I have already had occasion to say that the world of the automotive and the recreational marine one are very close. In general, the world of boating retraces the same choices and pathways of the automotive… ten year later.
Over the years in the automotive there are been manufacturers’ realities characterized by low cost connotations. To Asian manufacturers -mostly Koreans- who first pointed to this market followed brands of the Eastern Europe, mostly owned by large European groups.
It is the case of Skoda, which was managed by VW group with “attention” over the years, or Dacia– the result of a “forward-looking” policy of Renault.
The Europe of the early 2000s, rich – or so considered- and expanding, has welcomed this phenomenon with a certain coldness, partly because the product is still a bit far from the European taste, especially in terms of style (I refer to the first Logan series).
Today the world has changed, the crisis has brought and it is bringing deep changes in consumers’ behavior in every field and the automotive one isn’t an exception: the rationality of the “value for money and low cost” takes position against the emotionality of the brand with increasing force!
In 2012, in a depressed European market, Dacia has increased its volume by 15%.
And in the world of boating?
Structured industries that produce quality boats for the most European yards and beyond have existed for years in some Eastern European countries. Among European shipyard brands some models of boat of the best known brands come, in effect, from Poland and Estonia.
Over the years, some of these shipyards from the East have started to produce and commercialize its own brands as well and today the offering of the nautical market and beyond in Europe is expanding thanks to these producers.
Competitive prices, solidity of construction and levels of finish – no lower than the most famous French or German shipyard ones – characterized this production which is looking for mature customs, interested in the content before the brand or the reputation of the designer.
In a market like the Italian nautical one, in deep crisis since 2008, perhaps this, which comes from Eastern Europe, can be really… the wind that takes us out of the mists.
All the operators in the sector should know how to spot the signs and the teachings, turning them into opportunities.
Said more brutally? It’s time to get a move on!
Translated by Federica Izzo