IYamaha Motors India has registered a growth of 84.3% in its sales during June 2009, at 17,878 units, as against 9,699 units in June 2008. Ever since IYM launched the YZF-R15 and FZ16 bikes last year, its sales have shown an upward trend.
And in keeping with its newfound performance focus, the company recently launched high-performance race-spec parts for these two bikes. They are also planning to launch a new bike based on FZ series, it will feature full front fairing like the R15.
TVS Motor Company has posted a 6% increase in two-wheeler sales during June this year, at 115,488 units, as against 109,082 units in June 2008. During June 2009, TVS sold 105,361 units in the domestic market, compared to 94,072 units during June last year - an increase of 12%.
TVS’s scooter sales also registered a significant increase, going up from 21,466 units in June 2008 to 25,945 units in June this year. Total motorcycle sales, meanwhile, were down to 46,048 units in June 2009 as compared to 51,409 units in June 2008. Exports also came down from 15,010 units during June last year to 10,087 units in June this year.
Yamaha has launched a range of exclusive racing kit parts by for its customers. Built by Yamaha Engineering Corporation and specialist firm, Daytona in Japan, these parts are exclusively for racing purpose in a closed circuit only.
The parts include race ECU, high lift cams, full exhaust system, special alloy sprockets, adjustable back steps and braking parts like big diameter petal disc brakes, master cylinder, and stainless steel hose. These parts will be available to customers by September this year.”
Mr. Sanjay Tripathi, Division Head Product Planning & Brand Management, India Yamaha Motor said, “Racing kit parts are developed using valuable experience gained from Moto GP & World Superbike racing and Yamaha wants to provide its customers in India with the same thrill and feeling of racing instinct. Also with the launch of these kit parts we want to encourage safe racing culture in India.
It’s the age of retailing and more car manufacturers are entering systematic retailing market looking at the growing economy and changing buying patterns. As India remains unfazed by the economic crisis around the world, Indian buyers still hold better purchasing power.
TVS Motors has now entered the car accessories market with its ‘CARPLUS’ stores to sell auto accessories in the retail market. Lucas India Service Limited, a part of TVS Motors will own these stores in India and will offer complete range of car accessories under one roof.
The first car store of CARPLUS is located in Gurgaon spread over an area of 4000 sq. ft. the showroom is well-equipped with world class accessories and showcases an impressive range of the same.
“With the number of new passenger car models being launched in India, the car accessories market is all set to witness an exponential growth over the next few years. Currently, 35-40 per cent of the total car accessories market estimated at Rs. 4,200-4,500 crore lies in the unorganized sector. It is imperative, therefore, for players like Lucas to carve a niche in the mind of the consumer and bring home the value proposition.Given the nascent state of organized retail and the rapid evolution of the industry, it is crucial for retailers, manufacturers, real estate developers, logistics providers and partners along the value chain to work in a collaborative spirit,” said Arvind Balaji, director, Lucas Indian Service Limited.
TVS Motor Co. Ltd. has reported a 5.15% increase in its two-wheeler sales for May 2009, at 118,574 units, as against 112,770 units sold during May last year.
TVS domestic motorcycle sales stood at 43,165 units in May this year, as against 41,901 units in May 2008. Exports, however, were down 21%, at 11,135 units during May 2009 as against 14,071 units in the year-ago period.
Yamaha kept the momentum going, with an 82.38% hike in sales during May. The company sold 16,952 units during May this year, as against 9,295 units during May last year.
The country’s no.1 two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero Honda logged an increase of 22.52% in sales during May 2009, at 382,678 units, as against 312,317 units sold during May 2008.
The CBF stunner was the Honda’s attempt to attract young customers who love performance and style. In a similar bid, Bajaj had earlier announced it would launch sporty version of XCD 125cc. Honda India has succeded well with the Stunner CBF.
Honda showcased the CBF stunner concept at the Auto Expo and since then the enthusiasm of bike lovers have raised anticapting its launch. Now, Honda Bikes India has come up with the Fi variant of CBF Stunner.
The new stunner Fi pumps out 11bhp of peak power and 11Nm of peak torque which is almost same in comparison to the non-fi version. Honda CBF Stunner Fi has been priced at Rs64,700 (ex-showroom, Delhi).
During the calendar year 2008, nearly 200 superbikes have been sold in India, the first year since the launch of the superbikes by Ducati, Suzuki and Yamaha. Of the total units sold, Yamaha accounts for 107 units, while Ducati sold over 50 units. All the bikes were imported as CBU.
Discerning the growing popularity of superbikes in India, numerous multinational two-wheeler companies like Yamaha, Suzuki Motor Corp., Kawasaki and Ducati are upping its ante on this segment by lining up a series of launches this year. Even Honda recently launched its superbikes - the CBR 1000RR and CB1000R. This year 400-450 superbikes are expected to be sold.
Suzuki has sold 26 and 29 units of Hayabusa and Intruder (priced at Rs 12.5 lakh each) since its launch in November last year. Yamaha managed to sell 107 units of R1 and MTO1 (Rs 10.5 lakh each) in 2008 as against the target of 50-60 bikes. The company is expecting 100% growth in sales of R1 and MT 01 in 2009 at 107 units.
According to industry analysts, top-end high performance bikes constitute a super niche segment that is neither dependent too much on finance and nor much impacted by the economic slowdown. Hence, the demand for such bikes is growing in India even when other two-wheeler segments are witnessing a slowdown. In recent years, Pune-based Kinetic Motors which first took the lead with the limited launch of the 250cc, v-twin-powered Hyosung Comet in India back in 2005.
