Engineering Comfort for Every Indian Home: A CX Conversation with Anurag Sharma of AKAI India
In a dynamic and climate-diverse nation like India, comfort is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. AKAI, the iconic Japanese consumer electronics brand, understands this better than most. Rooted in the philosophy of MOTTAINAI, which embodies efficiency, sustainability, and respect for resources, AKAI has entered the Indian market with a clear goal: to deliver high-quality, efficient, and durable air conditioning solutions tailored for Indian homes and offices.
In this exclusive CXQuest interview, we sit down with Mr. Anurag Sharma, Managing Director & CEO of AKAI India, to talk about the brand’s return, their innovative new AC series—Siaachen, Nilgiree, and Kaashmir—and how AKAI aims to elevate the Indian consumer experience with intelligent design, climate-specific engineering, and affordability at its core.
Vision and Purpose
Q1. Welcome back to the Indian market! What does AKAI’s re-entry symbolize in terms of vision and purpose?
AS: AKAI’s return to India is about more than re-launching a brand, it’s about restoring a legacy with a renewed promise. We’ve listened to the market, studied real Indian homes, and focused on building products that are functional, future-ready, and emotionally resonant. Our re-entry is driven by purpose: to create technology that’s not intimidating, but empowering. Whether it’s cooling systems or consumer appliances, our vision is to ensure that every household can access quality, comfort, and reliability without overpaying or overthinking. Under the philosophy of Gold in Every Way, we want each product to feel like it adds genuine value, not just through features, but through the everyday experience it delivers.
Q2. The naming of Your AC models—Siaachen, Nilgiree, and Kaashmir—is after iconic Indian regions. What inspired this regional focus?
AS: Our inspiration came from the land itself. India is not a uniform country, its climates are intensely diverse, from the scorching plains to the freezing hills. Each region brings with it a unique environmental challenge, and that’s exactly where our design process began. The Siaachen series speaks to durability under extreme heat, just like the harsh terrains of its namesake. Nilgiree represents gentle, everyday comfort- cool, clean, consistent- like the breezy hill stations it’s named after. Kaashmir, on the other hand, is built for all-season versatility, performing as effortlessly in winter as it does in summer. By aligning our products with regional climates and lifestyles, we’re making air conditioning feel more personal, more rooted and more relevant.
Siaachen ACs
Q3. Let’s talk about Siaachen ACs. How do they cater to extreme weather and commercial demands?
AS: It’s designed for areas where cooling isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. Whether you’re in a sun-facing top-floor apartment, a commercial shop with constant footfall, or operating in a region where summer temperatures go beyond 50°C, Siaachen-heavy duty AC is your go-to. The build quality is robust, from the anti-corrosive Blue Fin coating to the 100% copper condenser, ensuring longevity even in punishing conditions. It offers steady performance even at 55°C, and its high-efficiency rotary compressor delivers rapid cooling without straining power consumption. Beyond cooling, Siaachen also ensures better air quality with a PM1 filter and an Ayurvedic layer that purifies while it cools. It’s not just a cooling unit, it’s a workhorse built for real-world Indian heat.
Q4. What customer needs does the Nilgiree Economy series address, especially in terms of affordability and daily use?
AS: Nilgiree is comfort made economical. It was created for the everyday Indian family that needs cooling they can depend on, day in and day out-without facing a heavy upfront or running cost. Many households today are caught between wanting advanced features and sticking to a monthly budget. That’s where Nilgiree finds its sweet spot. It offers essential smart features like Flexi Mode (for power optimization), PM1 filtration, and eco-friendly R32 refrigerant, without unnecessary complexity. More importantly, its inverter compressor adjusts precisely to temperature needs, reducing energy wastage and bills. Whether it’s for a bedroom, living room, or study, Nilgiree makes cooling accessible, affordable, and sustainable, without asking families to compromise.
Kaashmir Hot & Cold ACs
Q5. Kaashmir Hot & Cold ACs offer year-round comfort. How have you ensured performance in both -10°C and 55°C?
