seven new two-wheelers unveiled

N e w s Two Wheelers
HMSI | SEVEN NEW TWO-WHEELERS UNVEILED
Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI)
made the best use of the Auto Expo platform,
showcasing seven new two-wheelers, including
five Indian mass production models and two
models from Honda’s global portfolio. The Indian
range includes four motorcycles – 110 cc Dream
Yuva, new 125 cc CB Shine, 150 cc CBR150R and
the new 250 cc CBR250R – and one scooter, the
new 102 cc Dio. The 1,312 cc V-twin engine VT
1300CX and the new 999 cc 2012 CBR1000RR Fireblade completed the HMSI line-up.
While the Dream Yuva and the CB Shine are targeted for the mass market, the CBR150R and
CBR250R are targeted to meet demands of biking
enthusiasts with a limited budget. The Dream
Yuva’s production is expected to start in May 2012,
and is expected to be priced around ` 46,000. The
CBR150R, expected to be priced at ` 1.2 lakh, was
a surprise for the industry and visitors.
HMSI also displayed its first mass production
model, the 1949 icon “Dream D” from where the
company’s vision for “The Power of Dreams” originated.
HMSI has a total investment of ` 1,800 crore in
India and the company plans to invest another
` 1,000 crore in the next year, increasing HMSI’s
total annual production to 40 lakh by 2013. The
company already has two plants in Manesar,
Haryana and Tapukara, Rajasthan. The Manesar
plant has a production capacity of 16 lakh units,
employs 7,205 people and manufactures Honda
Activa, Aviator, Dio, CB Shine, Unicorn and the
CBR. The Tapukara plant currently has a production capacity of six lakh units, employs 1,859
people and manufactures Honda the Activa and
CB Twister. The expansion of the Tapukara facility
will be completed in February 2012, and production will be doubled to 12 lakh units with a workforce of 3,400 people.
Further, in 2013, the company will start production at its new plant in Narsapura, Karnataka.
At its full capacity, the facility is expected to
employ 5,000 people and manufacture Honda
Activa and all new models from HMSI.
NEW ENTRY | KTM LAUNCHES 200 DUKE
Bajaj Auto Limited (BAL) recently announced the
launch of the KTM brand in India, with the launch of
the 200 Duke. The 200 Duke will be sold through a
network of 34 KTM stores earlier operating as Probiking outlets. Through these stores, KTM will also sell
KTM PowerWear and PowerParts. KTM plans to
launch the larger bikes from the Duke range – the
990 & 690 by 2014. The 200 Duke naked streetfighter is powered by a 200 cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC,
4-valve engine producing 25 bhp and a torque of 19
Nm. Combined with a dry weight of just 125 kg, the
power-to-weight ratio is a segment best 184 ps/ton.
Other segment first features include trellis frame and
upside down forks. Leveraging BAL’s experience in
India, the bike has been localised up to 95 %, thereby
allowing the company to undercut the competition in
terms of price. The 200 Duke has been launched at an
introductory price of ` 1.17 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi
with bookings to start in early February.
Just before the Auto Expo, Bajaj had launched the
RE 60, a four-wheeler aimed at the three-wheeler
segment.
ROYAL ENFIELD | THUNDERBIRD GETS 500 CC SIBLING
Royal Enfield launched the Thunderbird 500 at
the Auto Expo, a cruiser motorcycle based on the
Classic 500. The new motorcycle is powered
by a 500 cc engine producing 27.2 bhp and also
features electronic fuel injection system.
New features in the bike include a 55 w projector
headlamp for lowbeam, 55 w halogen for highbeam,
LED tail lamp, split seats with the rear being detachable and digital trip meter. Pricing and additional
details will be announced closer to the market launch.
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Thunderbird now gets a twin disc brake setup,
including a 280 mm front and 240 mm rear disc.
The company also showcased its Café Racer
Concept, which is expected to be in the market
sometime in 2013. Although technical details
haven’t been revealed, the bike will sport
clip-on handlebars and Ohlins rear shockers.
At the event Royal Enfield also launched
branded gear, which includes helmets, riding
jackets, boots, gloves, etc.
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HERO MOTOCORP | FIRST SOLO SHOW AT AUTO EXPO
At the first Auto Expo, post its separation from
Honda, Hero MotoCorp showcased three new twowheelers, scheduled for launch in India during
2012. The three new products would include the
110 cc Passion X Pro and 125 cc Ignitor motorcycles, apart from a 110 cc scooter, named Maestro.
The company said that the Maestro will be
launched early 2012, while the two bikes are
planned to be launched at the end of the year.
The Maestro is positioned exclusively for males,
said Pawan Munjal, MD and CEO of Hero MotoCorp
and added the company is focusing on the scooter
market with the Maestro. “Our share in the gearless
scooter market has been consistently going up,
selling an average of over 35,000 units of the
100 cc Pleasure per month,” Munjal said.
Apart from these production vehicles, the
company also unveiled a concept hybrid scooter,
which is being developed together with a foreign
consultant. The first hybrid scooter in India, this
product will have an engine that will be activated
once the battery power goes down.
The company continues to get technology
support from Honda, and the new models reflect
the same, said Anil Dua, Senior VP – Marketing
and Sales of Hero MotoCorp.
FIRST STEP | TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES DEBUT IN INDIA
At the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo, British bike manufacturer, Triumph Motorcycles unveiled its line-up
of seven motorcycles for the Indian Market. The
seven offerings include Bonneville, Speed Triplet,
Street Triple, Tiger 800XC, Daytona 675, Storm
and the Rocket III Roadster. The portfolio starts at
a price of ` 5.5 lakh for Bonneville and goes up to
` 22 lakh for the Rocket III Roadster.
Serious about the growing Indian market, the
company will assemble a few products in India
and the remaining will be imported as CBU. The
company plans to set up an assembly plant,
which should start operations by mid-2012, assembling 5–10 bikes a day.
This year, the company plans to retail its bikes
through four dealerships that will come up in New
Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chandigarh. In the
next three years, the company plans to increase
its dealership network to about 12 centres.
Triumph will start taking bookings for its motorcycles by mid-2012 through its dealerships,
once its assembly plant commences operations.
According to Ashish Joshi, Managing Director
of Triumph Motorcycles India, “With India being
a very important part of our global strategy, we
will be making continuous efforts to provide
Indian customers with everything from genuine
parts, unrivaled after sales service to bonafide
Triumph merchandise and accessories, through
our dealership principals.”
NEW LAUNCHES | SUZUKI HAYATE, SUZUKI SWISH MAKES ENTRY
The Delhi Auto Expo saw the launch of two
new products from the Suzuki Motorcycle India
(SMIL) stable – the Hayate motorcycle and
a scooter called Swish. Targeted for the younger
audience, the 125 cc Swish is essentially
a restyled Access, the company’s current scooter
offering. The scooter is expected to be priced
at about ` 45,000 and will be go on sale in
March 2012. The 110 cc Hayate is Suzuki’s
attempt to enter the mass market and is
expected to be launched with a price tag
of ` 40,000.
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In 2013, the company plans to increase its
annual production from the current 3.6 lakh
units to 5.4 lakh units. Atul Gupta, Vice President (Sales and Marketing) at SMIL said, “We
have already invested ` 400 crore. The total investment which is going into the new products
and capacity expansion is about ` 100 crore.”
With the launch of Swish, SMIL is targeting a
market share of 35 % in scooters, up from 25 %
in the next one year. In the motorcycle segment
too, SMIL is hoping for a four-fold growth from
the current 1 % share in the market.
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