autoX: Why a new centre for studying design?

Dilip Chhabria: Primarily two things – there has been an ever increasing awareness about design as a good career for youngsters, largely male. This has been the case for the last seven-to-eight years, and acceptance has been increasing every year. Some years back the industry did not have critical mass in that sense. Now the industry will grow - my personal view is that industry will grow between 20 to 30 percent. We will mirror what happened in China in the last five years. If the industry has to grow at that rate, you will need to come up with strong design programmes. Design has become a major factor in whether you will buy a car or not. This is very different from the scene 20 years ago. Today if you talk with the CEO of any car brand, he would talk about the design being a very important factor. Therefore, you require design talent, and we thought we would fill in the blank.

AX: What’s wrong with the existing institutes like NID, etc., that have been around for a while?

DC: You require a lot more than just an umbrella of a design institute. I don’t want to comment more on that, but the point really is that they have disappointed largely. The fact is that automotive design is very different from other design streams. The course has got to be intensive because you must understand what makes a designer – how they make designs. Where our institute scores over other institutes, both in India and abroad, is that we impart real world, real time training – it’s not just theory. So our graduates will go on to make a car – most institutes fail on that because they are not really structured to do that, they are out of sync with what the ground realities are.

AX: You passed out of the Centre of Arts in Pasadena. Did you ever consider forging a link with your alma mater?

DC: I did attempt it, but I don’t think the Art Centre is well known – it does not have any equity in India. Moreover, the courses are not relevant to India. We have to develop courses that are relevant for the new emerging Asia. The Art Centre is predominantly a private institution, and a snobbish one in that sense. So we decided against that line of thought.

AX: What sort of campus are we talking here?

DC: It’s a 100 acre residential campus in Lohegaon, Pune, and it’s already operational. The campus is quite impressive and it’s got the works – auditoriums, etc. It even has an Olympic sized pool. The first course started in August. This is our first year, but we think we will also have a lot of short-term courses. Our job is to be the think-tank for the automotive industry.

AX: Have you noticed any change in how car makers think today compared to 20 years ago? The local car makers, especially?

DC: Absolutely. If you look at Maruti, they are creating a very strong design department. I’m told they have gone quite high up in the number of designers they have. GM has a design centre in India, Renault has a design centre in India, and I think the battle – battle of growth, battle of numbers – is going to be between India and China. China has proved that it has the world’s greatest car market, but what it does not have is the credibility. The Government of China has realized that, and I know from the backroom boys that they are now enabling themselves to create ‘Brand China,’ and are committed to spending a lot of resources.

AX: How have you grown in terms of design yourself? I recall the Ambassador-based car with the Maruti Esteem doors some years ago, and the Ambierod at the previous Auto Expo?

DC: Yes, that was my first participation in the Auto Expo.We have grown – we started out by using parts that were cannibalized from other existing cars of the time, but as we went along we realized that for getting global credibility we couldn’t carry on like that. Now we have the capability to create our own glasses, our own lights – so we’ve grown on the skills set tremendously. I would like to say our cars from a design aspect, and from a quality aspect, are second to none in the world.

AX: Coming back to your Design Centre, is it meant to be a captive source of designers meant to feed DC Design only?

DC: DC Design is only one avenue for them. That’s not the worry. Our aim is for students from the centre to competently fill the gap that exists between demand and supply. If we produce competent designers, it means that DC Design will have to compete with the likes of Tata Motors, Mahindra, etc. Our job is to create an institute not for DC Design – the students can go to whoever offers them the best package.

(Dilip Chhabria is the mentor of the Centre for Automotive Research and Studies – an effort at improving education in automotive design)

autoX: Tell us about Harley-Davidson in India.

