Yamaha recalls luxury sports bike

Japanese bike maker Yamaha is calling back its super sports bike YZF R1 (998CC) in India to fix a potential problem with the super luxury bike that retails for around Rs 16 lakh.

The company said around 100 units of the bikes may be called back to fix the defect, and this is being done as part of a global exercise.


"Yamaha Motor Co., Japan, has determined that a defect which relates to headlight lead coupler overheating and melting, exists in YZF-R 1 motorcycle falling within certain production numbers. This headlight sub-lead must be replaced at the earliest in the motorcycles falling within certain production numbers," the company said. 

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With competitive pricing, Bajaj Auto hopes to Discover a larger market

Bajaj Auto today launched a new 125 cc bike Discover. The company said that this will play a crucial role in increasing its market share in motorcycles from 22 per cent now.

The 125 cc bike addresses the large market of 100 cc to 125 cc segment, which accounts for about 85 per cent of the domestic motorcycle market.


It is seen to help garner big volumes as it is priced attractively at ₹49,075, ex-showroom in Hyderabad.


This bike is about 4,000 lower than similar bikes offered by other manufacturers such as Glamour and Passion , making it an attractive proposition, said K Srinivas, President, Motorcycle Business.


Srinivas said: “AP accounts for about 17 per cent of total 125 cc bikes sold in the country. Therefore, we decided to launch the bike here.”

The new bike comes with a 125 cc 4-valve twin-spark DTSi engine offering 11.5 Ps power and a mileage of 76 km per litre making it an attractive proposition for new bike buyers, he said.


“Bajaj Auto has a market share of about 22 per cent of the country’s market of about 8.3 lakh motorcycles per month. However, in the sporty bike segment, we have a market share of about 45 per cent,” he explained.


Market remains subdued : The company has overall manufacturing capacity of 4.8 million a year and the current capacity utilisation is at about 85 per cent, he said.


Referring to the country’s market of motorcycles, he said the SIAM data shows that the market continues to be subdued. On the Government’s recent move to bring down excise duty, he said though the manufacturers have passed on the benefit to the customers immediately after it was announced late last month, its impact has not yet been felt so far.

“While the move is good for the automotive sector, we expect volumes to pick up in the next couple of months.

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Piaggio eyes bigger scooter space, plans to grow Vespa portfolio

Piaggio to launch super premium scooter Vespa 946 in 3 months time, priced in Rs 8-9 lakh range.

Italian two-wheeler maker Piaggio on Wednesday said it is considering launching ‘bigger’ scooters in the Indian market that will be less premium than its existing Vespa portfolio. While plans are still to materialise, the new scooters will have a separate branding than Vespa.

“Piaggio has a very strong product portfolio. We are conducting an extensive market research to establish whether there could be a market for a big-wheel scooter, which could be a 300-400 cc scooter and it will be a revolutionary concept,” Piaggio Vehicles CMD Ravi Chopra said.

Unlike Vespa, which was re-launched in India two years ago and is positioned as a premium product, the new scooters will cater to a more consumer set. The company is simultaneously looking at scaling up Vespa’s presence and product portfolio in the country.


In the pipeline are plans to launch super premium scooter Vespa 946 in three months time, priced in the Rs 8-9 lakh range. Vespa 946 will be completely built unit and will join the other three premium scooters including the Vespa S, launched on Wednesday at Rs 76,496 (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

“Our mission was to create a premium space for scooters, which to an extent we have successfully managed to do. India offers a large opportunity and we are yet to leverage its full potential here. So far, we have done 80,000 scooters since the launch. Our hope is to do better in 2014, and with more products we’d add incremental volumes each year,” said Chopra.

Piaggio sold 2,001 scooters in January 2014, a decline of 50% on a year-on-year basis, while its sales in April-Jan 2014 were down 6% to 27,808 scooters on a year-on-year basis.


