First-ever global brand ambassador to strengthen DRiV’s House of Brands and support its ambitious growth plans in India’s rapidly evolving automotive aftermarket.
As India’s automotive aftermarket continues to evolve into one of the world’s fastest-growing mobility ecosystems, DRiV is reinforcing its long-term commitment through stronger brand positioning, portfolio expansion and deeper customer engagement. The company’s recent appointment of MS Dhoni as its first-ever global brand ambassador marks a defining milestone in its branding journey, bringing together one of India’s most trusted sporting icons with a global aftermarket leader known for its legacy of brands, quality and performance.
According to Mr. Sanjeev Singh, Vice President & General Manager – DRiV South Asia, the association goes far beyond celebrity endorsement. It represents DRiV’s broader vision of strengthening the identity of its “House of Brands” while creating stronger connections with distributors, workshops, mechanics and vehicle owners across the country.
“Each of our brands stands for trust, quality, performance and perseverance. MS Dhoni reflects exactly the same values. Bringing these strengths together creates a powerful synergy that strengthens both our brands and the DRiV identity,” says Mr. Sanjeev Singh.
Building a Stronger House of Brands
Several of DRiV’s flagship brands, including Goetze, Monroe, Champion and Ferodo , trace their heritage back more than a century, earning customer trust across global markets through engineering excellence and consistent performance. While these brands individually enjoy strong recognition in India, DRiV’s strategic focus is now on increasing awareness of the parent brand that brings them together under one trusted umbrella.
The company’s “House of Brands” strategy seeks to preserve the unique identity of each brand while creating greater recognition for DRiV as the common thread that connects them. This enables customers to appreciate the breadth of DRiV’s portfolio while reinforcing confidence that every brand shares the same commitment to quality, innovation and reliability.
The appointment of Dhoni serves as a powerful catalyst for this transformation. Beyond his immense popularity, his calm leadership, consistency, reliability and genuine passion for automobiles make him an ideal fit for DRiV’s positioning in the Indian aftermarket.
“Our intention is not to replace the identity of our individual brands but to enhance their value collectively through the DRiV brand. That common identity becomes even stronger when associated with someone like MS Dhoni who represents trust and leadership,” explains Sanjeev.
Strengthening the Entire Aftermarket Ecosystem
While the branding initiative significantly enhances visibility, DRiV expects the partnership to deliver tangible business outcomes across its extensive aftermarket ecosystem.
The company already enjoys strong engagement with distributors, retailers, workshops and mechanics who influence replacement part selection across India. The Dhoni association is expected to further strengthen these relationships, enhance channel confidence and create stronger engagement across the company’s nationwide network.
However, Sanjeev believes the larger opportunity lies in educating vehicle owners themselves. “While mechanics and workshops remain at the heart of our aftermarket strategy, we aim to complement this approach by building stronger connections with vehicle owners. By increasing awareness of our brands and products, we want consumers to be better informed and more engaged in the choices made for their vehicles.”
Unlike mature DIY markets in Europe and North America, India’s vehicle owners rarely replace components themselves. Affordable labour and a workshop-driven service culture mean customers rely heavily on technicians for replacement decisions. Through increased consumer awareness, stronger communication and high-profile brand initiatives, DRiV aims to encourage vehicle owners to actively ask for trusted brands in the same way they already do for tyres or engine oils.
Expanding Products, Categories and Distribution
India remains one of DRiV’s most strategic growth markets globally. The country’s expanding vehicle parc, rising average vehicle age and increasing preference for premium aftermarket products present tremendous opportunities for sustained growth.
DRiV is targeting US$500 million in revenue from India by 2030. The roadmap combines stronger brand equity, wider market penetration, accelerated product adoption and continuous portfolio expansion.
“Our growth strategy is both vertical and horizontal. We will deepen our presence in existing categories while simultaneously introducing new product lines that address emerging customer requirements,” says Sanjeev.
