Indian Motos Blog

Polaris to launch ATV on August 24; Victory Motorcycles in 2012

Shrawan Raja — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:35:11 +0000

Polaris, the international manufacturer of ATV’s and snowmobiles will be launching its ATV range in India. The Sportsman, Ranger and Ranger RZR series along with Outlaw, a 50cc ATV for the kids, will be introduced all at once. Its wide range of ATV’s has a wide range of audience too from kids to serious off-roading adults. The sportsman range is the nimbler ATV which provides capable off-road abilities and looks like a regular ATV. The Ranger (pictured) and Ranger RZR are much serious machines made for challenging off-road tracks and deliver high performance. Apart from this news Polaris has also announced that it will be launching its Victory motorcycle brand in India in 2012. Polaris looks very serious about the Indian market and has promising plans and a solid line up for the future. With big manufacturers like Triumph and Harley Davidson heading to India firing in all cylinders it’s inevitable for brands like Polaris to ignore the Indian market anymore. Visit the Polaris international website to learn more about these special vehicles.

Hyosung GT250R – Will the Comet strike India again?

Shrawan Raja — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:08:34 +0000

For the prudent yet enthusiastic motorcyclist, the quarter liter class seems the one to look for. With major players like the Ninja and CBR 250R already on the charts, it is imperative for others to hop on to the 250 cc bandwagon. Speaking of competitors, Hyosung has its hands full with the GT650 and the ST7. And to enter the 250 cc segment, the Korean manufacturer has just one motorcycle with two versions. While it may be known as the Comet in some countries, GT250 is the global name for the bike. In contrast to its well dressed twin GT250R, the GT 250 is a naked street machine. The bike which is propelled by a 249 cc V-twin will churn out 29 bhp at 10, 000 rpm and a twist of 23 Nm. With a kerb weight of 155 kgs, the GT250 is lighter than the CBR 250R and the Ninja, which translates to better power to weight ratio. The V- twin geometry also promises top speeds well above 150 kmph. The bikini fairing and headlamps are reminiscent of a certain FZ that we know of. The boldly exposed frame and neatly upswept exhausts make up the package. If and when the GT250 is launched, the bike will be competitively priced. And when that happens we will be all too happy to get our eager hands on it.

Spied – KTM Duke 350 that follows the 200

Shrawan Raja — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:46:58 +0000

The Indian bike enthusiast is an excited person and it's about to get better for him. well almost. Following the CBR250R and the Ninja 650R, KTM is rolling out the red carpet with the 200cc Duke motorcycle at the Auto Expo in New Delhi next year. If this was not enough for, there comes good news from the Austrian company. The third variant of the low-displacement Duke series, the Duke 350 will also be launched in India once the 200cc lays its path.

The Duke's 350cc motor could be installed on a fully faired sportsbike called the KTM Moto3 350, an Enduro and a motocross sibling understood through a photograph published on HellForLeather magazine showing the product roadmap till 2014. We have written several times about the alliance between Bajaj and KTM. Both the 200cc and 350cc Duke Bikes will be manufacturer at Bajaj’s Chakan plant and it is from here where the Duke 125cc is also manufactured for European countries. Mr Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM Sport Motorcycle AG expects KTM sell 25,000-35,000 KTM bikes in the first year of its launch with the 125's right blend of performance, quality and fuel economy.

Carbon fiber helmets from Steelbird @ just10k!

Shrawan Raja — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:42:27 +0000

As and how the two-wheeler market is developing, so is the motorcycle accessories business. Popular brand Steelbird has provided Indian customers with quality helmets, panniers and luggage accessories at an affordable price for quite some time now. And now they have launched India’s first Carbon fiber helmet at the price of Rs. 10,000 which is very economic comparatively. Carbon fiber is the one of the toughest and lightest materials in the automotive industry. It is the same material that is used as the body panels of high end sports cars. Being one of the lightest materials to be used in the industry, it will reduce the fatigue and stress level on the neck and shoulders of the users. The light weight will make it a favorite on long trips where fatigue and stress level induced is high. In the international market, where the helmet industry is pretty evolved, prices range from 60, 000 and can go northwards of 84, 000 too! A Valentino Rossi replica from AGV will cost you beyond Rs. 85,000/-. In India itself another popular brand Vega has launched a Bluetooth enabled helmet which can be paired to the cell phone as well as another helmet of same make.

Yamaha India posts encouraging sales figures

Shrawan Raja — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:02:58 +0000

India Yamaha Motor has registered a staggering 28.5 % growth over July last year. In comparison to the 22,899 units sold in July 2010, this year the company has posted a sales figure of 29, 021. Correspondingly the exports of the company have also risen. This is due to the inclusion of the new variants in the FZ and SZ series and has led to the highest ever monthly sale the company has achieved this year. A very pleased Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO & MD of India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd. has also mentioned that the company is involved in marketing and dealer expansion agendas, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Backed by this will be reinforcement of customer relations by initiating consumer –centric marketing initiatives like the R 15 One Make Race, the Yamaha Safe Riding Science and Yamaha Service camps. The ‘YESYAMAHA’ campaign is the company’s initiative towards the existing customers in terms of sales, service and spares. Not only that, Yamaha will approach the festive season with a very optimistic step.

