The Hindu Business Line : Kinetic to bring in just 100 more Aquilas

With about 200 orders for the vehicle, the company is planning to bring in only one more batch of 100 units to cater to the customers' requirements. It would mostly be the case of `who is first'. No plans are afoot to bring in the Aquila in the next fiscal also, Ms Vismaya Firodia, Vice-President, Kinetic Engineering Ltd (KEL), told Business Line today.

She said talks are on with Korea-based Hyosung Motors for becoming the manufacturing centre for Aquila for the global market. She however said that talks were in the initial stages and that `it would become concrete only after a few months'. Currently, KEL is manufacturing the GF 125 and 170 from its Pune facility.

Asked whether the company plans to bring in the other variants of Aquila, the 650 cc and 1,000 cc, she said that as of now there were no plans, as Aquila 250 was what suited the Indian conditions best. The customers of Pune were today given the first show of what Aquila is all about at the Pune Expo 2004.

Ms Firodia said KEL plans to upgrade Kinetic 135 Nova in April and flood the domestic market with its new Italjet scooters. The scooters would cater to the customer requirements from 65 cc to 250 cc and noted that work for the engine of 250 cc was being done. She said that shifting of the production facility of Italijet has already started.

Asked whether there would be capacity expansion of the Kinetic facility to include the new product offerings, she said the existing capacity is production of 3,50,000 vehicles. The annual sales is 2,50,000 vehicles. She said the company had sold 1,20,000 scooters during the last fiscal and is estimating to increase this by one lakh vehicles. Exports would also touch 40,000 from the current 10,000 by March 2005, she added.

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