The Jawa brand makes a triumphant return to India after a half-century absence
new Jawa motorcycle was unveiled last November, two years after the once-popular two-wheeler’s return to India was first revealed, its website crashed. Millions of Indian motorheads wanted to catch a glimpse of the original Czechoslovak design reimagined for the 21st century. An undisclosed number of online orders were later filled in an instant.
This triumphant return is the latest in a series of Jawa’s stops and starts, which mirror India’s post-independence economic development. In the 1950s then-high-tech motorcycles were imported from Czechoslovakia. A decade later steep tariffs forced production to move to India, and then, in 1971, further restrictions on foreign products prompted it to be renamed Yezdi. The 1980s ushered in efficient Japanese-led joint ventures, boosted from 1991 by liberalisation.
Jawa’s long-term prospects depend on harnessing nostalgia while eradicating performance flaws. Fiat 500 and MiniCooper prove that rebooting iconic vehicles is possible; Volkswagen’s unloved new Beetle shows how it can misfire. Overwhelming demand suggests Jawa ticks the sentimental box. Mr Thareja promises that the new model goes faster and burns greener than the original. Mahindra’s nationwide network should help with parts and servicing.
Yet the reboot also shows that India’s ride to a free-market paradise is incomplete. After enterprising types created an independent auction site for the coveted online purchase rights, Jawa made them non-transferable. Jawa lovers must instead deposit 5,000 rupees with one of 100 dealers—and hope for a call."Back on a roll"
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