The overall scooter segment, however, has been seeing tremendous growth during the said period. In April-January 2014 period the segment grew 21% to 29.3 lakh scooters on a year-on-year basis. In January 2014, scooter sales was up 28% to 3.2 lakh scooters on a year-on-year basis.


Piaggio currently has just about 1% market share in the domestic market. In January 2013, the company cut scooter prices by R10,000, which it recalled two months later. The company cites the move as marketing error.

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Harley-Davidson quality customs are a Shaw thing

CUSTOMISING has always been a big part of the Harley-Davidson experience.

There is an old joke which says that the Milwaukee firm’s parts and accessories catalogue is a bigger read than War and Peace.

Personalising your bike, making it unique to you, whether for extra comfort, improved performance or simply for looks, is all part of the ride.


This includes everything from simple add-ons such as a different seat or changed exhaust to chopping and altering the frame, changing the bodywork or adding a huge, fat rear wheel.


Tucked away in the deepest East Sussex countryside is one of the most successful motorcycle dealers in the UK.

Shaw Harley-Davidson has been trading since 2002, when owner John Shaw decided to swap lawnmowers for a different type of machinery.


And a fortuitous move it proved to be, with sales and turnover booming.


But stroll around the back of the showroom, past the high-tech and pristine workshop, and you’ll discover a real treasure trove.


This is where the other side of the business is located – the custom operation.


Shaw Speed and Custom has been operating since 2009.


The firm had been customising for some time, but it was at that time that it was decided to take this part of the business to “another level”, as Team Principal Steve Willis explains.

Steve says: “It all started in 2009, when we created a bike called the Strike True II, which really stretched our imaginations and our abilities, and allowed the guys in the workshop to show what they could do.”

This 1940s-style machine, based on a Crossbones FLSTSB, took first place at the London International Motorcycle Show in the Modified Harley-Davidson category.

This win gave the bike an automatic entry into the most prestigious and important international custom competition – the World Championships at Sturgis, in South Dakota, USA.

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GMail Makes It Easy to Rid Your Inbox Of Promo Emails

One-click unsubscribe right next to the sender’s address. A million email marketers’ voices were suddenly silenced. Gmail is making it easier for you the user to weed out the plethora of junk you have signed up for over the years. Hey, we all know those cruise deals are great, and they come with a special of Norovirus. It makes for more memorable Instagram photos.

Now if you don’t want the latest deals, or are just simply tired of achieving inbox zero, well Google has you covered. There’s a one-click unsubscribe link right next to the sender’s address. No longer are you left to hunt down the unsub link and go through the ‘are you sure you want to do this?’ Nah, I accidentally hunted this link down for a few minutes, clicked it, hit the radio buttons, but I’m still unclear as to why I’m here.


E-mail marketers are now faced with the dilemma of switching to engage their customers. No longer will they be able to just blast away to their lists. It is too easy now to just jump off the list. Expect value added to enter the lexicon of online marketers everywhere.


A piece of good news for marketers is that the unsubscribe button means that fewer emails will be tagged as spam. This has been causing delivery rates to drop as customers get frustrated about how to get off the list. With it front and center, delivery rates should be back up. Now it will be their job to sell in such a way that doesn’t earn them the one-click.


News of this tool was first reported at an industry conference by Google last week. So if you’re an email marketer, prepare to step up your game. In this arena, content is king.

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Honda, Hero MotoCorp slash product prices

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) and Hero MotoCorp today slashed product prices after the excise duty reduction announced in the Interim Budget 2014-15.

HMSI cut prices by up to Rs 7,600 while Hero MotoCorp reduced rates by up to Rs 4,500.


"We have decided to pass on the entire benefit of the excise duty cut to our customers. We have judiciously spread out the price cut across our product portfolio ranging from 2 per cent going up to 5 per cent with the maximum reduction being Rs 4,500," Hero MotoCorp Ltd (HMCL) said in a statement. 


Hero MotoCorp's bike portfolio includes Karizma ZMR, Impulse, Splendor and Glamour.

