Hot news on Yamaha’s and Suzuki’s 150cc bike

Yamaha’s new bike:

In yet another bid to capture market share in India’s two-wheeler market, Japanese bike maker Yamaha Motorcycles India Ltd plans to launch a 150cc motorcycle by mid-2008 after showcasing in the next Auto Expo to be held in Delhi in January next year. The proposed bike would use the four-valve engine of the company’s Viper range and resemble the Yamaha R1. Yamaha already plans to launch two superbikes — YZF-R1 (1000 cc and MT-01 (1670 cc) in 2007

Yamaha’s 150cc bike would offer about 14 bhp and would take Bajaj Auto’s flagship Pulsar and Hero Honda’s CBZ X-treme and Karizma head-on. The performance segment comprising Hero Honda Karizma, Bajaj Avenger and the Pulsar 200 is about 1 lakh units per annum. 150cc products available in the market are priced around Rs60000. Yamaha is likely to price the upcoming bike around Rs 80,000-90,000 to give it a distinct identity.

Yamaha’s word on 150cc bike:

“We are still giving final touches to the specifications such as styling and engine and hence feel that it would be premature to comment on the same at this point of time,” said a Yamaha India official. “In accordance with Yamaha’s image and expectations of customers, the company is planning to launch the new products for niche markets,” he added.

Yamaha India has constantly been losing sales on a monthly basis, registering a decline of 59.4% in May this year. During May, the company sold 13,649 bikes. During April-May, the company’s total sales plunged by 55.77% to 26,962 units. Also, In a dealer satisfaction survey carried by TNS in the end-2006, Yamaha ranked second from the bottom, next to Kinetic.

Kinetic – SYM:

The kinetic – SYM 125cc scooter may hit the showroom by the end of July and is expected to be priced around Rs45000. Kinetic seems to retain the SYM’s characteristic lifetime warranty.

Hero Honda:

Hero Honda will launch a new passion variant which will feature alloy wheels and new body graphics soon.

Suzuki:

Suzuki to launch its 125cc scooter in September 2007 and Suzuki also plans to roll out a 150cc bike. Suzuki’s 150cc bike will hit the roads in the first quarter of 2008.