AS A TWO-PRODUCT GROUP - LUNA, THE MOPED, AND KINETIC, THE UNGEAREDSCOOTER - THE PAST FIVE YEARS HAS SEEN DRASTIC CHANGES FOR IT.AND MOTWANI WAS AT THE THICK OF IT ALL EVER SINCE SHE JOINED THE BUSINESS IN1996. BORN INTO A BUSINESS FAMILY - GRANDFATHER H K FIRODIA STARTED KINETICENGINEERING AND FATHER ARUN FIRODIA FOUNDED THE KINETIC GROUP - MOTWANI ISTHE SECOND OF ARUN'S FOUR OFFSPRING. ELDER SISTER KIMAYA IS SETTLED IN THE US,WHILE YOUNGER SISTER VISMAYA, AN ENGINEERING GRADUATE, LOOKS AFTER THEGROUP'S EXPORTS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS. BROTHER AJINKYA IS WORKING IN THE US.ARMED WITH A MANAGEMENT DEGREE FROMCARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY, PITTSBURG,MOTWANI JOINED BARRA INTERNATIONAL,CALIFORNIA, AN INVESTMENT CONSULTANCY FIRM.FOUR YEARS WITH BARRA GAVE HER AN EXPOSURE TOFINANCE. THIS WAS ALSO THE TIME SHE MET ANDMARRIED MANISH MOTWANI, WHO WAS WITH SUNMICROSYSTEMS. THE TWO, THOUGH ALIKE, AREDIFFERENT TOO. ''HE IS CALM AND BALANCED, WHILE I AM HYPERACTIVE. FURTHER, ILIKE TO SOCIALISE WHILE HE IS A RESERVED HOMEBIRD. BUT WE'RE BOTH FAMILY-ORIENTED AND ENJOY SIMILAR THINGS.''ON RETURNING TO INDIA, MOTWANI JOINED HER FATHER'S BUSINESS WHILE MANISHSTARTED HIS OWN COMPUTER MONITOR MANUFACTURING UNIT. A YEAR LATER SHETOOK CHARGE AS JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR OF KINETIC MOTORS. BESIDES THESEVERE COMPETITION, THE DECISION OF HONDA MOTOR COMPANY, THE JOINTVENTURE PARTNER FOR KINETIC HONDA MOTORS ROLLING OUT THE POPULAR KINETICHONDA SCOOTERS, TO GO IT ALONE WAS A JOLT.BUT THE DIVORCE WAS AMICABLY ACHIEVED IN 1998 AND THE COMPANY WASRENAMED KINETIC MOTORS. MANY FELT THE GROUP WAS AT CROSSROADS WITH JUSTTWO VEHICLES IN ITS PORTFOLIO - AN UNGEARED SCOOTER AND A MOPED. THECOMPANY'S PREMIUM SCOOTER, THE MARVEL, WAS NOT A GREAT SUCCESS. THE GROUPTHEN DECIDED TO TRANSFORM INTO A FULL RANGE TWO-WHEELER MANUFACTURER,LAUNCHING NEW MODELS AT ALL PRODUCT SEGMENTS (MOTORCYCLES, SCOOTERS,SCOOTERETTES AND MOPEDS) AND AT EVERY PRICE POINT.ALL THE NEW PRODUCTS HAD TO ADHERE TO THE CARDINAL RULE OF AGGRESSIVEPRICING, LOW OWNERSHIP COST AND MAINTENANCE, GIVING OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE.THE GROUP ALSO RESTRUCTURED ITS FINANCE BUSINESS BY MERGING THREECOMPANIES INTO ONE AND FLOATED KINETIC MARKETING AND SERVICES TO CARRY
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