Welcoming the cut in excise or factory gate duty, HMSI said it has "decided to pass the full benefit of 4 per cent excise duty reduction on two-wheelers to its valued customers across India with immediate effect".

The price benefit starts from minimum of Rs 1,600 on Dream Neo motorcycle, priced between Rs 43,150 and Rs 47,289, and goes up to Rs 7,600 on CBR 250R performance bike tagged between Rs 1.58 lakh and Rs 1.93 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).


HMSI sells a range of scooters including the Activa and Deo, and motorcycles such as Dream Yuga, CB Stunner, CB Unicorn and CB Twister among others.


Presenting the interim budget yesterday, Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced reduction in excise duty on small car, motorcycles, scooter and commercial vehicles to 8 per cent from 12 per cent, and on SUVs to 24 per cent from 30 per cent.

In a bid to provide relief to the automobile industry, where sales have declined, the government had lowered excise duty till June 30.

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Bajaj Pulsar 150NS and 180NS first spy shots: 2014 Delhi Auto Expo

Bajaj Auto, India’s leading two wheeler manufacturer in the 150+ cc segment, has already confirmed the launch of new motorcycles under the Pulsar range. Recently, we spotted two new Pulsar variants, which looked like NS versions of Pulsar 150 and Pulsar 180.

Bajaj Auto Limited, is suffering a slight slowdown in the 150-200 cc motorcycle category and is keen to augment its position as No 1 with a slew of new product launches. At the Delhi Auto Expo, they are expected to show their new range of Pulsar motorcycles.

This will include the launch of all new 200 SS Pulsar. It is a fully faired version of Pulsar 200 NS, with slight improvements in the engine output and riding dynamics. You can have a look at the spy shots of the same in our previous post. Apart from this, there will also be new Pulsar 150 and 180 variants, in the NS format. We managed to click the new Pulsar 150 NS and 180 NS while they were being tested on NH4 near Mahabaleshwar.

The images you see below, are the first clear shots of the Pulsar 150NS and 180NS. Looking at the spy pictures here, you will see that all motorcycles look the same at first glance. A closer look and you will realize that they are a little different.


For instance, the rear mud guard is different, so is the design of rear seats. We guess the Pulsar 180 NS will feature split seats, while the 150 NS will come without split seats. Major update seen is the much needed monoshock suspension at the rear. The tank is different as compared to the current 150/180, and is more like the existing 200 NS Pulsar. The usual silencer is also missing, and is replaced by an under-body one, just like one’s in Duke 200, 390, and Pulsar 200 NS.

On the engine front, both the 150 NS and 180 NS featured the same DTS-i engine as seen on the existing variants. But performance seems to be tweaked for better top speed and acceleration. We were also able to listen to it’s sound, and the new Pulsar 150NS and 180NS sounded more like the 200NS, thanks to the new silencer.


Price of the new bikes should be similar to the existing 150 and 180, in the Rs 70-75k, while launch should take place at the Delhi Auto Expo next month.   

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Harley walks the middle path with Street 750

Smaller, nimbler, better suited for city conditions. These were the words used by Harley Davidson while unveiling its Street 750 at the second India Bike Week at Goa over the weekend. And the promotional video features a guy-next-door model, vastly different from the macho image that Harley has always portrayed.

“This bike was designed and developed based on inputs from one-on-one interactions with over 3,000 riders in different parts of the world, 600 from India alone,” said Anoop Prakash, CEO, Harley Davidson India. The feedback was that the people wanted a more usable bike, with good handling for city riding, he said.

The Street is a completely new product from ground up, and is the company’s first new design in over 14 years after the V-Rod, which was a collaboration with Porsche and which hardcore fans call the “most un-Harley bike from Harley.”

The Street, however, has been developed completely in-house at the Harley headquarters in Milwaukee in the US. The designers went through the design archives all the way back to the 1930s, adopting bits from different eras to try and keep the bike true to the heritage of Harley Davidson, said Frank Savage, Harley’s design chief.

