It has always been Japan or China on which India relies for automobiles. But Modi’s ‘Make in India Appeal’ wave has swept the matter -of-course to create a change. The Japan-based automobile company ‘Honda Motorcycle’ has joined hands with ‘Honda Motorcycle And Scooter India Private Limited’ (HMSI) for the production of its high-end sports bike ‘CBR-650’ in India form 2015.
It is a great news for every Indian, who is interested in racing, since most companies manufacture their bikes elsewhere, and then import it in India along with a hefty tax and duties. Y.S. Guleria, the Vice President of HMSI has said that this collaboration would not only showcase their existing manpower but also the building quality of Honda India to the world. The ‘street fighter bike’, CBR-650, is a 649 cc sports bike with six-speed gear box and four-cylinder double overhead camshaft.
It is expected to give a fuel efficiency of 21 km/l and would weigh 209 kg when the fuel tank is full. Honda has laid its foundation stone for the manufacturing plant at Vithalpur in Ahmedabad, Gujarat for which they have invested Rs.1,100 crores. But the firm is yet to decide the facilities it would get from the country and has not yet finalized the price of the bike. As of now, the projected price tag is Rs. 6-7 lakhs.
The company hopes that this new Indian project would provide employment to more than 2000 local youths and thus would transform Gujarat into an ‘auto hub’ in India. This project would also prove Indians’ skills to the world that we, Indians can also produce international quality goods. HMSI has planned to produce 1.02 million bikes from this project. This can be a great proposition for the Indian automobile manufacturing industry and give it the oush it needs.
