Superbikes zoom on increased demand

 

“Chennai is an important city both commercially and as a hub for biking enthusiasts in India,” said Vimal Sumbly, managing director, Triumph Motorcycles India. Cashing in on the fact, in February the British bike maker, which had launched a new dealership in the city in June 2014, introduced the Daytona 675 sport bike in the Chennai market.

 

Similarly, Chennai recently saw a number of other premium bike launches. In March, Italian motorcycle manufacturer Benelli started a new showroom in Chennai. 

Japanese bike Kawasaki Ninja H2 was launched in Chennai market last month. The company had opened a dealership in the city in October 2014. Korean brand Hyosung, US Harley Davidson and others set up dealership in the city a couple of years ago.

 

“We are getting great response from the Chennai market recently, even though Chennai is not a very established market like Bengaluru,” said Shirish Kulkarni, chairman, DSK Motowheels, which sells Benelli and Hyosung. 

 

“We launched Benelli (prices starts from Rs 3 lakh) in Chennai about six weeks ago, and got 30 bookings in the first few days itself. This has crossed 60 now.” In India, the superbike market is currently estimated to be around 10,000 units per year and is expected to reach 15,000 units in the current fiscal. “Even though the size of market is small, it is picking up fast and Chennai is doing very well,” said Ashish Choudhary, regional head - south sales, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India. 

 

Honda sells four bikes in the super bikes category at present which includes Honda Gold Wing powered by a six-cylinder 1832cc launched late last year. DSK Hyosung, which opened a showroom in Chennai two years ago, has recorded a spurt in superbike sales recently. The brand is selling 10-15 units per month in the city.

 

Siddhartha Lal, managing director & CEO, Eicher Motors, which owns the Royal Enfield brand, said there is high reliability for motorcycles above 250cc even in small towns. 

“Customers are getting better value out of this than a normal two-wheeler. It is making city ride more enjoyable and is even better for long rides,” he added. Unlike the mass market, customers for superbikes fall in the age group of 18 to 35 years.

 

 

Through this, youth will receive 2-wheeler technical training that will enable them to become expert two-wheeler technicians. Technical experts from Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt Ltd are conducting the YTS programme.

 

According to Masaki Asano, managing director, Yamaha Motor India sales, at present, there is a huge skills gap in the industry as it heads toward an expansion drive. 

“On the other hand, a large number of unskilled youth are pushed towards unemployment which is a hindrance to any nation’s development. This partnership is meant to address this very concern,” he said.

 

“We signed an MoU with Don Bosco Technical Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in December 2014 to develop a synergetic partnership and thereby help deserving students find employment in the automobile sector via impartment of technical training and education,” Ravinder Singh, vice-president, strategy and planning, Yamaha Motor India sales, said. 

 

“We certainly foresee recruitment opportunities for them at our own dealerships as this will help our dealers in getting quality trained manpower for their business.”