The Eighties were an action-packed decade for the Indian automotive industry and in a sense heralded the first wave of reforms.
This was the time the Japanese entered the market with the focus being on two-wheelers and light commercial vehicles (LCVs). Suddenly, a host of new brands littered the landscape ranging from Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki to Toyota, Mazda, Nissan and Mitsubishi. This was heady stuff in a market used to familiar homegrown brands such as Tata, Bajaj, Premier and Ambassador.
The mood was upbeat, especially in the two-wheeler space where alliances with local players were formed quickly. The TVS group, whose presence was confined to the moped till then, tied up with Suzuki for motorcycles while Hero, which was largely into bicycles, joined hands with Honda. Escorts, the manufacturers of Rajdoot, entered into a joint venture with Yamaha while Bajaj, the reigning scooter monarch, got into a technical agreement with Kawasaki.
In the LCV segment likewise, partnerships with local players became the order of the day with DCM Toyota, Eicher Mitsubishi, Allwyn Nissan and Swaraj Mazda. The mood was buoyant and the stage was set for an interesting tug-of-war with an established player like Telco.
All eyes were also on Suzuki which had emerged the favoured ally for the Centre in its small car project christened Maruti Udyog. The Japanese automaker also had a two-wheeler alliance with the TVS group but the stakes were a lot higher in the partnership with the Centre. After all, the Prime Minister's late son was keen on a small car project and it was Indira Gandhi's way of fulfilling Sanjay's dream.
Cost structures were key
This story is from the 15th August 2022 edition of Autocar Professional.
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This story is from the 15th August 2022 edition of Autocar Professional.
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