The result is the smallest bike to emerge from the Harley stable so far, a 750-cc V-twin that will shortly be joined by an even smaller sibling with a 500-cc engine that would however be identical in most other aspects.

The Street will make the Harley brand accessible for more riders in emerging markets.


Shorn of the rhetoric, however, the US bike-maker is reaching out to more potential riders in view of dwindling sales in the home market, as the traditional buyer of its massive cruiser ages out of the equation, and young bikers look towards Japanese and European sports bikes.


A decade ago the company had set off howls among purists when it introduced a range of small --- by its standards --- bikes with a 900-cc engine, primarily targeting the woman rider. This has had some success, with the range doing well in developing countries such as India where, starting at just over Rs. 6lakh, it brought the brand within the reach of more buyers, including the youth.

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Harley-Davidson Pushes Slimmer Model for India’s Gridlock

Harley-Davidson Inc., the maker of the Fatboy and Road King touring motorcycles, is introducing a slimmer vision of hog heaven in India.


Harley will start building the new Street next year in India, the world’s second-biggest motorbike market, targeting young urbanites who want a nimbler ride more suited to Mumbai

gridlock and potholes than U.S. highways. With 750-cc and 500-cc variants, the liquid-cooled Street will be the smallest in a lineup that includes the 1.5 million-rupee ($24,500), 1,688-cc Fatboy -- and will cost about one-third as much.

India, where sales of bikes 500-cc and above are forecast to surge eightfold in the next decade, is key to Harley’s push to win over emerging markets and reduce dependence on U.S.

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Honda Activa-I : Engine - 110cc, Mileage - 60 Kmpl, Price - Rs. 44,200

The Honda Activa is one of the hottest selling scooters in India but in the recent times, it's facing a cut-throat competition from rival Japanese & Indian two-wheelers.

In order to maintain their lead and regain the lost market share, Honda's fully owned local subsidiary, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India aka HMSI launched the new Activa-I, with a price tag of Rs. 44,200 (ex-showroom in Delhi). The company also sells two other models, Dio & Aviator with the same 110 cc engine at higher prices.

Technical specs wise, Activa-I offers nothing exciting. It's powered by a 110 cc, air-cooled engine which produces 8.15PS at 7500 rpm (revolutions per minute) and a torque of about 8.74 Nm at 5500 rpm. The brakes system is the same as you'd find in oldie Activa called the Combi Brake System (CBS).

The CBS technology allows the total braking distance reduced by about 24% as compared to other traditional brakes system. The new Activa-I comes with tubeless tyers, a viscous air-filter and most importantly - a maintenance free battery. 

On the mileage side, the Honda engineering team promises a cool 60 Kmpl with their Honda Eco Technology aka HET. Based on user feedback for older activa; we'd expect the mileage to be about 50 kmpl on city roads. We'd like to know if any of the CEans are getting a better mileage from their Activa. 

The petrol tank can accomodate approximately 18 liters. The new Activa-I offers a greater ground clearance, of about 165mm (as compared to older Activa's 153mm). The dead-weight of the scooter is about 103 Kg.

For the women riders, there's an ergonomic grab rail - which promises to bring down the total effort of putting the scooter on main stand by about 15%. We'd definitely like to have a first hand review of this system. Do let us know through the comments!

The Activa-I will be made available in four cool colors viz. Beige Metallic, Pearl Sunbeam White, Alpha Red Metallic and Purple Metallic. 

HMSI's CEO, Mr. Keita Muramatsu informed the press that Activa-I is a creation of a team of about 200 engineers working on a project for about a year. The company now plans to make a 100% 'Made In India' two-wheeler, but did not comment on whether it'll be a motorcycle or a scooter.

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Bajaj dares autos with RE60

New Delhi, May 26: Bajaj Auto will start production of its four-wheeled commercial vehicle RE60 — considered as a rival to autos — after the government notifies the specs and configuration of quadricycles, which is likely to come in 10 days.

