Lubricant major Castrol has been present in India for over 100 years. At the recently concluded Tata Prima T1 Truck Racing championship, we sat down with Ravi Kirpalani, MD of Castrol India, to get his views on the journey.
How do you think your association with motorsport has helped Castrol?
I think it’s helped in many ways. One of the reasons why Castrol is seen as a leading brand is because it’s seen to have technology leadership – and one of the ways we’ve developed that edge is by developing oils for the racetrack where the conditions are amongst the most difficult. If you have that technology, which can be effective under such stress, then you’re able to offer your consumers something special. Then, of course, there’s the water down effect that comes from the fact that our technology is tested, the second is our brand association – when you see a Castrol branded vehicle on the race track, it gives you that confidence – the third is the relationship we deliver with OEM’s. For example, if our engineers sit together with an OEM and co-engineer a product that’s going into a racing environment, you build a much deeper relationship. So I think from the technology point of view, and the brand point of view, between motorsport and the deepening relationships with OEM’s, there are lots of benefits for the brand.
Are there any India specific lubricants that you’re making?
Many of our product line-ups, like the CRB line-up for instance, are being developed here. What we’re also doing now is that we’ve shifted our global R&D centre for motorcycle oils to India – so the entire global development of motorcycle oils is now done from our centre in Wadala, near Mumbai. So, many of our products are tailored and specially engineered for Indian conditions.
Are you looking at making any specific products to target Indian consumers?
Yes, gearless scooters are making a comeback in the Indian market and the engines for these scooters are quite different to motorcycle engines – so we’ve launched a product called Active Scooter, and that’s a product specially targeted for scooters in India.
Do you see a change in the attitude of the Indian consumer with regards to your premium oils?
Yes, and it’s changing extremely fast. Sometimes, I tell my team to never underestimate the base of this change. To give you an example, I came back into the Castrol India business in 2009, and, at that time, what we call synthetics and semi-synthetic oils contributed towards a small single digit of our total sales. Today, almost 30 percent of our workshop sales are synthetics and semi-synthetics, and 13 to 14 percent of our after-market sales are synthetics. I think over the next 5 years this will change dramatically, and consumers will demand more premium oils. The government is also putting pressure on auto manufacturers to make their vehicles more fuel-efficient, and the most effective way they can do it is to make more compact engines. But you don’t want to compromise on performance, and that demands the use of synthetic oils. So, I think partly driven from consumers needs for more performance, and the OEM’s specifications given the government regulations, we’ll see a huge growth in superior quality engine oils.
Do you see the Prima T1 Truck Racing getting any traction in the future?
We’ll have to wait and watch. It is something we’ve done for the first time, so frankly the response is yet to be seen – you’ll be as good a judge as us. When you do something for the first time, it’s a bit difficult to gauge – but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t become more popular in the near future.
Write your Comment