Saturday, July 23, 2011

Honda Planning a 500cc Bike for India : BikeAdvice

Honda Planning a 500cc Bike for India : BikeAdvice

Link to BikeAdvice.in

Honda Planning a 500cc Bike for India

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 11:38 AM PDT


Original Source: Honda Planning a 500cc Bike for India from BikeAdvice.in

The world of premium bikes is not just limited to the known players but every other successful two wheeler manufacturer is looking to venture into the premium segment. India is turning from a land of commuters to a land of premium heavy weigh bikes because the trend for higher capacity bikes is fast catching up fast. Every other bike maker is focusing on the segment of premium bikes so that they can capitalize on the current trend. News has it that Honda is planning a 500cc bike for India. Furthermore the company may also raise their standards and manufacture higher capacity bikes too.

The news came in from the most reliable source, the operations head of Honda, said that they have bikes from 50 to 1800cc however he also said that the bikes with higher displacement were not preferred in India in the past but now the perception has changed and thus the company is planning a 500cc bike for India. He said that the company will launch 500, 1000cc capacity bikes in India soon.

On the contrary, HMSI's CEO and president Yukihiro Aoshima said that the company is studying the Indian market as regards the higher displacement segment. He said that there are two possibilities open to the company; the first is importing the completely built units and the second is to assemble the parts in India itself. However he made it clear that company may look to import completely built units for 500cc and more capacity bikes. Lastly he said that the company is looking for options for assembling the lower capacity (Less than 500cc capacity bikes) bikes in India itself rather than importing them. All in all, Honda is pretty much in confirmation with their plans to conquer the higher displacement bike segment. We will have to wait and see if Honda makes it big. We at BikeAdvice hope Honda succeeds in their attempts and rolls out some fascinating and innovative machine soon.

Share on Facebook

Related posts:

  1. Yamaha to Launch 200-250cc Bikes in India
  2. Honda to Triple Sales in India by 2016
  3. BMW Planning to Enter Indian Luxury Motorcycle Segment!
  4. Honda Plans More Gearless Scooters for India
  5. TVS Motors is Developing a Low Cost Motorcycle

Royal Enfield to Launch Classic 500 Desert Storm Edition

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 10:55 AM PDT


Original Source: Royal Enfield to Launch Classic 500 Desert Storm Edition from BikeAdvice.in

Just a few days back Royal Enfield had announced Classic 500 Chrome for India. Now they have plans to launch another color – the Desert Storm. There has been no information regarding the launch date of this edition. Let us wait and see what RE has in store for us.

What do you think about this color?

Share on Facebook

Related posts:

  1. Royal Enfield Announces Classic Chrome 500 for India
  2. Royal Enfield Classic 500 – A Bitter Pill to Swallow?
  3. Royal Enfield Unveils Classic Chrome and Bullet 500 UCE for the U.S Market
  4. Royal Enfield Comes Up With a New Colour
  5. Royal Enfield Bikes to Get Costlier from April

Mopeds Might Have a Great Comeback

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 09:17 AM PDT


Original Source: Mopeds Might Have a Great Comeback from BikeAdvice.in

Mopeds, which were once a great mode of city and town commuting is appearing to get close to its extinction phase. With the advent of motorbikes, which are able to offer a great power combined with a great fuel efficiency was the reason for the present strand of mopeds. Also, the major two wheeler companies paid the least attention to revive this segment of commuting.

According to Economic Times, ‘In May, the country produced 70,001 mopeds , up from 54,702 units in May last year or 28% more in number terms. More importantly, May 2011 saw the highest moped sales for any month ever. The Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers (SIAM) has projected a growth of only 12 to 14% for the domestic two-wheeler industry this year.’

Mr. Abdul Majeed, an auto practice leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers said, “Moped as a segment has a great future. For now it may seem as a very small segment. But, if manufacturers tweak the product to the changed needs of the customer, this segment can see much higher numbers”. “This is situation like the scooters of the early 1990s when everyone thought the segment is dead. Then came automatic scooters and sales zoomed. We need someone to innovate in the moped segment which will drive up volumes”.

In a market where motorcycle sales is upwards of a million units a month, selling 70,000 mopeds may not sound exciting. It is to be noted that TVS Motors is the only brand in India that still manufactures and sells mopeds here. But, however the TVS XL Super is still preferred to a greater extent by shopkeepers to carry their load from markets, delivery and so on. The Heavy Duty model is the one that can suit their needs. Priced at below INR 25,000, it is not really expensive to own one. Maintenance, oh forget it!

“Mopeds have long moved and ceased to be a vehicle which just moved people from one point to another. Today, it is more a multi-activity vehicle with fitments. Its position as the entry level motorized vehicle with two wheels cannot be challenged,” Kumar Kandaswami, Senior Director & Country Manufacturing industry leader, Deloitte said.

“Take TVS. Their moped manufacturing lines have been ammortized over the years and hence they have the pricing power on mopeds. For a new entrant, the pricing would be difficult to match", industry sources said.

There are a lot of people watching the segment from the fence, hoping to see how volumes are picking up. “With little bit of innovation and higher volumes, I expect the segment to drive up higher sales,” PwC’s Majeed said.

Does this mean that the moped segment will revive back in the sub continent? What's your thought on this? Leave your comments below.

Source: Economic Times

Regards,
M.Naren.
Author – BikeAdvice.in

Share on Facebook

Related posts:

  1. The Story Behind Bajaj Pulsar Ad – Hunto
  2. Suzuki Motorcycles – Rise, Fall and Comeback Story
  3. “Honda Perceived as Scooter Manufacturer” Says Rajiv Bajaj
  4. TVS to Introduce the Cheapest Motorcycle in India
  5. New Bikes From Bajaj in 2009!

No comments:

Post a Comment