Last week, the government allowed quadricycles within city limits as public transport. The quadricycle is a four-wheeled vehicle with a metal body and doors. It looks like a small car but is lighter than the Nano and has lower engine capacity and lower top speed.

“The RE60 will soon be joined by other such vehicles. We should expect more similar light, small and low speed commercial vehicles, which are safe to use in the days to come. As an anti-car company we are just delighted,” said Bajaj Auto managing director Rajiv Bajaj after the Centre’s announcement last week. The vehicle is likely to be priced around Rs 1.5 lakh.


Bajaj has been campaigning for the approval of this vehicle platform, which is set to be a safer option than the three-wheeled auto-rickshaw.

According to sources, quadricycles will be classified as commercial vehicles with a maximum weight of 450 kilogram and a top speed of about 70 kilometres per hour. The vehicle will only be allowed to ply on city roads and not on highways.


The RE60 has been developed in-house and is touted to set a global benchmark in CO2 emissions and deliver a high mileage of 35 kmpl. The company plans to roll out 5,000 units per month of the much-delayed vehicle from its Aurangabad plant.


It has light weight and a robust monocoque metal-polymer hybrid structure. The water-cooled DTSi four valve 200cc engine possesses a closed loop fuel injection system for a high performance and fuel efficiency.


“The RE60 seems to be a functional vehicle and is definitely better than an auto-rickshaw. We have to see its commercial viability though and pricing will play an important role in deciding its fate. Pricing will also depend on how much government support it manages to garner,” said auto expert Murad Ali Baig.


According to Baig, other companies are likely to come out with quadricycles only after seeing the performance of Bajaj’s new entrant.


“TVS originally brought in the concept of a quadricycle but never worked on it. The company can easily bring out one, but it will see how the people react to the RE60,” he said.

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An 'Indian' comes to India to take on Harley-Davidson

Its origin dates back to 1902, even before the US iconic super bike maker Harley-Davidson was founded. The century-old cult American brand 'Indian', is now planning to enter the Indian market by mid-2014, pitting its premium cruisers against the market leader, Harley-Davidson.

One of the two motorcycle brands owned by US-based Polaris, the Indian is aggressively venturing beyond the US to push volumes and sees India as a key market.

Though the name might suggest, the brand has no link with the country. Originally called the 'American Indian', it is inspired by America's indigenous tribe, Red Indians. The name was later shortened to 'Indian'.


The company has had a chequered history, with numerous owners. It was acquired by DuPont Motors in 1930 and sold as many units as Harley-Davidson in the '40s. But, it went bankrupt in 1945 after being taken over by Rogers Group. After that, there were nine companies that bought and sold the brand before it finally came in the Polaris group's fold.


The brand is developing an entire range of bikes with the new engine type it showcased at the Daytona Bike Week earlier this year. The Indian uses some of the biggest engines known to motorcycles for its up-market cruisers.


With its heritage but a limited customer base, the Indian will target consumers in India looking for a cruiser brand other than Harley-Davidson.


Within three years of entering the country, rival Harley-Davidson, the price of which starts from Rs 571,000, sold over 1,325 units in India last year, despitea slowdown in the automobile sector. Its sales grew 178 per cent from 476 units a year before.


The Indian will have to piggy-back on the plans of its parent company, US-based Polaris Industries, which is also finalising plans for the launch of its own brand, Victory, in India. The company, which markets all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in India, had bought the Indian in 2011.


Under the Indian brand are models like Chief Classic, Dark Horse and Vintage - all priced above $26,000 (Rs 14,30,000). It is showcasing a new cheaper model in August this year which will be priced at $19,000 (Rs 10,45,000). Prices of these models will more than double when imported to India.

It is not yet clear if the Indian and Victory brands will be marketed from a single showroom or different showrooms with separate branding.

"The company was on schedule to launch the Victory range this year, but decided to change its plans when it thought that the Indian brand would be better suited for the local market for an inaugural launch," said a source.

