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Harley Davidson launches 'Forty-Eight' in India at Rs 8.5 lakh
US premium motorcycle maker Harley Davidson today said it has launched its 1,200cc superbike 'Forty-Eight' in India, priced at Rs 8.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
This model will be available across all the Harley- Davidson dealerships, in addition to the existing model line- up of 14 bikes for 2011, Harley Davidson India said in a statement.
The company said bookings for the new offering will start from this month at its five dealerships across the country.
Last month, Harley Davidson had said it would not hike prices of its two models to be assembled in India despite an increase in import duty for completely knocked down parts.
The company, which is setting up an assembly unit at Bawal in Haryana, had said it was evaluating options in the wake of the new CKD norms, resulting in higher import duty.
In December 2010, the company had announced that the SuperLow and Iron 883 will be the first two models to be rolled out of the CKD assembly facility in Bawal in Haryana. The bikes are priced at Rs 5.5 lakh and Rs 6.50 lakh (ex-showroom), respectively.
Its other 12 fully imported bikes in India are priced between Rs 7.79 lakh and Rs 38.66 lakh.
In November 2010, Harley Davidson announced to start assembling bikes in India from this year. The Indian plant will be only its second facility outside its home-base after Brazil.
The US iconic brand was allowed to enter India in 2007 with relaxed emission norms for big bikes above 800cc, while mangoes from here were allowed to be sold in America. However, It first started selling its imported bikes in India from this year.
Yamaha to launch scooter in India next year
New Delhi: Japanese two-wheeler major Yamaha plans to foray into the Indian scooter market by next year and will set up a separate body assembly line at its Surajpur plant in Uttar Pradesh for this purpose.
The firm's wholly-owned subsidiary, India Yamaha Motor Pvt Ltd, is investing Rs 10 crore to set up the body assembly line at the plant.
"The scooter market in India is huge and we want to have a strong presence. Now we are preparing to launch a scooter here within 2012," India Yamaha Motor Pvt Ltd CEO and Managing Director Hiroyuki Suzuki told PTI.
Asked what kind of scooter it will be, he declined to specify details, but said: "It will be focused more on personal commuting, with stylish and smart design like Yamaha's motorcycles that are sold here."
Suzuki, who was heading Yamaha's Indonesian operations before taking over the charge in India last year, said he would aim to repeat Yamaha's success in the scooter market in Indonesia here.
"In Indonesia, Yamaha has a market share of around 46 per cent, which is very close to that of Honda. I want to replicate that here in India as well," he said.
He also said Yamaha's scooters would be positioned differently from those of Honda, which are more family oriented.
The Indian scooter market grew 50.54 per cent in 2010 and stood at 19.6 lakh units. It is dominated by Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, although other players like TVS Motor Co and Hero Honda have also witnessed good sales.
On the preparations for the launch of the scooter, Suzuki said: "We will need a separate assembly line for it, specially for the body parts. We will invest about Rs 10 crore on setting it up."
Last month, India Yamaha Motor Director (Sales and Marketing) Jun Nakata had said the scooter would be an India- specific scooter, which is being developed in Japan.
Suzuki said with the launch of scooter, the company is looking to increase sales volumes in India.
In 2011, the company is eying total sales of 5 lakh units, out of which 3.5 lakh units will be in the domestic market and 1.5 lakh units will be exports. Last year it sold a total of 3.8 lakh units, out of which 2.5 lakh units found buyers in the domestic market and 1.3 lakh units were exported.
Yamaha had also said it might consider launching an electric bike in the fast growing Indian two-wheeler market to offer an alternative mode of transportation.
