Two-wheeler makers are scouring for partners too

It was barely some days ago when the Japanese media reported that Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki are planning to come together and work on a new standard for electric motorcycles.

Clearly, this is intended to create a greater sense of cohesion so that the move to e-mobility is smooth and devoid of any confusion in terms of too many standards for batteries, charging stations, etc. None of the four manufacturers has made any official statement on this development but there is no reason to believe that it is untrue.

After all, the unexpected happened three years ago when former foes, Honda and Yamaha, joined hands to jointly manufacture sub-50cc scooters in Japan. Granted this is a niche segment which is hardly going to cause any tremors but the bottomline is that nobody in their wildest dreams would have thought that Honda and Yamaha would actually collaborate.

They have had their share of slugfests in the past but the new reality of the mobility market has obviously caused them to set aside past differences and work amicably towards the future. Both the companies have not gone beyond the scooter segment yet but there is no telling what will happen tomorrow. Perhaps, there could be pooling of skills in the electric space, which will be the way forward in the coming years.

Many years ago, Suzuki and Kawasaki had also come together to work on common sourcing of components with an idea to keep costs in check. They did not go too much beyond this and little is known of what was achieved through this teaming up. Now, the news of the Japanese quartet looking at a new standard for e-mobility is intriguing and could just pave the way for some interesting developments in the future.

In the Indian context, two-wheeler manufacturers are also entering into new tie-ups with international counterparts. Bajaj and KTM have had a successful relationship of 12 years and the Indian company has now joined hands with Triumph of the UK to make mid-capacity motorcycles for a host of markets. The manufacturing base will be the Chakan plant near Pune, which is already the growth engine for KTM and will soon be home to Swedish brand, Husqvarna.

Iconic American bike-maker, Harley-Davidson, is also on the lookout for a strategic ally in Asia to grow its presence in this part of the world. There has been no update on this news development though speculation is rife that Hero MotoCorp could be the most likely candidate. When things eventually fall in place, Harley will also make mid-capacity bikes for emerging markets and grow its presence in this part of the world.

TVS Motor and BMW Motorrad already have a strong partnership in place and it will be interesting to see how the duo plans to take the story forward. There is also no telling if VW will decide to sell Ducati in the near future. Should this happen, there will at least be a couple of Indian companies keen on snapping it up.

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