Polaris India Managing Director Pankaj Dubey confirmed that the company was planning to launch the Indian brand in the country next year but declined to elaborate on the plans. Apart from India, Polaris intends to take Indian brand to China as well.

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Overdrive 2013 Hero Maestro

Hero MotoCorp has announced a five-year warranty on all it's 2-wheelers in India. While the warranty program for scooters is for 5 years/50,000km, the cover for motorcycles is 5 years/70,000km whichever is earlier. 

While it may be a first of sorts for the two-wheeler market that a manufacturer is offering 5 year warranty on its entire product portfolio, this is not the first time we have seen such on a motorcycle. A few years back, TVS had rolled out an advertisement with the offer of a 5-year warranty on the Star City range.

Anil Dua, Sr. vice president (marketing & sales), Hero MotoCorp said, Staying true to our splendid legacy, all Hero two-wheelers will now have a 5-year warranty. Hero MotoCorp is the first manufacturer in the country to offer this benefit. It is in tradition of Hero MotoCorp having always led the way in customer service. This announcement is also an expression of our confidence in the unparalleled quality of our products, backed by strong R&D and excellent manufacturing capabilities.  

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Bajaj sales highest in Gujarat alone in Western Region, Discover achieves 14 Lakh sales

AHMEDABAD: Bajaj Auto Ltd. sold 14 lakh plus Discover motorcycles in India's Western Region. Gujarat was one of the largest contributors in its growth in Western Region.

The accomplishment, according to the company's press statement, has been set in a very short span is backed by the growth of Discover 100, Discover 125, Discover 125 ST and the newly launched Discover 100T. Out of the 14,12,647 Discover units sold in the Western Region between July 2009 and March 2013, 3,71,793 units have been sold in Gujarat alone. The Western Region consists of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

Accroding to Vimal Sumbly, ( General Manager) Sales, Bajaj Auto Ltd. said, "This is a very important milestone for the Discover brand reiterating its success in the Indian market. Discover's high sales volumes, is not an outcome of compromising on value, as the brand continues to maintain its price-premium vis-a-vis competition.."

Mr. Sumbly further elaborated "The recent launch of the Discover 100T, setting new benchmarks of power, style and features, has further given momentum to the brand."


With the launch of the all new Discover T and ST range, Bajaj Auto introduced a breed of two-wheeler that offers superior mileage without compromising on design and features. Discover is one of the largest selling brands in the Indian motorcycle market.

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Ducati considering Monster 696 India debut

 

The recent customs duty hike on imported bikes (800cc plus) from 60 to 75 percent could prove a blessing in some way for Indian superbikers. 

Harley-Davidson was first to react, adding three new assembled models (including the iconic Fat Boy) to its Indian assembled fleet, which is so much more affordably priced. And now the Bologna based superbike manufacturer Ducati has hinted they are evaluating introduction of the entry level Monster, the 696 in India.


More popularly known for lending its lower, smaller trellis frame and sharing some components with the Monster 795, the 696 is similar to its bigger sibling. The M696 weighs in at only 2kg less than the M795, and shares several key specifications including a 1450mm wheelbase, saddle height  of 770mm, fuel tank capacity of 15 litres, rim and tyres and brakes. It’s powered by Ducati’s 696cc, L-twin, air-cooled and Desmodromic valve train engine, and develops nearly 79bhp of peak power at 9000rpm. The 696 being under 800cc means it faces no extra duty, attracting 60 percent as earlier. And the Monster 696 is almost as exciting and just as practical a bike for Indian roads as the more powerful 795, already on sale here.


Although low cost of ownership and Ducati don’t go hand-in-hand, the launch of the Asia-specific Monster 795 last year proves the company is responding to tap deeper into emerging Asian markets including India, armed with more affordable models. “Given the overall situation of the Monster 795 assembled in Thailand, we, along with our local importer in India, are currently evaluating the most appropriate steps for the market,” states an official statement from Ducati, responding to queries from our sister publication, Autocar Professional.