The company already operates through a robust network of more than 850 distributors serving passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, off-highway applications and two-wheelers across India. While DRiV enjoys leadership positions in several established categories, it continues to identify opportunities to strengthen penetration across different vehicle segments and product categories.
Today, four major product categories, namely Engines, Shocks, Ignition and Braking account for nearly majority of the company’s aftermarket business, including engine components, braking systems, shock absorbers and ignition products such as spark plugs. DRiV is now expanding into newer categories including suspension, chain kits, lubricants, maintenance several additional replacement components. Customers increasingly benefit from accessing multiple premium product categories through one trusted DRiV ecosystem.
Balanced Growth Across ICE and EV Technologies
Although electrification is reshaping the automotive industry, DRiV believes India’s mobility landscape will remain diverse for many years.
Rather than viewing electric vehicles as complete replacements for conventional powertrains, the company expects EVs to coexist alongside petrol, diesel, CNG and other propulsion technologies. This balanced outlook allows DRiV to continue investing in both conventional and emerging product categories.
A significant advantage for the company is that a good portion of our offerings in India are powertrain-agnostic, including braking, maintenance and shocks & suspension components that remain equally relevant for internal combustion engine as well as electric vehicles.
“We believe EVs will become another important mobility option rather than completely replacing existing technologies. Our strategy is therefore balanced; we will continue supporting the large installed base of ICE vehicles while steadily expanding products that serve emerging EV platforms.”
Beyond electrification, DRiV is also preparing for future trends such as connected vehicles, evolving maintenance practices and longer service intervals by continuously expanding its product portfolio, strengthening its supply chain and ensuring channel partners remain equipped to support changing vehicle technologies.
Local Manufacturing, Engineering and Customer Capability
One of DRiV’s biggest competitive strengths in India is its extensive localisation. Majority of its aftermarket products are sourced within India, either through DRiV’s own manufacturing facilities or carefully selected supplier partners.
Supporting this ecosystem is a dedicated aftermarket engineering centre at Palwal, Haryana, which manages product development, engineering validation, drawings, approvals and localisation activities. Beyond serving domestic demand, DRiV also sees India evolving into an important manufacturing and export hub within its global network.
Equally important is the company’s long-standing investment in technical capability development. For decades, DRiV has worked closely with distributors, workshops, mechanic associations and technicians to help them keep pace with rapidly evolving vehicle technologies.
Investing in Skills for the Future
Training has remained a cornerstone of DRiV’s aftermarket strategy for decades, and the company intends to elevate these initiatives further as vehicle technologies become increasingly sophisticated.
“As vehicles become more technologically advanced, workshops will increasingly move beyond component replacement to diagnostics and customer advisory services. Our role is to equip them with the knowledge, products and technical support required for that transition.”
To support this vision, DRiV plans to build on its existing engagement programmes by introducing more structured technical training initiatives inspired by its globally recognised Garage Gurus platform. These programmes will complement the company’s existing mechanic education, product demonstrations and technical support initiatives, enabling workshops to stay ahead of emerging technologies while delivering a better ownership experience to customers.
By empowering technicians with the right knowledge and tools, DRiV believes it can strengthen not only workshop businesses but also the overall customer experience across India’s independent aftermarket.
Looking Ahead
DRiV will continue to showcase its expanding portfolio and new product introductions in India at major industry platforms such as Bharat Mobility Global Expo and other industry events. While Sanjeev remains guarded about specific launches, he indicates that customers can expect significant announcements around new product introductions, stronger brand communication and deeper market engagement in the months ahead.
With globally respected brands, an expanding product portfolio, a highly localised supply chain, dedicated engineering capabilities, an extensive distribution network and the strategic association with its first-ever global brand ambassador, MS Dhoni, DRiV is positioning itself for sustained leadership in India’s rapidly growing automotive aftermarket. As the company advances towards its 2030 ambitions, its strategy remains firmly centred on strengthening customer trust, expanding market reach, empowering the aftermarket ecosystem and delivering comprehensive mobility solutions for every segment of India’s evolving vehicle parc.