The Hindu Business Line : Suzuki's 2 new bikes to vroom in March — Hopes to set up dealershipnetwork of 70 outlets

Mr Satya Sheel, MD, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd, with Mr Katsumi Takata, Joint MD, at the launch of a set of 125cc bikes Heat and Zeus. — Ramesh Sharma

New Delhi , Jan. 13

FIVE years after breaking away from its erstwhile joint venture partner - the TVS Group, Japanese automobile major Suzuki Motor has again marked its entry into the Indian two-wheeler market with two new bikes that the company plans to commence manufacturing and marketing from March this year.

The new wholly-owned subsidiary, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) announced the launch of its operations here today and unveiled its proposed two new bikes called the Heat and Zeus. The company has said that commercial production will commence in March this year and these two bikes will be rolled out initially. By March, the company is also hoping to set up a dealership network totalling about 70 outlets across the country.

Speaking at the launch ceremony here, Mr Satya Sheel, Managing Director of SMIPL, said these Suzuki bikes have been developed indigenously and will offer class leading quality and reliability. Both the bikes feature the same 125cc engine and will be offered at two different price points to cater to different customers. While the Heat is targeted at the mass market, entry-level bike buyer with a price tag of about Rs 38,000, the Zeus will be more stylish and will be targeted at buyers in the age group of 20-30 years. The company is also targeting the entry-level Heat model at customers in the rural and semi-urban markets.

The bikes will offer features such as a round crankshaft, aluminium cylinder head, hi-tech spark plug, five-speed gearbox, bigger 130 mm drum brakes, a decompression valve, primary kick mechanism and a gearshift indicator.

The models have been indigenised for the most part and except for a few parts that are imported from Suzuki, Japan, the bike will be completely manufactured locally, Mr Sheel said. He also mentioned that a wider line up in the future would follow the 125cc motorcycles. The new bikes meet the current Bharat Stage II emission norms and the bikes have been developed after extensive market research, Mr Sheel said.

Suzuki has already made a total capital investment of Rs 200 crore in the new manufacturing facility that it has set up in Gurgaon. The company is initially targeting sales of about 10,000 units annually per month or about 1.2 lakh units per annum. The company is hoping to ramp up capacities after demand picks up and after launching other new products. In the future, Suzuki is also planning to export products and components from out of this Indian facility.

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