Auto-manufacturer Eicher Polaris has decided to reboot its strategy for the Multix personal utility vehicle which was launched in mid-2015. The revised plan is to go in for a top-down approach where cities and big towns take priority over smaller centres.
This is contrary to the company’s earlier strategy of focussing Multix in tier II and III cities. The response over the last two years showed that customers are not queuing up for the product as anticipated, the firm said. Pankaj Dubey, CEO, Eicher Polaris, admits there have been issues in terms of perception.
According to him, people in rural India are more conservative and take time getting used to something innovative like Multix. On the other hand, there is greater word-of-mouth and visibility in bigger towns and cities, which makes a big difference. Since the time he took over as CEO last November, Dubey has been focussing on building the vehicle’s presence in metros where the customer base is more diverse.
At the time of its launch, Eicher Polaris had made known its targeted Multix user in the form of the entrepreneur who operates in small cities, towns and villages. The company had estimated 5.8 crore such people across India whose mobility options were largely confined to two-wheelers.
The targeted independent businessman was perceived as a son-of-the-soil who loved his town and was keen to grow his business. He also had a family and wanted to spend more time with them. The survey the firm conducted found that the two-wheeler was not adequate for this person’s family in terms of space or safety.
Likewise, cars would have no utility for businessmen in smaller towns and would only become an indulgence of sorts. In addition, these independent businessmen had to cope with poor electricity supply in their towns, an aspect any mobility solution will need to take into account.
This is where X-Port — a power take-off point which can generate up to 3KW — was touted as a key feature in Multix and would come in handy for applications such as drilling and pumping water. Despite such meticulous research, Multix fell way short of expectations.
Shift in focusThe move to focus on bigger cities has been encouraging so far, thanks to a larger user mass, the company claims. Laundry operators, for instance, have termed Multix “fantastic” since there is electricity for ironing clothes while being comfortably mobile too. In Thane, where a dealership was recently inaugurated, a carpenter was keen to buy a Multix.
“People can see that the vehicle assures cost savings, and one can actually do business on wheels,” says Dubey. This also fits in with Eicher Polaris’ objective of positioning Multix as a profit centre where the entrepreneur can make and save money.
The vehicle can also double up to offer customised solutions such as an ambulance or a mobile office. As a team member of Eicher Polaris had said at the time of its launch: “It can double up as a car, a pick-up van, a generator and a lifesaver.”
So far, there are 77 Multix dealerships with plans to increase this to 100 in the next 2-3 months. With the change in focus to metros, it is likely that they will take a lion’s share of the retail expansion drive. “The key is to demonstrate to customers how it can be used,” says Dubey.
Eicher Polaris will also aggressively use social media to spread the word on Multix.