Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Thursday, Jul 14, 2005
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Thursday, Jul 14, 2005 |
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Corporate
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Announcements Marketing - New Products & Services Suzuki Motorcycle plans Indian launch in Oct with 125-cc bike Sudha Menon
Pune , July 13 SUZUKI Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd is planning to kick off its Indian operations with a 125-cc mass market motorcycle in end-October. The company is making an initial investment of Rs 200 crore to bankroll its Indian operations, sources said. Top company sources told Business Line that Suzuki Motorcycleis firming up plans to follow up the 125-cc motorcycle with a premium 150-cc sibling towards the second half of 2006. The company is also considering launching a 100-cc bike in the first quarter of 2006. "The company has its eyes trained on the mass market initially and will eventually expand the line-up to cover all the segments. Plans are being firmed up to launch one model every year," sources said. According to sources, Suzuki Motorcycle India, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motorcycle Corporation (SMC), Japan, is preparing to begin commercial production of the 125-cc motorcycle in September at its facility in Gurgaon, Haryana. "The plan is to have the first motorcycle out in the market by end-October, which coincides with the onset of Diwali season," sources said. The manufacturing facility currently has capacities of one lakh motorcycles which can be ramped up significantly at short notice as demand picks up, sources said. They said the company has already 40 dealers in key cities across the country with a brief for them to put up 4,000-5,000 sq.ft showroom and service station facilities well before the expected launch of the vehicle. "The company plans to put 100 dealers in place within one year of their operations in India," sources said. SMC, a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, is one of the leaders in the two-wheeler segment globally with over 20 lakh riders opting for a Suzuki two-wheeler every year. The company is known for its range of high performance road machines, light weight super bikes, dirt bikes, street bikes, motocross and fun bikes globally. Last year, the company announced that it had picked up 51 per cent stake in the Dehli-based motorcycles company Integra Overseas Pvt Ltd as part of its plans to enter the Indian motorcycles market.
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