The two-wheeler market in India is buzzing with demand and manufacturers need to do their best to keep up with it. The news carries a very pleasant note for the industry though there is a negative implication for customers as well as two wheeler manufacturers in India have decided to keep away from offering any freebies or discounts during this festival season. This is also caused by the fact that not only is there an increase in demand, there is also a shortage of components in the market.
However, the above does not mean that two-wheeler manufacturers are sitting back and enjoying the ride. The competition is fierce and everyone is here to get the biggest chunk from the pie. Today we take a look at the biggest companies and their plans.
Hero Honda - New Splendour and New Variants coming up
The market leader in India, Hero Honda recently introduced Super Splendour priced at Rs. 45, 950. The new face lifted model comes with additional features like electric start, new decals, alloy wheels, redesigned speedometer, grab handle and side indicators. Splendour is already the company’s best seller and accounts for 20 percent market share in its segment of the 125cc engine. It sells about 75 lakh units per annum and the current variant will be phased out soon with the launch of this new variant.
Now the Hero Honda Group is again in the news as four major funds are competing to acquire Honda’s share in the joint venture. Honda has been trying to set up its independent unit in India which would compete with Hero Group and has hence decided to sell its share. Hero Group and Honda each hold 26 percent share in the company and sources have cited that Hero Group may eventually buy out entire 26 percent share by Honda through a special purpose vehicle instrument incorporated in Singapore.
Hero Honda’s Vice President, Anil Dua has further stated that the company has planned a slew of exciting launches during the festive season which will keep up the excitement in the market. Hero Honda has planned new variants of its models Hero Honda Hunk, CBZ and Passion.
Yamaha – aggressive growth plans
Yamaha is one of the most aggressive players in the two wheeler market and it has lined up massive expansion plans for the Indian market where it still needs to grab its fair share. It sold 58.5 lakh units worldwide of which only 2.2 Lakh units were sold in India. Now it intends to sell more than 10 lakh units annually in India by expanding its network into rural and semi-urban cities of the country.
It recently announced its product line-up for 2011 where it will also introduce super-sports bikes in the country. The new products would include 1000cc Yamaha R1 and the mean looking bike Yamaha V-Max that comes with raven black paint job and chrome finishes. The new Yamaha R1 also gets new body graphics, red wine paint and new head lamp cluster. Both the models are expected to be commercially available in India by April 2011.
Yamaha recently launched three new models in the market including Yamaha SZ, SZ-X and YBR-125. The launch of Yamaha SZ in 150cc segment has challenged the supremacy of Bajaj Pulsar in this segment, and it has driven into direct competition with Honda Unicorn, TVS Victor and Bajaj Pulsar. The new Yamaha SZ is powered by 153cc, 4-stroke air cooled engine with a perfect blend of style and performance.
In order to tap the Tier II and Tier III cities of India, Yamaha intends to bring more stylish and better looking models under affordable range and better fuel efficiency. Yamaha SZ which was recently launched with an affordable price tag of Rs. 52,000 displays Yamaha’s commitment to cater to the demands of popular segment.
Bajaj Auto – Entering the premium segment
Bajaj Auto has recently created a stir in the market with the launch of new variant of Bajaj Discover 150cc. It fiercely competes with Yamaha models, and priced relatively low at Rs. 46,000 it also claims to offer the best mileage promising it to be the best buy in its segment.
Bajaj already rules the popular segment similar to Hero Honda and now its major concerns lie in the premium segment. During the 2008 downturn, it had acquired a stake in Austrian bike company KTM and the company is now planning to launch new models in the 1000cc segment. It is coming up with Duke 125 naked bike as its upcoming and most flashy launch. The bike will be priced at Rs. One lakh and above. The new bike has a stated mission as ‘enhancing the lifestyle of young riders passionate about pure riding fun, making a style statement and enjoying state-of-the-art technology in a superb new bike.’
Mahindra Two Wheelers – expanding into Bikes
Mahindra and Mahindra is expanding its foothold in the Indian auto market by leaps and bounds. It already dominates the SUV segment in the four-wheeler market. In the two-wheeler segment, it has already launched its gearless scooters. Now the company has introduced its bikes in the 125cc and 300cc segment. The new Mahindra bikes were recently launched under the names Stallio and Mojo. The Mojo, ‘ India’s fastest bike’, will have a liquid cooled, 4-stroke, 300cc engine which will produce around 25bhp. It rides on inverted telescopic forks and gets discs both up front and rear.
The Mojo has been tested on race tracks of Vallelunga in Italy and the ad has been shot on those race tracks. The ad carries the summation as “Tested in Italy, Coming to India – Mahindra Motorcycles”
Yet another Mahindra 125cc bike Cevalo is on the cards and is expected to foray in the Indian market by 2012.
TVS Motors – Upgrades across the board
TVS Motors is India’s third largest two-wheeler manufacturer and is a very major player especially in the urban markets. TVS intends to introduce a new revamped Scooty in the coming months with better looks and style, and a new TVS Scooty hybrid is also expected in the Indian market.
TVS Apache RTS 180 ABS equipped with electronic-hydraulic control unit and patented speed technology is the next forthcoming attraction. TVS Neo and TVS Apache 220 and 250 are also on cards for future launche, and the TVS Centra is the new 100cc bike which is also expected to foray into the market next year.
Royal Enfield – back in the limelight
Royal Enfield bikes have been in the Indian market since 1950s and have always been admired by the connoisseurs. Indian customers have renewed their interest in these high priced possessions since past few years led by an economy which has maintained a robust growth.
The Royal Enfield company currently has Bullet Classic 350, Bullet Classic 500, Bullet Machismo, Bullet Electra and Thunderbird Twinspark in the Indian market. The next in queue is the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Military powered by the same fuel-injected, 500cc single cylinder air-cooled bike, which generates 28hp of power. Other models to be introduced in the Indian market are Royal Enfield G5 Classic and Bullet 500 Deluxe.
Suzuki
Suzuki has been vying to gain a larger market share in the country along with Yamaha. In the popular segment it already has models like Suzuki Slingshot and Suzuki GS150R while in the gearless scooter segment it sells successful models like Access 100cc gearless scooter.
In the luxury bikes segment Suzuki is coming up with models like Suzuki GSX-R1000 powered by 4-stroke, 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC engine with a bore of 74.5mm and a stroke of 57.3mm, resulting in 12.8:1 compression ratio. The bikes comes with Electronic Ignition (Transistorized) mated with 6-speed constant mesh.
Yet another 2011 launch is its Suzuki Bandit 1250S powered with 4-stroke, 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC engine with 1255 cm 3 (cc) displacement.
Conclusion
The Indian economy has gained good momentum in past few years and automobile industry has enjoyed healthy sales especially since past two years. This festive season of 2010 nearly every two-wheeler manufacturer is expecting a double digit growth compared to last year. Although there will be a wide range of launches during festive season in all segments, of course the main focus shall remain on 100cc to 125cc bikes which account for maximum sales in the country.