TVS records consistent demand across segments

Shrawan Raja — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:54:16 +0000

A strong and a consistent demand across all the segments have resulted in the cumulative growth of 15% for TVS. The overall sales in July 2010 was 1, 66, 214 and the company bettered it by posting a figure of 1,89, 962 units this month. While the company’s major production is for domestic market, the exports too seem to be rising exponentially. This year the company has posted growth of 34%. Being the two wheeler company as we know it, TVS has excelled in scooter and bike market by 22 and 14% respectively and the three wheeler production has seen a boost of 6% over the corresponding month last year. Even though the company has not launched a completely new product recently, TVS has consistently been chipping away at the sales chart. TVS sells brands like Scooty, MaxR, Jive, Wego and Apache in India.

Royal Enfield to thump even louder – New variants on the anvil

Shrawan Raja — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:00:43 +0000

In line with expanding production, Royal Enfield has announced the setup of its new plant; once again in Chennai. In response to the huge demand in domestic as well as international markets, the new plant will nearly double the production to 1,50,000 units annually. The 50 acre plant which is slated for the 2013 will demand an investment of Rs 350 crore, spread over the next five years. The facility will be equipped to produce the entire range of the company and will be backed by the proximity of vendors and supply chain in the area. In light of the growing ecological concerns, the factory will be installed with an effective auto-eco system at Oragadam.

Although the company has consistently posted an upward curve on the sales graph, the demand supply deficit has never been closed in the past few months. With this expansion plan, CEO, Venki Padmanabhan has put his money where his mouth is. Last month, he had addressed the customer problems of late deliveries and quality issues and promised a hike in production. His ambitious plans include upping the production to 2, 50,000 units per annum through greenfield and brownfield projects over the span of three to five years. The move comes in synch with the launch of a chromed up version of the flagship model Classic 500 for the international market. We at indianmotosblog just hope that it would be available for India as well.

What’s in the name Hero MotoCorp?

Shrawan Raja — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 05:45:00 +0000

A hundred crore apparently! Obviously Shakespeare wasn’t aware of modern corporate strategies when he first asked that. Hero Honda has invested Rs 100 crore in the restructuring of the brand. On August 9th, the company will reveal the much awaited global brand identity in London.

Although the agreement last year allows Hero group to use the Honda brand till 2014, the two-wheeler major is insistent on acquiring an independent identity as soon as possible to maintain its numero uno rank at the top. Previously in May, the company had hired a Wolff Olins, a brand consultancy firm. The firm was assigned to restructure the logo, brand architecture and image of the company. Later on in May, the company employed Law & Kenneth as the creative partner for devising a new brand positioning and reworking the image of the company. Now that shareholders have approved of the change in branding, a full fledged revamp drive will be backed by a of slew strategic initiatives. The news comes in with Hero Honda posting its highest ever quarterly sales of over 1.5 million units. The two companies had signed a new licensing agreement in March this year. According to the agreement, Hero will pay its Japanese counterpart a sum total of 45 billion yen (about 2450 crore) till 2014. The move is the first important step since Hero decided to go solo after a good 26 year old run with Honda.

HMSI mulls over liter class products for the Indian market

Shrawan Raja — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 05:25:47 +0000

For the past ten years or so, we have been pitching bikes with engines the size of coffee mugs against each other. And then due to the consistent nudges (in installments of 20 cc) from Bajaj we finally gave in to the pleasures of horsepower. We have now graduated to the quarter liter class. Miraculously, the transit from 250 cc to 650 cc has taken less than a year. The Hyosung GT 650R has faced competition from the Ninja650R in less than three months! And in response to this trend, Honda has reportedly expressed interest in bringing down 500 cc and 1000 cc products for its Indian portfolio. Even though Honda already sells the CBR 1000 and VFR 1220F in the CBU form, these fall prey to the custom duties. The eye watering price eventually is burdened on the bhp struck purist petrol head. The good news is that a sub-500 cc bike might be assembled on the Indian soil for domestic markets itself. To back this plan, HMSI will increase the localization of parts from 75% to 90%! Personally, we’d like to pitch CBR600 against the Yamaha R6..But then again we are all allowed some wishful thinking!

MH state govt policies push Bajaj to explore avenues in Gujarat

Shrawan Raja — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 05:11:46 +0000

In addition to the two plants in Maharashtra and one in Uttarakhand, Bajaj Auto has proposed plans for their fourth and largest ever plant in the country. The new plant will be situated near the Mundra port in Gujarat. With an investment of nearly 1, 000 crore, the company plans to produce a four-wheeler which will be a next generation passenger mover. The 500 acre factory will have an installed capacity of producing 5 million units annually. However, 60% of this production will be export oriented. Apparently, Bajaj is not the only company to have plans for Gujarat. Tata has already begun production of the Nano in Sanand. In the recent past, four wheeled players like Ford and Maruti Suzuki have expressed interest in the state. The move to shift from its steady base in Maharashtra was due to a fifteen month long dispute between the company and the Maharashtra State government, which has withheld Rs 1,100 crore in sales tax refunds. Instead, the government has demanded Rs. 600 crore from the company for nonpayment of sales tax for the year 2009-10. The motorcycle giant will challenge the notice in the tribunal. In addition to the government’s erratic behavior, the acute labor problems at the Chakan plant seems to have forced the company to look at more proactive avenues.