Strategic roadmap for Mahindra Reva s connected service offerings

Abstract

Staying connected is the new paradigm of this decade and the internet is entering new spaces previously unimagined. Internet connection moved from the offices to people s homes and now on mobile phones with ever increasing fidelity. Every consumer electronics category is trying to get onto this connected paradigm as soon as possible. TV manufacturers want internet connectivity for newer ways of delivering content. Each device at home is increasingly talking to each other and hence there is no reason why a car, which is the place away from home and office for about 10-15 hours in a work week, should be left behind. This field however is limited by the attention the driver could pay to this distracting list of services and hence the need for innovation in bringing these in a safe manner that provides value to the user. All the big names in the automobile sector are already in the fray and hence should it be a matter of jumping in or is there a need for skepticism? The Indian market is known to be the no frills market for auto manufacturers and would an Indian customer care for the connected services or by a long shot, pay for it. Would the ecosystem support these services to blossom? This report presents a study of connected service offerings and attempt to answer the above questions to the extent possible. Through secondary and primary research, this report makes proposals for the company and market strategy for the automobile manufacturer who is on the fence. Since these services are not currently offered in India and also vary region by region we spent a lot of time analyzing various telematics information sources to get an idea of what and how are these services being offered. Our guide, Prof S Raghunath is known for his expertise in drafting future oriented Corporate Strategy and Policy and has been of incredible help by critiquing the project outcomes and giving direction. We have examined the services offered by various car OEM s, the pricing strategies adopted by them and what Mahindra Reva could learn from them.