Shemir Muhammed: Formulating Effective Strategies For EVM Group To Thrive As India's Leading Automobile Dealers
Shemir Muhammed
CEO
He has worked in the automotive business for the last two decades, most of which he spent with EVM Group, a tenure spanning 17 years. He's made a name for himself in the automotive business by working with the EVM Group, where he started as an Assistant Manager and is now the CEO of EVM Volkswagen, Skoda, and Nissan. Below is an excerpt of Shemir exclusive interaction with CEO Insights magazine.
How has been your journey so far with EVM Group and what drives you today?
My interest has always been sales since I have a bachelor's degree in commerce and an MBA in marketing. After completing my education, I worked in automotive sales and auto financing until 2005, whereupon I joined the EVM Group as Assistant Manager for the Honda two-wheeler sector. Back then, EVM only had one Honda dealership. In the following 17 years, EVM expanded to 20 brands, and I had the opportunity to prove myself and develop with it.
Currently, as the CEO of EVM Group, I'm responsible for monitoring the operations of Volkswagen, Skoda, and Nissan, three of the company's most popular brands. EVM is now like my extended family, and it constantly provides the workforce with a superior working environment. Moreover, it's a pleasure to work with Sabu Johny, our Managing Director, and as I work to further my career at EVM, I am
inspired and guided by his leadership and vision.
How would you define EVM Group as an organization and its position in the market? What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to its clients?
Since its founding in 1952, EVM has established itself as a major participant in a variety of industry sectors of Kerala. Lemongrass oil and hill produce were the group's first exports. Plantation and rubber goods were added later, as was the hospitality business with a slew of resorts and hotels. The firm also entered the entertainment industry with the purchase of a few movie theatres, and today it has a whopping 23 screens.
Additionally, we got our start in the automobile industry as a Honda two-wheeler dealership in Cochin and have since grown to represent 20 different world-renowned automakers in the state of Kerala. No other vehicle dealer company in India could have this many dealerships for so many different brands. For more than two decades, EVM has been India's leading Volkswagen and Nissan dealership. And we make up 10 percent of Volkswagen India sales and 15% of Nissan India sales, respectively. The market share of Volkswagen and Nissan in Kerala is consistently the highest in the country.
Furthermore, last week, we set a record by delivering 150 Virtus in a single day, according to the India Book of Records. Until now, no organization in India has held a comparable record.
Why did you choose Kerala to be the breeding ground for your company? How has the place favored you so far in your operations?
EVM is based in Kerala, which is why the organization has a large presence in the state. More than 120 showrooms and more than 3,000 employees are spread throughout Kerala's 14 districts. I'm referring only to the automotive industry when I say this. We formerly focused mostly on Kerala, but we are now expanding our
How would you define EVM Group as an organization and its position in the market? What is the unique proposition that your organization offers to its clients?
Since its founding in 1952, EVM has established itself as a major participant in a variety of industry sectors of Kerala. Lemongrass oil and hill produce were the group's first exports. Plantation and rubber goods were added later, as was the hospitality business with a slew of resorts and hotels. The firm also entered the entertainment industry with the purchase of a few movie theatres, and today it has a whopping 23 screens.
Additionally, we got our start in the automobile industry as a Honda two-wheeler dealership in Cochin and have since grown to represent 20 different world-renowned automakers in the state of Kerala. No other vehicle dealer company in India could have this many dealerships for so many different brands. For more than two decades, EVM has been India's leading Volkswagen and Nissan dealership. And we make up 10 percent of Volkswagen India sales and 15% of Nissan India sales, respectively. The market share of Volkswagen and Nissan in Kerala is consistently the highest in the country.
It's a pleasure to work with Sabu Johny, our Managing Director, & as I work to further my career at EVM, I am inspired and guided by his leadership and vision
Furthermore, last week, we set a record by delivering 150 Virtus in a single day, according to the India Book of Records. Until now, no organization in India has held a comparable record.
Why did you choose Kerala to be the breeding ground for your company? How has the place favored you so far in your operations?
EVM is based in Kerala, which is why the organization has a large presence in the state. More than 120 showrooms and more than 3,000 employees are spread throughout Kerala's 14 districts. I'm referring only to the automotive industry when I say this. We formerly focused mostly on Kerala, but we are now expanding our
horizons to include other states as well. We already have showrooms in Coimbatore, Erode, and Tirupur for our Nissan activities in the state of Tamilnadu. Erode and Tirunelveli will soon have new showrooms, as well. We also operate with Porsche in Hyderabad.
Going forward, what are the changes in market behavior that you anticipate, and what are the opportunities that you foresee?
The automobile business has risen tremendously in recent years and every day, new features are added to technology as it progresses. Autonomous vehicles, including flying automobiles, are on the horizon, as a result, in the next few years, the automotive sector will see significant change. In the next five years, electric vehicles will play an increasingly significant role in the automobile sector. It will serve as a springboard for reshaping the whole automotive ecosystem.
With the rise in popularity of online marketplaces and virtual showrooms, this concept is gaining traction. Customers will purchase automobiles from Flipkart and Amazon in a few years, much like they do today with their smartphones, and hightech showrooms and workshops will be irrelevant. Every state may have a brand-owned product experience center where people may take real demonstrations of automobiles for test drives. Automobiles will be interconnected and shared in the future heralding a new age of transportation. Customers are more likely to choose automobile leasing than car ownership in most cases. In keeping with our mantra, "Future is our business," EVM Wheels has already launched a leasing and rental automobile segment.
Shemir Muhammed, CEO, EVM Group
Shemir earned an MBA in Marketing from the University of Kerala & has 22years of experience in the automotive market. Throughout his career, Shemir has worked in every facet of the automotive business, including sales, service, finance, used vehicles, and dealer expansion.
Going forward, what are the changes in market behavior that you anticipate, and what are the opportunities that you foresee?
The automobile business has risen tremendously in recent years and every day, new features are added to technology as it progresses. Autonomous vehicles, including flying automobiles, are on the horizon, as a result, in the next few years, the automotive sector will see significant change. In the next five years, electric vehicles will play an increasingly significant role in the automobile sector. It will serve as a springboard for reshaping the whole automotive ecosystem.
With the rise in popularity of online marketplaces and virtual showrooms, this concept is gaining traction. Customers will purchase automobiles from Flipkart and Amazon in a few years, much like they do today with their smartphones, and hightech showrooms and workshops will be irrelevant. Every state may have a brand-owned product experience center where people may take real demonstrations of automobiles for test drives. Automobiles will be interconnected and shared in the future heralding a new age of transportation. Customers are more likely to choose automobile leasing than car ownership in most cases. In keeping with our mantra, "Future is our business," EVM Wheels has already launched a leasing and rental automobile segment.
Shemir Muhammed, CEO, EVM Group
Shemir earned an MBA in Marketing from the University of Kerala & has 22years of experience in the automotive market. Throughout his career, Shemir has worked in every facet of the automotive business, including sales, service, finance, used vehicles, and dealer expansion.