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India Kawasaki Motors (IKM) has decided it will not tap its marketing collaboration with Bajaj Auto for the sales of large (1000 cc+) bikes. It will go alone by setting up exclusive outlets for the purpose. The first of these is located in Pune.

The subsidiary of the Japanese company launched two high-end Ninja motorcycles in the Indian market today, taking the tally of models under this brand to four.

The bikes — 1441 cc Ninja ZX 14R and 998 cc ZX 10R — introduced today will be imported as completely built units. They have been priced at Rs 16.9 lakh and Rs 15.7 lakh, respectively, (ex-showroom Pune).

Under its alliance with Bajaj Auto, Kawasaki’s existing bikes – the Ninja 300 and Ninja 650 – retail through Probiking showrooms where Bajaj Auto also sells its range of premium motorcycles. These will also now be available in the exclusive outlets.

Explaining the rationale for setting up independent outlets for large bikes, Yuji Horiuchi, MD, IKM said that specially trained manpower was needed to sell and service high-end machines. Beginning with Maharashtra, IKM has an initial sales target of 100 units a year of the new machines, and plans to expand its business territory in a phased manner.

NINJA ASSEMBLY

Meanwhile, a month ago, IKM began assembling the Ninja 300 and 650 models within the Bajaj Auto premises at Akurdi near Pune. The facility has installed capacity of 5,000 units a year, and the bikes assembled here have local content of 30-40 per cent in terms of total cost.

By the year-end, IKM will also begin sourcing parts for Kawasaki’s overseas subsidiaries, and is collaborating with Bajaj Auto’s vendors in Chakan, Aurangabad and Delhi for components such as suspensions, mirrors and blinkers. “This might be IKM’s biggest business segment,” a company official said.

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