The price of petrol in India in the first half of January 2022 was about Rs. 95-100 depending on which state you were in.
The price of petrol in India in the first half of April 2022 was about Rs. 110-115.
And yet, for some inexplicable reason, advertisements for 2-wheelers have ceased to mention mileage as either a significant part of the communication (the main focus) or even as a passing mention!
Consider the Hero Pleasure+ XTec ad from January 14, 2022. This was a national campaign with inserts in multiple newspapers across India, across languages.
There is a note related to mileage at the bottom that says, ‘10% more mileage’ and ‘fuel-saving technology’. The fine print says, ‘Mileage has improved by 10% for the Pleasure+ XTecwith i3s technology as compared to the Pleasure BSIV variant under standard test conditions’.
What is the mileage committed in terms of numbers? That’s not mentioned.
Then, take a look at the Hero Destini125 XTec ad from April 27, 2022. This was a pan-Indian ad too with many inserts that continue into May 2022 too!
No mention of mileage whatsoever.
Or consider the Honda Shine bike ad from the same day, April 27, 2022, that was splashed across multiple Hindi newspapers.
Zero mention of mileage.
At least with the Hero Pleasure+ XTec ad, one could argue that it was a thematic ad that puts the women’s empowerment angle upfront. And because that’s the primary focus, adding other benefits doesn’t make much sense.
But note that it does list a few benefits in passing: projector headlight lamps, Bluetooth connectivity, enhanced durability with metal fender, side stand engine cutoff added safety. It’s in this zone that the ad mentions ‘10% more mileage’, incidentally. No actual mileage mentioned, though.
With the Hero Destini125 XTec ad, it doesn’t have any specific theme; it’s simply a laundry list of features! There are 15 from what I counted and the only one that is about mileage is ‘low fuel indicator’.
The Honda Shine ad’s focus is on value – it talks about low down payment and cashback! And yet, it doesn’t talk about mileage at all!
You may think that the monumentally high fuel prices would actually have 2-wheeler brands to shout from the rooftop about their mileage and hence savings for buyers. But the opposite seems to be true – mileage is being completely ignored.
Most car ads have stopped referring to mileage too.
Here is the splashy Nexa XL6 ad from April 22, 2022.
Or smaller ads for Ignis from May 22, 2022.
Or, Skoda Kushaq Monte Carlo ad from May 18, 2022.
The only car ad that actually mentions mileage by number is the one for the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga ad from April 17, 2022!
But, at least with car advertising, mention of mileage may be dependent on the positioning. For instance, Ertiga may be positioned as a value product while XL6 and Kushaq may not be positioned like that. But why wouldn’t an Ignis, a relatively lower-priced entry-level small car not mention mileage? That could also have to do with the Maruti Suzuki vs. Nexa split – the latter was carved out as a premium identity sister entity to Maruti Suzuki.
That’s with cars, but what about the 2-wheelers – scooters and bikes? Unlike premium 2-wheelers like a Harley-Davidson that people buy for pleasure, despite the name like Hero Pleasure+, people in India buy mass-market 2-wheelers for functional movement from point A to point B. And the primary purpose of a 2-wheeler is sheer value. The most important consideration from a value perspective when the fuel price is at an all-time high is mileage, obviously.
So why aren’t 2-wheeler brands talking about mileage at all?
I could imagine a few possibilities.
1. People have become generally skeptical about mileage numbers
It’s possible that given the many years of parading incredible numbers from 60-100 kmpl as mileage, all ‘under standard test conditions’ (as per ARAI), people have been conditioned to not believe those numbers. And they have rationalized in their minds that, on average, for any given 2-wheeler, depending on usage, they are likely to get about 50-60 kmpl. If there’s anything above that, it’s a pleasant bonus.
If 2-wheeler manufacturers have deciphered this possible perspective through market research, that may explain the complete blackout of mileage numbers in advertisements even when the fuel prices are at a phenomenal high and are the most widely discussed topic on any given day these days.
2. The market has evolved to look beyond mileage
Consider the assorted news reports and the broader trend of small cars losing to compact SUVs. That may indicate that the Indian automobile market may be evolving to look beyond value alone. Or, the definition of value has moved beyond the formerly crucial aspect of mileage. And that the lack of vocal interest in mileage is perhaps a result of increased wealth/standard of living. I know that sounds like a lot of dots being connected in quick succession, but hey, I’m just listing one possible reason.
3. The mileage numbers are really no great shakes worth talking about
There are 2-wheelers that put the mileage as the primary focus in marketing, like TVS Sport, Bajaj CT100, or Hero Splendour. They run with mileage as their main communication because it usually is above or close to 100 kmpl.
In comparison, if the mileage of the three 2-wheelers above is, say around 40-60 kmpl, it is perhaps better to not mention them at all or risk alienating any incoming interest.
4. The ‘100’ problem
I know this sounds corny, but consider the simple fact that the fuel price crossing Rs. 100 was made into mega news for weeks together late last year. It was a psychological barrier just like Sachin Tendulkar batting without runs at 99 🙂
But now that the Rs. 100 mark has been breached and we are unlikely to come down below it any time soon, mentioning a mileage figure that hovers below that number may seem like a bad idea based purely on human psychology.
Imagine an ad that proclaims 75 kmpl. People are bound to see that number in context to Rs. 100+ petrol price. Obviously, those 2 are vastly different numbers – one is the mileage and the other is a monetary figure. But one is small and the other is large 🙂
Perhaps a bike that delivers 110 kmpl (under test conditions, of course) could use ‘Only Rs. 1 per kilometer’ as a message, eh? 🙂
Any other reasons that you could think of?
This may be a great time to remind you of Maruti Suzuki’s iconic campaign, ‘Kitna deti hai?’ 🙂
Cover pic courtesy: SPS vlogs.