Merchant of uber luxury

Aabhas Sharma learns the nuances of marketing all things luxurious from Ashish Chordia, the man who brought Ferrari, Ducati and Fendi to India.

When Ashish Chordia returned to India eight years ago after his graduation in the US and a brief stint with Deloitte, he didn’t want to be a run-of-the-mill entrepreneur. So Chordia, coming from a family which always had access to the luxury brands of the world, decided to foray into the luxury segment. Mind you, back then luxury wasn’t the buzzword it is now. “I could see the potential was there in the segment, and the time was right to introduce luxury brands to Indian consumers,” says the 31-year-old.

German luxury sports car Porsche was the first brand Chordia got to India in 2003. He followed this up with other high-end brands in categories like super bikes, fashion and jewellery. But he added his most prized brand last month, when he signed a deal to bring Ferrari to India. “We had been working on it for quite some time and are delighted to bring Ferrari to India,” he says. He fended off competition from some of the biggest names in India Inc to bag the rights to bring the brand to the country. His roster now includes Ferrari, Ducati, Porsche, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior and Fendi, among others.

Luxury is a segment where one needs to tread with caution. Chordia, a man of few words, says most brands get ahead of themselves and overestimate what the consumer might want. “Even if it’s a luxury brand, this is still India and you have to do proper research before bringing in any brand,” he explains. The purchasing power of urban India has grown manifold over the years and Chordia feels the present-day Indian consumer is more aware, well-travelled and cannot be taken for granted.

Chordia’s customers are rich — both young and old — and they know that their way of life defines them. Thus, they want to be seen driving a Porsche Cayenne, and wearing Dolce & Gabbana or Dior. In selling them these brands, Chordia adopts the “different strokes for different folks” philosophy. So he communicates directly with them and with certain brands, even sends personalised gifts. For instance, a prospective Porsche buyer would be sent a model car. “For me, everyone could be a customer, it’s just that their aspiration levels are different,” he says. At times, he does joint events with other brands.

When Chordia brought Porsche to India, he was confident there would be takers. And he was right. On an average, he sells at least a Porsche a day, even with a starting price of Rs 59 lakh. With Ferrari, it’s not numbers he is looking at. As he says, “You don’t want a Ferrari, you desire a Ferrari.” There will be a new team in place for the Italian car brand and Chordia is confident the first set of wheels will soon be zooming over Indian roads.

For Chordia, the biggest challenges in promoting luxury in India has been location and people. “Both these are hard to find,” he says. He adds that he is fortunate to be working with some of the best people “he could have asked for” and that makes his job a little bit easier. Location, however, remains a big challenge. You can’t set up a Ducati or Porsche showroom in an obscure location. So in Mumbai, Porsche is on Pedar Road and in Hyderabad on Jubilee Hills while his multi-brand luxury outlet, Thanks, is near the Atria Mall in Worli.

The promoter of luxury brands comes across as an all-work, no-play kind of guy. He replies to the questions in measured tones and says all his brands are dear to him. He has had some unpleasant experiences with certain brands in the past but prefers not to talk about them. “It’s better to look ahead than talk about the past,” he says. But prod him about what he is like outside work and he says, with a laugh, “This is not work for me. It’s a hobby which helps me make money and I love doing this.” He is always travelling, and Switzerland is his favourite holiday destination. When not working, Chordia loves to play tennis and has also taken flying lessons. Ask him which car he drives and he says “quite a few of them”. He doesn’t mention names but adds that he owns a few Ducatis.

With the addition of Ferrari, Porsche and Ducati, Chordia has almost conquered the road as far as automotive brands are concerned. He also represents NetJets, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathway, which allows fractional ownership and leasing of private jets for business or leisure travel. Land done, air done. What about the sea? “There is tremendous scope there as well and we are looking closely at that segment,” he says.

The luxury landscape in India has changed dramatically over the last few years. While Chordia might not be seen or heard in the media like many of his competitors, make no mistake that he is at the forefront of bringing the luxury revolution to India. And, as he says, “I am not done yet. There’s more to come.” The country’s rich and famous will be happy to hear that.