Anoop Prakash: I think our announcement at the Auto Expo said it all – we feel our launch marks the beginning of the next era of motorcycling in India. We have brought a full range of bikes – 12 models in all 5 different ranges. Yes we do have more bikes – globally we have 35 models. Nevertheless, we’ve brought a full range, and have tripled the number of heavyweight bikes in India in one full swoop. Now the consumer has more choice, especially when it comes to leisure biking in India. There have been crossover bikes, and those heavyweight bikes that have come in are not cruisers, they are racing bikes, they are superbikes – they are just not built for India. Cruising is what Indians love to do, and that’s what these bikes are made for.

AX: You have a very wide price range over 12 bikes – which one do you expect to be your sales leader?

AP: That’s a great question! We thought it was important to bring in a broad price range – with so many riders from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes. And they are so passionate and enthusiastic that we did not want to short change anybody if we brought in just the top end or the low end. We think the sales leaders will vary city-by-city and rider-by-rider.

AX: Who would be the typical buyer for each range?

AP: For those who prefer power and speed, the V-Rod, the Night Rod special will be a top seller. I think senior executives will like the classic Fat Boy look, those who are in the city and younger will want agility, and go for a café bike like the Sportster or Nightster. The Dyna is ideal for those interested in customization, and while the touring bikes will be bought by those who love long drives in any weather. Actually, we have such a wide range that I’m afraid some people will have a problem choosing!

AX: Do you have any plans of assembling these bikes in India?

AP: Not immediately but we are here for the long term. We have been doing our homework on that front but it requires a huge investment. It’s too early to say.

AX: Can you give me a ballpark figure as to the sales expected in your first year.

AP: No. We are a 100-plus year old company, and we are here to stay. So one years’ sales do not matter at all.

AX: Why did Harley-Davidson purchase Buell, and then shut it down?

AP: Well, new leadership came in. They did a very careful strategic evaluation and looked at the returns. I think they figured that the Harley-Davidson name, the products made by Harley-Davidson had a much better return than the Buell or MV Agusta line. So it made sense to focus on the core competency, which was Harley-Davidson.

AX: The V-Rod has a Porsche designed engine?
AP: It’s called the Revolution engine – it displaces 1,250cc and is liquid-cooled. This was a decision taken some time ago when the company decided to change the way it developed its powertrain.

AX: What’s the CVO about?

AP: CVO stands for Custom Vehicle Operations. It’s a limited edition top-of-the-line bike customized at the factory. Every year Harley-Davidson prepares a CVO for that model year, which means that they are only sold in that model year.

AX: Will the Screaming Eagle conversion be offered in India?

AP: That’s the Screaming Eagle 800-1200 engine conversion kit. Screaming eagle is what we call all our custom parts and accessories. For all the bikes that we have here, we will support all of our customization parts and accessories that are part of our brand. I’m pretty confident we will have that kit with us for the 883 model. Even if we don’t have them we will be able to get them. We have a catalogue of 5,000 parts and accessories.

AX: You went for a plant visit last year after the SIAM conference?

AP: We have been meeting our friends, our peers in industry. We’ve visited a lot of plants – we’ve been hosted by a number of companies. That was part of learning about the market. Our peers in industry, like Hero Honda and Royal Enfield, Munjal and Siddharth, have warmly welcomed us.

AX: There are many women Harley riders in the west – do you see that being replicated in India too?

AP: I expect Indian women riders to be very enthusiastic. We did a number of Boot Camps where we saw a lot of excitement – many women came and tried out the bikes. Harleys are easy to ride, and because of this I think there will be an explosion in the number of women riders in India.

AX: Tell us about the Boot Camps?

AP: It’s an event we did in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. We take the Harley Experience to customers. We brought bikes out, we taught people about the history and heritage of the company, gave a very technical overview of each of our bikes and many people got their first chance to ride a Harley in the Boot Camp. It was an amazing experience to watch. Harley-Davidson also has a Riders Edge training programme. It’s a curriculum that is delivered across the world by our dealer network and developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation in the United States. It’s a two-and-a-half to three day course where you are taught how to ride safely and how to handle a heavyweight motorcycle. We will be introducing that training in India too once our showrooms are operational and dealers are up to speed. I’ve done it myself.