Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has expressed an interest in the mid-size motorcycle space that is currently dominated by Royal Enfield, reports The Economic Times. The company has formed a 15 member team, which will be led by Yogesh Phogat, to achieve the target. Phogat has experience of working with Ducati and Harley-Davidson.
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To achieve its target, the company will have new products and an even wider network in the next 18 months. The list of upcoming outlets will include as many as 22 new Big Wing stores. Speaking about the company’s plans to grab a share of the mid-size motorcycle space, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Sr vice-president, sales and marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, said:
We are approaching the premium bike business with the new energy and zeal than ever before, not to be mixed with mass market approach. We know that pricing is going to be key consideration for increasing the volumes and viability of our dealers. There has to be a model that is locally produced to make it viable.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has already started introducing products in the mid-size segment with the introduction of the CB300R. However, the neo-retro roadster, which is imported via the CKD route, retails at a much higher price tag than the Royal Enfield’s Classic series. The company plans to challenge Royal Enfield’s dominance in the 350-500 cc space with a new, locally produced mid-size motorcycles. Speaking about the new products, Guleria added:
We have been maintaining that middle weight category has good potential in terms of volumes. The study is on to understand exactly what kind of portfolio we need. There will be different kind of body styles in the mid-size space that will be introduced to cater to larger audience.
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In the short term, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is working on updating its product portfolio to comply with the BS-VI emission norms. The company recently launched the country’s first BS-VI compliant model, the BS-VI Activa 125. More BS-VI products should be launched by the end of this year.
[Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com]
