Avenger 220 – An Economic joke!

Almost every Automobile forum\website by now has “confirmed” that the Avenger 220 would be here soon.

Reason: It makes perfect ‘economic’ sense for Bajaj as it would be using the same 220CC mill from the P220 – A La – The Fastest Indian. Call it copy paste, platform sharing or anything, yes it makes sense… but then the question comes up Who would want to buy a 220CC Avenger, a la – Fastest Indian “Cruiser”?

I really don’t have access to any customer database and much better a customer preference database to gauge if this product does make any “economic” sense, .

I say this because, almost 8 out of 10 avenger owners I know off bought the Avenger 180\200 only because that was the ONLY reliable cruiser in the market. I know a group of people will call the use odd word “reliable” as an oxymoron with Bajaj, and another group of people who will burn me down for NOT calling RE Bullet, Thunderbird etc reliable! After all it now has AVL engine… Yawn! That’s a separate debate.

Back to Avenger 220:

It virtually has no competition, a lot of people I know of are buying the 200 ONLY because the 180 is discontinued. Most of these are mileage, comfort sensitive people for whom 220CCs- Fastest Indian Tag would probably not appeal as much… in fact it may work against it! Thanks to the brilliant mindset that we have that MORE CC = LOWER MILEAGE

Also More CC = Too Much power, can get my family killed! Considering its also a nice ‘uncles’ bike.

 I just hope A220 gets a bit more than just the engine upgrade… AND they stick to A200 or bring back A180! Else, to me, its bad homework!

a) Rippers wont buy a cruiser… some of them aren’t even falling for the 220S too!

b) A handful of enthusiasts will probably fall for it, how many… I don’t know

But who exactly is the TA for Avenger? That = Homework, or rather the reason why in todays world even manufacturing industuries need a CRM.

May be a quick 5 forces model would help as well!

1) Power of Buyer:

Very High – Few Buyers with significant market share

2) Power of Suppliers:

Low (Customers weaker due to lack of product options)

3) Power of New Entrants:

Don’t see any new entrants coming in this segment.

TVS has to live to a racing pedigree and seems to have found new love in rural and commuter segments

Honda – What? Too small a market for them to take notice and build something, though they have a HUGE range of international products that they can dump here.. (may be later to kill HD!)

Yamaha – What? So now you want a smaller 150CC vMax? – unlikely… though I would love to see the R15 mill on a cruising mode.

Hero Honda – Too much of hard work for them, they would rather focus on making money

4) Power of Substitutes:

High

Harley Davidson’s – Pricey

New Royal Enfield’s – considered not so ‘reliable’ and ‘easy’ as compared to Avenger

Hence, the power is defused by positioning Avenger as “an affordable, reliable*, and “easy” cruiser (Remember the ‘Feel Like God’ campaign?)

Revised Power: Low

5) Power of Competition\Rivalry:

Well, hardly any competition in this segment, and hardly anyone able to come up with a product so soon to be a real threat to Avenger

To Summarize or Rather Humorize:

Economy – is when you sell more (or at least sell as much), rather than just produce something cheaper!