Yamaha revs up premium focus for India, ASEAN

Eishin Chihana, Chairman of Yamaha Motor India group, drives home the need to have a terrain of solely Blue Square outlets in place by 2025. This premium focus will extend to all emerging markets as part of the renewed strategy in a post-Covid world, says Murali Gopalan.

Yamaha will convert all its showrooms across India into Blue Square outlets by 2025. According to Eishin Chihana, Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group, the target is to have 800 such retail points in place over the next three years.

The company has nearly 75 such Blue Square outlets in place right now which coexist with regular run-of-the-mill dealerships which are in the region of 700-odd numbers. All these will be upgraded to Blue Square along with the new exclusive ones being planned nationally.

Chihana was present for a recent inaugural of this outlet in Thane near Mumbai where he took some time off to speak to a handful of journalists. He made it clear that with Blue Square, the message being conveyed was to feel the premium feel of Yamaha. Customer experience of the brand was paramount in these outlets which also have accessories and apparel to offer.

Blue Square as a concept was the brainchild of Motofumi Shitara, Chihana’s predecessor who is now back at headquarters in Japan. It was part of the transition of Yamaha as a brand and to act true to its DNA. Till that point in time, the company had dabbled in various segments but the time had come now to stick to the premium space both in motorcycles and scooters.

Blue Square showrooms are designed to offer a sense of community, creating a space for customers to connect with the ethos of the brand. It has been designed to define the legacy of Yamaha’s role in global motorsports with ‘Blue’ characterising the brand’s racing DNA and ‘Square’ defining an entry into the world of Yamaha.

A focused approach