CHENNAI: If Mahindra acts on its announcement of last week, and there is no reason why it shouldn’t, India will see the return of one of its most iconic motorcycle brands -- the Jawa. The news has spread like wildfire through countless Jawa fan clubs and the excitement is palpable for what we may call ‘Jawa 2.0’. These fan clubs, there is at least one in every major city and some in many minor ones, could well decide whether the Jawa rises up like the phoenix Mahindra wants it to be, or falls by the wayside. But unlike Mahindra’s previous attempts, the Jawa has something that could well boost it into the strongest competition market leader Royal Enfield has seen. Jawa fanboys, and girls, are as many as, and as passionate, as any bullet fan. “There is something about the Jawa that excites a motorcycle fan.
For some, it’s the distinctive deep throated roar of its twin silencers. For others, it’s the way it rides. But there is something and we are very excited about the new Jawa,” said Shantanu Kumar Rath, former member secretary of Bhubaneshwar’s Jawa Motorcycle Club. Rath owns a Jawa himself, passed down from his father, and is inordinately proud of it. “It is completely original. It is not easy to replace Jawa parts,” he pointed out. The excitement is something Mahindra will try its hardest to leverage, says a senior auto analyst, because a failure could irreparably dent its confidence in its two wheeler business. But Mahindra’s statements indicate that it will be concentrating on the high end, more powerful segment (300 - 500 cc). “We are very excited about the new journey that we are embarking upon in the two wheeler space. Our focus on the premium, niche segment through Classic Legends will bring alive some iconic brands like BSA and JAWA, not just in the form of products but as an entire lifestyle,” Pawan Goenka, Executive Director of Mahindra & Mahindra had said last week. That might well be the right way to go about it. The 100 cc to 150 cc segments are already saturated with products and as Yamaha found out during its come back, customers are steadily moving to larger and ‘cooler’ bikes.
“There is definitely a market there (high end motorcycles). There are customers and demand, and right now there is only the Royal Enfield and a few other smaller players,” said Abdul Majeed, auto expert and partner, PwC. Jawa 2.0’s success, however, will depend largely on how well it manages to fuse the appeal of the vintage Jawa, with the expectations of the new age customer. “Royal Enfield managed to do it very well. Jawa, to succeed, has to do it too,” pointed out Majeed. The litmus test will be pleasing the fan clubs, who are also likely to be the first line of customers. “I can’t wait to check it out, when it is released but I will have high expectations,” admitted Kumar Jain, from Bengaluru, a Jawa enthusiast. Not only will fan clubs be a make or break customer segment to please, they might also work out into a huge marketing opportunity if Mahindra plays its cards right. “I would not mind joining with Mahindra to market the product, if given the opportunity,” admits Rath. There are several others like him, and with the number of fan clubs and riders’ clubs around, they could well provide Jawa 2.0 the boost in popularity and legitimacy it needs. “It is a very well established brand and a lot of people want to be associated with it. Mahindra’s challenge will be in delivering that perfect mix of new and old,” said Majeed.