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Bajaj to be first Indian auto firm to make bikes for US roads

Come early 2014, Bajaj Auto would become the first Indian automobile company whose India-made motorcycle would burn rubber in the US.

The Indian motorcycle maker would manufacture street bikes for its Austrian partner, KTM AG, which has so far been selling only off-road bikes in the US. The stylish, high-performance and race-oriented bike model, KTM Duke 390, would be produced at Bajaj’s Chakan plant, near Pune.

In an interview with Business Standard, KTM-Sportmotorcycle AG CEO Stefan Pierer says: “It is a strategic decision with Bajaj to go for sporty, stylish motorcycles, even for the saturated markets, because cars have become too expensive. We are entering the US street-bike segment for the first time and, beginning next year, the Duke 390, built in India, would be sold in the US market.”


The US is the world’s biggest market for high-end super bikes (above 990cc). However, the ongoing financial crises have forced consumers to scale down to more affordable, efficient and easy-on-pocket products.

The Duke 390, to be launched in Europe by the middle of this year, followed by India, before the US, has been developed under a joint programme of Bajaj and KTM engineers. Its concept was developed in Austria, while everything else, including design and final product development, was done in India by Bajaj.


Before this, Bajaj Auto, which owns stake in KTM, successfully launched two models — Duke 200 and Duke 125 — which were built and sold in India and exported to Europe and other markets.

Pierer adds: “These small-displacement street bikes are ideal for urban commuting, especially in saturated markets like the US and Europe.”


“What we are talking about are powerful (40-44 bhp) but affordable bikes; at 138 kg, these are powerful and agile. With a target price of ^5,000, including VAT, we think it could be a big success,” he adds.

Riding high on India-made smaller bikes, KTM dethroned German giant BMW last year to become Europe’s largest bike maker, with sales of 107,000 units, as against BMW’s 106,000.

The plan forward is to rapidly ramp up production from India and simultaneously hunt for newer markets in the Asean region and Latin America.

In some Asian markets, Bajaj has a strong network of its own, while in others it taps into resources of its other partner Kawasaki. Similarly, the Pune-based bike manufacturer, India’s second-biggest, has a strong infrastructure in Latin America, too.

Pierer sees a multi-fold increase in production from Chakan in the next five years — to at least 100,000 units a year from 17,000 as of last year. This would be half the total expected output for KTM globally by that time.

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Honda plans to launch four two-wheelers every year in India

Japanese two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) on Thursday said it will launch at least four products every year in India as it looks to get the better of ex-partner Hero MotoCorp and become the largest player in the market. The company has also set up its first integrated R&D centre at Manesar, which will specifically develop two-wheelers for the country.

Within two years of its separation from the Munjals, Honda has made short work of TVS and Bajaj overtaking them in quick succession to become the second largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India.

“Our plan is to launch four products every year from this R&D centre,” said Keita Mura–matsu, president and CEO, HMSI. “As India becomes a global innovation hub for Honda, customers can look forward to new products faster.”

The new R&D centre along with HMSI technical centre currently has a strength of 200 engineers and developers. It will develop and launch both refreshed versions and new models of motorcycles and scooters from the centre. Honda is also setting up a third manufacturing facility in Karnataka, which will hire 2,000 people. To be operational from the first quarter of next fiscal year, the facility takes Honda’s overall production capacity to 4,000,000 two-wheelers per annum.

“The first of these products from this centre will hit the roads during the 2013-14 financial year,” said Yadvinder S Guleria, vice-president, (sales and marketing), HMSI.

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Bajaj Auto launches new Discover 100T at Rs 50,500

India's second largest motorcycle manufacturer, Bajaj AutoBSE 0.29 % on Monday launched a new 100 cc mass market motorcycle Discover 100 T at the upper end of the mass market segment priced at Rs 50,500 ex-showroom New Delhi.

The Discover 100 Tourer will take on likes the Hero MotoCorp's Passion and Honda Motorcycle's Dream Yuga, which will help Bajaj Auto increase its presence in the mass market space, where it currently enjoys 20 per cent market share.


