Mahindra has halted production of its debut motorcycle Stallio..!!
Anti Climax:
Sep 30, 2010 was the date when the historic verdict on the Ayodhya dispute was announced. Sep 30, 2010 was also the date when Mahindra 2 Wheelers had officially unveiled its motorcycles in Mumbai.
On that day, the whole of India was very anxious whether the Court's verdict on the sensitive issue could spark off unrest/communal tension once again in the country. Despite the tension in the air, I had decided to attend the official unveiling of Mahindra's two wheelers.
Flawed Strategy:
How on earth can one expect a new brand like the Stallio, convince the buyer not to buy a similarly priced Splendor?
The public anxiety regarding the verdict was very real and quite evidently palpable when on my return from the Mahindra event; I found the usually congested streets of Mumbai wore a deserted look at 7PM in the evening.
Thankfully India and Indians has matured, which was demonstrated by the peaceful way the verdict was accepted by everyone across the country. Personally I have been never happier to encounter such an anticlimax.
But on the other hand the official unveiling of Mahindra's two motorcycles Mojo (300 cc) and Stallio (110 cc) was also an anticlimax to me. The 300 cc Mojo was not what I was expecting and the 110 cc Stallio obviously was just another 100-110 cc commuter to interest me.
In fact I never bothered to follow up the launch of the Stallio to post about it on my blog. Obviously this was an anti climax which did anything but excite me..
Flawed Strategy:
100 cc commuter motorcycles might make up for the lion's share (approx. 70%) of the total motorcycles sold in India, but to me Mahindra's strategy of launching yet another 100-110 cc offering seemed flawed to me.
Even if the quality of the Stallio was as good as that of the Hero Honda Splendor, how on earth can one expect an new brand like the Stallio, convince the buyer not to buy a similarly priced Splendor which has proved itself for the last 16 years? Apart from the Splendor, there are also other established brands in the market like the Bajaj Discover and TVS Star City.
Even international giants like Yamaha haven't managed replicate the 100 cc success with its models (Crux, YBR 110).
News of trouble:
Right after a couple of months there was news about the Stallio not riding out of the showrooms in decent numbers [Click here for that report].
Just a couple of hours back AutocarIndia has reported that Mahindra has halted production of the Stallio due to some issues with its gearbox. [click here for the report]
Production has stopped for Mahindra 2-wheelers debut motorcycle, the Stallio, and this has been pulled out of company showrooms, facing serious problems within its gearbox.
While efforts are underway to resolve the problem, Mahindra 2-wheelers claim they have initiated a process to rectify bikes already on the road. As per SIAM, Mahindra 2-wheelers sold 5,135 Stallios since sales commenced in October 2010.
When contacted, Mahindra 2-wheelers could not clarify the nature of the Stallio problem, but stated they want to set matters right before June 2011. Autocar India remains the only publication to have carried a detailed road test of the Stallio (December, 2010), within which the Stallio gearbox woes were highlighted as ‘an area of grave concern,’ apart from pointing out several other severe shortcomings on this commuter bike.
The Mahindra group needs to take a long hard look at how to get their two-wheeler foray back on track, for even their second bike (still to be tested by us) the 300cc Mojo, scheduled for an early 2011 launch seems disproportionately overpriced at Rs. 1.75 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune), in light of Honda having already introduced the exciting, single-cylinder CBR250R at well under this much money.
After the news of the launch of the Honda CBR250R in India, I am not sure if the Mojo would appeal to motorcycle enthusiasts in equal measure. Also now with the news of the Stallio facing serious issues, things are looking quite serious for Mahindra 2 Wheelers.
Moto GP, Mojo, Stallio... a bit too much, too soon..??
Related Posts
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- Mahindra Mojo: Part -3: What kind of motorcycle is the Mahindra Mojo?
- Mahindra new motorcycles, Mojo 300 cc & Stallio 110 cc
Disclaimer:
This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.
4 Comments:
FBOTY Flop Bike Of The Year
Mahindra is written as Mahinda - typo :)
@anon above,
thanks for the correction.. duly edited
Its a great move on Mahindra’s part. Atleast they were honest and are working to get the matter resolved. Knowing Mahindra as a brand they will definitely get the matter resolved. Waiting for the improved Stallio!
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