‘Activa’ting the growth!

As a teenager, Dilip Patil wanted his own bike. When his father gifted him one, his uncle opposed and that's the day his fascination for bikes began. "I was a student and while visiting Mumbai I observed a few dealerships in Malad. And I decided that one day I'd become an auto dealer," said Patil. Not the one to give up, Patil recognized an opportunity when Honda announced that it was entering the Indian market. "They wanted a partner in Thane region and at that time not many people were enthusiastic about tying up with a brand new company. At that time the scooter market was sort of dead. I studied the brand and we got the dealership," he beamed.

Sai Point which is located in Northern outskirts of Mumbai, has been bagging the award for the number one seller of Honda for three consecutive years. "I am a very determined person. Back in the day I wanted to be a dealer and today I am one of the best. Now, I want to become the number one dealer in India," he added.

So how did he manage to sell scooters when motor-bikes were the new hot sellers? "People bought the scooters because the product was excellent. Even today, Activa sells like hotcakes and has a waiting period. When it comes to cars, the City is a bread-butter for Honda. In two wheelers, its Activa," he further explained. After the revamp of most of the Honda models, the company revamped the Active to deliver better mileage with a more powerful engine. "Our first Activa was 102cc, the new one which launched about three years ago comes with 110cc and gives more mileage than the old one. Products by Honda are made after thinking of what the customer wants. The customer today wants better pickup, but considering the fuel prices, he also wants better mileage," explained Patil.

What has worked for the Activa, which accounts for 50% of sales at Sai Point is that it offers convenience and is a multi pupose vehicle. "In the auto industry, this is the first product that has had a waiting list for 10 years," said Patil. He sees the demand for Activa only increasing in the future. "Demand will increase because parking is a problem. Two wheelers are convenient. You can take the Activa anywhere - to the market, to drop your child to school, for bank work. It is easy to park and is fuel efficient. So, those who own cars will still continue to own an Activa," he further explained. Patil plans to sell one lakh scooters a year but there are a few challenges in his way.

"One major problem is dealing with the RTO which takes a long time. In Gujarat, Delhi or Rajasthan, registration happens at the dealership, but in Maharashtra, it happens at the RTO. We have already have requested the Chief Minister to aide us in making sure that the registration can be done at the dealership. It proves to be a huge convenience to our customers," said Patil. "My customers can't wait for the weekly RTO camps to register their vehicles. And I end up losing customers many a times because of this!" said Patil. However he is determined to get this roadblock out of his way.