Orix Auto plans MyChoize SuperCars track-day experience

Japanese car-leasing firm’s Indian arm, Orix Auto Infrastructure, which majorly plays in the B2B area, has introduced a new luxury sports car experience option for customers. 

Christened MyChoize SuperCars, the experiment is Orix's effort to make its presence felt in the B2C area, which would aid it in driving its nascent self-drive rental business, MyChoize, which it commenced in April 2016. 

The company has tied up with Delhi-based sports car self-drive operator, 'Rally Cars' and would be offering track-day experiences to customers in top-end sports cars like the Porsche 911 and Audi R8 at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC), in Greater Noida. 

What is unique is the pricing structure, which, instead of following a regular approach, is based on a bidding system and would allow interested customers to bid from as low as Rs 100, advancing in the multiples of Rs 50. 

The first round of bidding will be live on MyChoize's website on April 29 and the company will subsequently plan more tack days and notify the bidding dates on its portal. Customers would be offered a 30-minute drive time at the BIC and the company intends to rope in three such cars in one day, allowing for participation of around 20 people. 

According to Sandeep Gambhir, managing director and CEO, Orix Auto Infrastructure India, "Safety being of prime importance, drivers will also be assisted by professionals, to have a safe driving experience at the race track, which is also the reason why the company kept away from offering these cars on a rent-and-drive basis."

Orix, which has also merged this initiative into being a part of its CSR activities, would see the money coming from customers go for charity. 

The company, which eyes the Rs 250 crore self-drive rental area in the Indian market, has scaled up to a designated fleet of 300 cars, infusing a capital of $ 6 million (Rs 38.5 crore) in one year. The regular cars on offer vary from Maruti Swift and Ford Figo in the hatchback category, to the Toyota Fortuner and Mercedes-Benz E-Class in the premium space.

With a current presence spanned across 9 major cities in the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Jaipur, the company aims to expand its reach to 20 more cities in the next 18 months, with also increasing its fleet size to 1,000 cars, with an additional capex of $ 20 million (Rs 128.5 crore).