IT City accounts for 40% of all superbikes sold in the country thanks to consumer awareness, higher disposable incomes.
The IT city is fast becoming the ‘it’ city as far as biking goes. Motorcyclists in Bangalore are leading the pack in an emerging segment of buyers who look at bikes as a status symbol rather than just a utility. According to industry watchers, due to the increased levels of awareness and higher disposable incomes, the biking culture in the city is catching on, resulting in Bangalore accounting for over 40% of the superbikes sold in the country.
Sanjay Tripathi, division head (product planning and marketing), Yamaha, said “You can expect more superbikes being launched in the country going ahead as the base of enthusiasts increases with Bangalore leading the trend.” He said with motorcycle tourism picking up in the country, Yamaha is seeing buyers emerging from cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai as well. “People these days prefer to ride up to even far-off distances like Ladakh,” he added.
Shinji Aoyama, president and CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), said the Indian two-wheeler market is progressing from mass market to a diversified market due to changes in the lifestyle of consumers.
In the last one year, some of the world’s most celebrated superbikes have been launched in India, including Ducati, Hayabusa, YZF R1, and most recently the Honda’s CBR1000RR Fireblade. Bajaj plans to launch its Kawasaki Ninja 250R in May and Suzuki will bring in GXS-R range of superbikes by Diwali this year. Harley Davidson is also said to be laying the groundwork for a possible entry into the Indian market and is exploring options to do so. According to auto analysts, the segment today accounts for 1-2% of the total bike sales in the country. The superbikes cost anywhere between Rs 9.5 lakh and Rs 45 lakh. Bikemakers say that despite the slowdown, their sales have grown beyond expectations.
Suzuki, for instance, planned to sell about 15 units of its Hayabusa and Intruder in the first few months since their launch in November. However, the company has already sold more than 40 units till date.
Even Yamaha had a target of 40 units of its YZF R1 and MT01 last calendar, but ended up selling 107 units. Atul Gupta, VP (sales and marketing), Suzuki Motorcycle India, said, “Buyers in this segment are not affected by the slowdown. Therefore, we are seeing sales beyond our initial targets.”
BMW bikes were the first to enter India, in the 1980s in collaboration with the Hero Group. However, they failed to win the market over as their groundwork was not up to the mark, say analysts.
Amish Shah, the auto sector analyst at Antique Stock Broking, said, “Now, we have a new surge in superbikes in the country with bikemakers having done sufficient groundwork this time around. I expect this segment to have close to 5% of the total bike market in the next 3-4 years.” However, bikemakers don’t expect this segment to contribute significantly to revenues. Due to high import duties, margins are very slim. The companies are looking at the slew of launches to help make superbikes mass market. “It’s more a brand-building exercise than a volumes game at this point as it’s still a niche market,” Shah said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}