Pioneer sees sound opportunity with EVs, eyes direct-OE supplies in India

Japanese digital entertainment solutions major Pioneer, which has established itself as a leading player in the in-vehicle entertainment segment in India's aftermarket with its varied range of head units and high-performance speakers retailed from over 3,000 dealers, is now eyeing direct-OEM supplies. 

The company has observed a significant transformation in India's passenger vehicle market, which is transitioning towards more premium cars, with customers opting for factory-fitted, branded infotainment and audio equipment. In recent times, passenger vehicle OEMs like Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Hyundai-Kia have wooed customers with their integrated infotainment and sound systems from brands such as Harman, Sony and Bose, offering a superior in-car infotainment experience.

L-R: Ken Takagi, Aniket Kulkarni, managing director, Pioneer India, Siva Subramanian and Manish Bhasin

Recognising a new business opportunity and acknowledging the market shift, Pioneer now aims to foray into the direct-OE supply segment, and intends to be a key player for EV offerings from major OEMs in the coming years. The company says it is currently in discussions with several players, “We are working on some of our sound products for applications in EVs. Pioneer already supplies these solutions to OEMs outside India, and that will be the logical category for us to begin OE supplies in India as well when it comes to EVs,” Aniket Kulkarni, Managing Director, Pioneer India, told Autocar Professional.

“We already have existing relationships with Toyota, Suzuki, and Honda outside India. So while there is no mandate, a Japanese OEM could be the first logical breakthrough for us for direct-OE supplies in the country,” he added.

Targeting double-digit market share in dashboard cameras
On August 27, Pioneer introduced its range of dashboard cameras for the aftermarket to cater to the growing demand for these safety-oriented car accessories. According to Kulkarni, “The market (for dashboard cameras) seems to be growing at a double-digit rate over the last few years, and therefore, we are also looking at capturing a double-digit market share in about a year’s time frame.”

With its current dashboard camera line-up being meant purely for the aftermarket, Pioneer will sell its products through its 30 distributors catering to over 3,000 dealerships across the country. In addition, Pioneer will also sell the products directly to customers through e-commerce channels such as Amazon and Flipkart. The company is also in talks with several OEMs to get its products approved as OEM genuine accessories. 

While Pioneer has been late to the party when it comes to being an OEM supplier, it is reinforcing its efforts to make inroads into the segment. “Right from our inception in India since 2008, our focus predominantly has been on the aftermarket. Therefore, we see the direct-OE supply segment as a definite area of growth,” Kulkarni said.

“In India, while there is no programme which is live yet, there are a lot of active discussions underway with OEMs. Branded audio discussions typically take a lot of time to conclude, but we are at it and we will be going out with this strategy. 

“Since the effort has only begun only a few quarters ago, there is no programme which will go live, at least in the upcoming 2-3 quarters,” Kulkarni signed off.