AS: Kaashmir is comfort, come heat or cold. It’s a true all-weather performer. Whether you’re in a North Indian city where winters drop below zero, or in Central India during peak summer, Kaashmir adapts instantly. The dual-mode inverter compressor ensures optimal performance in extreme ranges, cooling effectively even at 55°C and heating comfortably down to -10°C. It uses intelligent sensors to modulate airflow and temperature according to room conditions, while the 4-way swing ensures consistent distribution in every corner. Plus, features like a backlit remote and sleep mode add to its everyday convenience. Kaashmir is perfect for families that want one dependable system throughout the year, no switching appliances, no seasonal trade-offs.
Q6. AKAI is rooted in the MOTTAINAI philosophy. How do your ACs reflect this efficiency-driven approach?
AS: MOTTAINAI is a Japanese principle that urges us to avoid waste, of time, energy, and material. At AKAI, this value is stitched into every layer of product design. Our ACs use R32 refrigerant which is low on global warming potential and high on energy efficiency. Our Flexi Mode technology allows users to choose how much power the AC should consume, whether it’s cooling at 40%, 60%, 80%, or full 100% capacity, depending on room size or usage time. Even the internal architecture is built with longevity in mind: copper components for better heat transfer and durability, Blue Fin coating for rust resistance, and self-diagnosis systems to reduce unnecessary breakdowns. In short, MOTTAINAI is not just our philosophy; it’s our design discipline.
Indian Consumers
Q7. Customer experience is evolving fast. How does AKAI integrate feedback loops to refine its products for Indian consumers?
AS: For us, innovation doesn’t stop once a product hits the market, that’s actually where it begins. Every service visit, call center inquiry, retailer conversation, or product review feeds directly into our product and experience teams. We also work closely with our installation Akai engineers and service partners who give us grassroots-level insights into what’s working and what’s not. Whether it’s adjusting airflow direction, improving remote layouts, or simplifying filter access, our teams act on feedback in agile, product-specific cycles. That’s how we stay rooted in the customer, not just the catalogue.
Q8. What makes AKAI’s filtration systems (like PM1 filters) especially relevant for Indian air quality concerns?
AS: Air quality is no longer an urban issue, it’s a national one. Across Indian cities and even semi-urban towns, air indoors can often be as polluted as outside. That’s why AKAI’s ACs are fitted with PM1 filters, which are far more refined than standard PM2.5 systems. These filters can trap ultra-fine pollutants, from smoke particles to dust and allergens. What’s more, we’ve added an Ayurvedic filter, infused with natural antimicrobial properties, to cleanse and freshen the air. Together, these create a cooling experience that not only brings down temperature but also elevates the quality of every breath. In a country where clean air is becoming a luxury, we’re committed to making it standard.
Trust as a CX Metric for AKAI India
Q9. How important is ‘trust’ as a CX metric for AKAI, and how are you working to build and sustain it?
AS: Trust is not a campaign, it’s a culture. For us, it’s about delivering on our promise, every single time. That means transparent warranty policies, fast and effective customer support, and genuine respect for people’s time and homes. We’ve invested in training technicians, building a wide service network, and improving installation turnaround times. We want our customers to feel that once they choose AKAI, they’re not just buying a product, they’re stepping into a relationship. Over time, that trust turns into preference, and eventually, advocacy. That’s our north star. Our Gold promise.
Q10. What’s next in AKAI India innovation roadmap for home electronics and connected appliances?
AS: Our vision isn’t driven by trends, it’s grounded in use cases. We’re focused on building products that feel intuitive, long-lasting, and tailored to Indian conditions. On the AC front, we’re working on even more efficient inverter systems, adaptive cooling algorithms that respond to external climate data, and materials that further increase product life in high-dust and high-humidity areas. Beyond cooling, we’re exploring new product categories in home electronics where simplicity, durability, and air quality will play a central role. We don’t want to be the flashiest in the room, we want to be the most dependable in your home.
Closing
As AKAI redefines comfort through design-led, climate-conscious, and tech-enabled solutions, it’s clear that their approach to customer experience goes beyond features and pricing. It’s about engineering trust, durability, and simplicity into every unit sold. Through models like Siaachen, Nilgiree, and Kaashmir, AKAI isn’t just entering the market—it’s resonating with the lives, climates, and aspirations of millions of Indian consumers. With leaders like Mr. Anurag Sharma at the helm, the brand seems poised not just to make a comeback, but to set a new CX benchmark for the home electronics space.
