GST rejig spooks plans of German luxury car makers
Luxury carmakers were one group who gave the Goods and Services Tax (GST) a thumbs up when it was rolled out on July 1. That’s because under the GST regime the total tax incidence on these vehicles came down to 43% from 50%. The benefits were to be passed on to customers by slashing prices but the positivity was short-lived. Last week the GST Council recommended increasing the maximum ceiling of cess on motor vehicles to 25% instead of the current 15%, raise the total tax to 53%. Understandably, luxury carmakers are scrambling to deal with the flip-flop in policy.
Fortune India spoke to Rahil Ansari, head, Audi India, Roland Folger, managing director and chief executive officer, Mercedes-Benz, and Vikram Pawah, president, BMW Group India about the implications of such a hike. They also touched upon topics such as vehicles using alternate fuel and sales patterns in India. Edited excerpts:
How is the hike in
GST-related taxes going to impact the pricing of cars?
FOLGER: At the moment we don’t
know because nothing has been fixed, so we are hesitant to make any
price-related comments. What I can tell you is that if we do get up to
the full 25% cess as projected, then it would certainly make our cars more
expensive. I do believe that this one step forwards and two steps backwards as
it doesn’t help business move at a steady pace, and will affect long-term
planning. You can imagine the complex discussions we are now having with our
colleagues in Germany about the Indian marketplace.
PAWAH: We strongly believe that
long-term stability in tax reforms and regulations are of paramount importance
to foster growth of any industry in the country. While we welcome the
implementation of GST, immediate changes and fluctuations on motor vehicles
cess will adversely affect the stability and growth of the automotive industry
in India.
ANSARI: One month after
implementing GST, rethinking a cess on luxury cars is not the right step and
will give consumers and the business a negative sentiment. Our cars could end
up being priced 4% higher than before GST, with the A3 and Q3 being priced at
almost Rs 1.8 lakh more and the Q7 costing about Rs 7 lakh more. Then there’s
the matter of us having to revisit our business plans, which were built on earlier
announcements and this affects the dealers, sales force, and everyone in the
supply chain.
In the near future
how low on price will you go for an entry level car?
FOLGER: Our strategy is to drive value to our customers across the
portfolio and not merely making products accessible. We do not see new
products below the New Generation cars.
PAWAH: All our customers are
different and we remain committed to meet their needs. Immediate change in
repositioning our portfolio is not foreseen but the positive or negative
effects of tax reforms go a long way in affecting consumer sentiment.
ANSARI: We have been the first
in creating an entry-level luxury car segment in India–with the Q3 and
A3–especially younger customers.
Of all the segments we are in, SUVs have outpaced the others. However, our best-seller remains the E-Class sedan.Roland Folger, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.
How far are you from
the point where we can see a satellite plant which feeds supply or full-scale
localised engine transmission production?
PAWAH: The strategy is to increase localisation and production as
sales increases. In the last 10 years we have climbed to 50% localisation which
included engines and gearboxes that are being assembled and made by local
partner, Force Motors.
FOLGER: Mercedes-Benz India is
part of our global production network and plays an important role in the CKD
(completely knocked down)/MVP production networks in Brazil, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. At these locations, Mercedes-Benz produces
vehicles in various extension levels for domestic markets. However, in
India, we make in India for India and we are adequately prepared to meet any
future rise in demand here.
ANSARI: Far enough to not discuss this at the moment.
The Audi Q3 and Audi A3 Sedan saw the start of the entry-level luxury category, and together contribute between 30%- 35% percent of total sales.Rahil Ansari, head, Audi India
Your thoughts on
vehicles using alternative fuel with regards to India.
PAWAH: India is unique in that it was mostly a diesel market earlier.
Then it became petrol and diesel. With the government’s focus on electric
mobility, that is going to be a reality as well but India won’t be homogenous,
it will be a mixed bag. The challenges for electric and alternate fuel
are the infrastructure and changing of driving culture, which is the big one.
Remember how much time it took to go from desktops to laptops? It’s going to be
similar to that.
FOLGER: We must consider two
key factors to the transition to hybrid and electric in India. One, is
achieving the massive infrastructural scale to facilitate 24-hour charging
of millions of vehicles, that too in a short time. Second, powering the
electric vehicles will emerge as a significant challenge as major power
generation in India comes from fossil fuels, and renewables like solar, wind,
and hydro-electricity have negligible presence in the current mix. The
best possible short-term solution would therefore be transitioning to BS-VI
diesel, and as a second step with a full hybrid or PIHV (plug-in hybrid
vehicles) which can reduce emissions, even challenging
today’s electric vehicles with their present energy source mix.
ANSARI: If the infrastructure
is conducive Audi can roll out electric and alternative fuel vehicles in the
Indian market. The lower GST rate for electric vehicles (12%) is a clear
indication from the government and we welcome the state vision for 100%
electric vehicles by 2030. Important questions are on how realistically a
road-map could be put in place to move to electrification, the infrastructure,
competitively priced electricity to make e-mobility viable, and a focus
towards sustainable electricity production.
Over a longer term we see that the 5 series has accounted for almost 30% of our total sales.Vikram Pawah, president, BMW Group India
In terms of demographics
and regions, where is growth coming?
PAWAH: Demographically, our range is wide but we do see first-time
buyers for premium cars increasing and they reflect the buying audience of the
nation which is younger owners typically under the age of 45. Regionally, it’s
still the major metro cities that generate volumes, although the next tier of
Indian towns holds promise and is not to be ignored.
FOLGER: Delhi and Mumbai along
with other key metros contribute a lion’s share to volumes, though there
are pockets of growths in tier II and III cities which can mature in the
foreseeable future and contribute big numbers. Even though we have been
witnessing a steady decline in the overall customer age, the current average
customer age is around 37 years in India, which is one of the lowest across the
globe for us.
ANSARI: There is a new
segment of customers moving from premium sedans to compact and executive luxury
sedans and SUVs or crossovers. They are aged between 28 years and 35 years.
They are also in tier II and III towns. That’s the segment we have been
able to tap and we expect strong growth and market share it. We also see double
digit growth from the smaller cities, but major metros still contribute
the most with more than 70% of sales coming from there.