Powered by Bajaj Auto's patented 4-valve DTS-i technology, the Discover 100 T delivers 10.2 ps of power and is 30 per cent more powerful than other motorcycles in the category and the company claims this bike delivers a fuel efficiency of 87 kilometer per litre.


K Srinivas, president (Motorcycle buisiness), Bajaj Auto said, "The steady growth of the more expensive 100 cc bikes at the cost of the cheaper models is a clear evidence of this. The Discover 100T delivers power of 125 cc motorcycle and mileage of a 100 cc."


The mass market motorcycle segment contributes about 65 per cent of the overall market. With executive segment contributing 19 per cent and the sports bike segment 16 per cent.


The company says, the mass market segment wherein 5.5 lakh units are sold every month is getting further dissected into sub-segments namely A1, wherein bikes like Platina and Hero HF are sold between Rs 36,000 to Rs 40,000, A2 segment which includes bikes like Splendor, Passion and its own Discover 100 Rs 41,000 to Rs 45,000 and the A3 segment has motorcycles like Honda Motorcycles Dream Yuga and Hero MotoCorp's Passion Pro, which are priced between Rs 46,000 to Rs 51,000 at present.

And the Discover T is positoned in this A3 segment, where Bajaj Auto has no products available. Bajaj Auto is hoping to sell around 40,000 to 45,000 units per month of this new Discover 100T.


The company says with the existing Discover 100, it has only 20 per cent market share in the mass market category, with the launch of Discover 100T, it is hoping to increase its market share in the segment to 30 per cent within the next couple of years.


Bajaj Auto has developed this model with a minimal expenditure of Rs 5 crore to Rs 6 crore, but it is based on an all new Discover platform, which already has spawned out Discover 125 ST. Bajaj Auto invested Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore on this new Discover platform. The company is planning to introduce one more motorcycle on this platform in the calendar year 2013.

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Bajaj Auto's most ambitious variant in Pulsar line-up, the 200 NS launched nation wide

Bajaj Auto, India's second largest manufacturer of motorcycles has announced country wide launch of its all new Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS. The new bike has already been on sale in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune and now motorcycle aficionados across the country can get their hands on the new adrenaline pumping launch from the two-wheeler manufacturer. Reportedly, the bike after having been introduced in Maharashtra was slated to be launched in other states in a phased manner.

The sporty motorcycle attracted great response from the buyers ever since Bajaj pulled the wraps off it in January, 2012. Since then serious comparisons have been made between the Pulsar 200 NS and KTM 200, launched in alliance with Bajaj Auto. The hype inspired a different ball game as both the bikes being very different from each other rendering motorcycle enthusiasts struggling to zero in upon one of these two models.

The new Naked Sports incorporates Bajaj's latest and the world's first tripe spark technology which proclaims unprecedented performance and efficiency. The high performance triple spark technology is controlled by an advanced Electronic Control Unit (ECU), and coined as the technology of future. The 200 NS boasts of a variety of other defining features like the reinvented liquid cooled four valve SOHC engine mated to a refreshingly smooth six speed gear box. The engine displacement happens to be a respectable 199.5 cc.


Going a step ahead the combustion in a triple spark powertrain is 27 per cent quicker than a twin spark and 50 per cent than a single spark engine ensuring lower emission and better fuel efficiency. The four valve engine allows induction of more quantity of charge (air-fuel mixture) with complete removal of burnt gases which ensures increased engine response in terms of power, throttle and pick up. Four valved engines can be easily revved at higher RPMs without producing any strain on the engine and thereby enhancing the engine performance and bettering driving pleasure for the rider.


Pulsar 200 NS is slated to be Bajaj's best high performance offering to the Indian market. To ensure optimal performance in all conditions, the powertrain has been equipped with liquid cooling as its heat dissipation is much better than an air cooled engine. Liquid cooling also ensures no power fading due to overheating and contributes to prolonging engine's life and slashes engine noises even at high rpm.

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