati have been in the market for many years now, while Hyosung and Benelli are relatively new. In a few years, I am sure, both these brands will become as ubiquitous as any other.
How do you ensure that buyers don’t have any problems regarding after-sales services and the availability of spare parts?
We have established various parameters and verticals based on which we deliver the best customer experience possible. Such initiatives include the DSK Way, Customer First and DSK Expert.
Currently these bikes come through the CKD route. Do you plan to manufacture them in India?
As of now, we have no plans of manufacturing these bikes locally.
What are the challenges in manufacturing? Do both Benelli and Hyosung have ample trust in DSK Motowheels, considering the fact that DSK is not a “manufacturer”?
Hyosung has come a long way since its association with DSK—we started selling Hyosung bikes on June 6, 2012. Today, we have 43 showrooms pan-India; in fact, this is the largest superbike dealership footprint in the country. Such high-scale expansion has only been possible because of the immense trust and cooperation between the two partners.
Additionally, keeping in mind our customer service history along with the achievements since inception, it is Benelli which approached us for their India expansion plans. This is an apparent manifestation of the trust in DSK Motowheels as the ideal custodian of the Benelli brand.
Do you also plan to aggressively target the 150-250cc segment?
We are in the planning stages as far as targeting the 250cc segment goes, for both Hyosung and Benelli. This particular segment is the need of the hour and will always be the main income generator.
How do you plan to promote Benelli in India?
We are already on track as far as promoting Benelli in India goes. Our target is to augment brand awareness by offering a wide range of stellar superbikes and through tremendous media exposure on both traditional and social platforms, high customer engagement through feedback, and superior post-sale services. We are also looking at building traction consistently via events that are in synchrony with the DSK Benelli brand proposition.
How has been the response to the Benelli bikes until now?
DSK Benelli was launched on March 19, 2015. In the first 10 days itself, we received 300 bookings from across India. This number is enough to demonstrate the kind of buzz that the brand’s entry has made and the phenomenal response we have received from the superbike enthusiasts.
Hyosung and Benelli are practically competitors. How do you keep them different? Haven’t you faced any issues with the managements of the respective companies?
Though the engine capacities vary, both the products are like chalk and cheese. Hyosung specialises in V-Twin specifications while Benelli is known for its in-line engine characteristics. Hyosung is a Korean brand. Benelli is an Italian. So, there is really no issue when it comes to managing both. Also, we have separate teams to steer the growth of both the brands so there is no overlap of any kind. Our aim, at the moment, is to provide our target market with a wide choice of motorcycles including sports, cruiser and street-naked superbikes.
Are you into the accessory business? How big is the Indian superbike accessory business?
We do provide accessories, merchandise and after-market parts across all our showrooms, for both DSK Benelli and DSK Hyosung. We believe it is very crucial that we are able to provide an overall customer experience to each and every person who walks into our showrooms.
What are you bringing to India next? Aprilia, maybe…
For the time being, our focus is on establishing the Benelli and Hyosung brands in the country.
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