The Coronavirus pandemic has hit the global economy hard and analysts are saying that the slowdown due to the impact of COVID-19 will be worse than that of the 2008 financial crisis. The automobile industry, too, is struggling and is working towards reshaping their timelines and investments and trying to understand the impact that this pandemic will have on the industry as a whole. In order to understand that better, we got in touch with Bipul Chandra, Managing Director at Ducati India and here’s what he had to say.
- Your taking up of the role at Ducati India as the Managing Director could not have come at a trickier time, what are the challenges?
I have been in the Ducati family since July 2019. Earlier I joined as the Sales Director and have recently taken the responsibility of the Managing Director. Therefore, I haven’t faced any challenges due to the lockdown in terms of getting used to the work here, the responsibilities, and managing the India operations. However, I definitely miss interacting with my teams and dealers. I hope we overcome this together and get back to business especially now when people are raring to head out on their favourite trail or racetrack or riding road.
- How do you see the lockdown affecting the Indian automotive industry as a whole, and also for a premium brand like Ducati?
The economy is going to take a major dip globally once the lockdown is over, affecting the purchase decisions of the customers. Production across the globe has come to almost a standstill and it would take a while for consumer confidence to become normal.
But we all are in this together, we are reallocating our budgets to ensure maximum output, utilization of manpower, and business growth. We are utilizing this time to revisit our books and improvise our strategies.
- What measures are being taken by Ducati to help your customers through these difficult times?
We understand our customers are going through a tough time and still, we aim to provide the best services and our support in every possible way to our Ducati family. Recently, we decided to defer the price hike of the extended warranty programme along with an extension on the warranty which expires during the lockdown period of 24th March – 3rd May.
We are utilizing this lockdown period to plan experiential activities for our customers when the situation improves while following the guidelines of social distancing. As of now, it crucial to ensure the safety of the community, and therefore, we are encouraging our riders to remain at home, take care of their family and wait for the bike rides to happen soon once the situation resumes to being normal.
- Another major development has been the transition to BS-VI emission norms from April 1, 2020. What can be expected from Ducati in the coming times, especially given that there are a few models launched internationally that are yet to come to India?
As we all know that Italy has been the worst affected due to the COVID-19 and all our production lines have been halted. As of now, there are no official dates on the reopening of our factories in Italy and Thailand. Due to this, all our plans for the upcoming motorcycle launches have been pushed by a few months. We will definitely bring in some of the models showcased at the World Premiere, especially the Panigale V2 which has already gained so much of love and excitement from the motorcycle community. But, considering the current situation, we cannot commit to a date on the arrival of the motorcycles in India.
- What are your expectations from the government to help boost the auto sector come back to normalcy in the coming future?
We hope and trust our government to take all necessary steps to boost the economy as soon as the lockdown lifts. At this moment, it is important to stand together with our government and our people to help each other come out stronger from this situation. Let’s do every bit possible from our end to defeat this virus.
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