Royal Enfield Plans Multi-Fuel Motorcycles

In the recent held New York Motorcycle show, Dr. Venki Padmanabham (CEO, Royal Enfield) said that the company is planning a multi fuel motorcycle that could run on petrol, diesel and kerosene as well.

Well, if Royal Enfield does what it has said then this is going to redefine the motorcycle industry in India and other parts of the world. The bike maker is known for its innovation and this multi fuel motorcycle will be most prominent of lot.
Practically speaking, bikes running on kerosene as a fuel still need lot of research and development because not many motorcycles with such weird ideas have worked. Therefore, Royal Enfield should also try and improve their R&D before taking any further step on developing a multi fuel motorbike.

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TVS to introduce a refreshed Apache and Scooty Pep+ this year

Chennai based two-wheeler major TVS Motor Company which has posted impressive third quarter results on Thursday is planning to revamp some of its current line-up in order to garner some more numbers.

It has been reported that TVS will introduce upgraded variants of its popular Apache and Scooty Pep+ models in the next few months. It was mentioned that TVS Scooty Pep+ is the flagship scooter of the two-wheeler manufacturer, while the TVS Apache motorcycle has won many awards since it was introduced in the above-150cc segment.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India To Enter Into Pre-Owned Two Wheelers Business

Our Countries largest scooter manufacturer Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India Ltd. is planning to Enter into pre owned two wheeler business to sell its new two wheelers. The company has started a trial study at selected dealership in four major cities Banglore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Delhi where plenty of Honda two wheelers sold.
N K Rattan, Operating Head (Sales and Marketing) confirmed the plan but declined to give further details.
A person close to development said that the company has started an internal study where in the pre-owned dealerships have been setup separately from its existing dealerships through dealer margins to get closer to existing and prospective customers. The company seeks to take advantage of about six million Honda two-wheelers that already ply on Indian roads.

Ducati Diavel in India by April 2011

Italian racing motorcycle manufacturer Ducati has said that it would be launching its latest Diavel model in India by April 2011. Ducati will also be launching two more models of its superbike series 848 Evo and 1198SP in India by January next year.

“The Diavel model would be available in the European and American markets by This month or February 2011. The same model would be launched in India by April This year, depending upon the time it takes to clear the necessary customs and other formalities,” Ducati CEO, Asia Pacific, Mirko Bordiga said.

The 1200 CC Diavel would be available in two variants, the base and Carbon S versions in India.

Bajaj to drop its name on its products from April

The two-wheeler industry though is going strong on numbers count is undergoing some radical changes. While the recent big news making split of Hero and Honda would result in Hero going solo, its major competitor in the home market Bajaj is now reportedly decided to drop its name from its products.

According to a report in the business daily Business Standard, the move is initiated by the Managing director Rajiv Bajaj himself will see the family name from the group flagship company’s products, showrooms and service centers. It was mentioned that company would bank only on its two strong brands Pulsars and Discovers and the rebranding exercise will see the removal of the Bajaj name which has so far had a pride of place in all its products, showrooms and service centers for over five decades. The report stated that the company has decided to overhaul its distribution set-up and rename all its consumer touch points to just Pulsar or Discover, its two most successful bikes. Dealers are already on board on the idea. It was also reported that Fitch, an international retail design agency, will be in charge of the project. It was mentioned that in India, Fitch has worked with entities such as the Aditya Birla Group, Boeing, Reliance ADAG, Tata Group, Microsoft and Vodafone, to name a few.

Hero Considering Diesel Motorcycles

Goodbye Honda, hello diesel?

Honda’s former Indian partner is reportedly in talks with a diesel engine supplier for future motorcycles.

The Hero Group is licensed to sell motorcycles with Honda technology until 2014 and the company is exploring alternatives as it tries to maintain its hold on India’s motorcycle market.  
According to Indian news outlet NDTV, Hero Honda is in talks with an engine supplier from Chennai, India to supply diesel engines larger than 400cc. The supplier was not identified but NDTV reports it is an Indo-U.S. firm. The company’s engines are currently undergoing certification with the Automotive Research Association of India. NDTV reports a supply agreement likely won’t be reached until the first quarter of 2012 with the first models to launch later that year.

Yamaha registers growth of 69.7 per cent in December

India Yamaha Motor rode at a brisk pace in 2010 backed by new product offerings and novel marketing initiatives. The company clocked sales of 350,264 motorcycles in 2010 as compared to 267,895 motorcycles in 2009, a growth of 30.7 percent over last year. The domestic market recorded sales of 258,987 units in 2010 vs. 218,625 units in 2009, a growth of 18.5 percent while in export markets, a phenomenal growth of 85 per cent was achieved with the sale of 91,277 motorcycles in 2010 vs. 49,270 units in 2009.

In December alone, the company sold 34,839 units this year vs. 20,529 units in December 2009, thereby registering a growth of 69.7 per cent. In domestic markets, the company almost doubled last year’s sales, with 26,567 units in December 2010 vs. 13,612 units in the same month last year. The export figures stood at 8,272 units in December 2010 while 6,917 motorcycles were exported in December 2009.

Honda Motorcycles records 20 per cent growth in December

December has been good month for the automobile industry despite being the last month of the year, where usually sales stagger. This time most of the major automobile companies have witnessed double digit growth.

Now it has been reported that two-wheeler manufacturer Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) has reported 20 per cent growth in sales at 140,642 units in December 2010 over the same month previous year.

Bajaj Auto registers 10 per cent growth in December

Two-wheeler sales are growing at a healthy clip even after several months of growth and now it has been reported that Indian’s second largest two-wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto backed by its popular brands Pulsar and Discover, has reported 10 per cent growth in its sales in December 2010.

According to agency reports, it has been reported that the company had sold 276,803 units during the month, up by 10 per cent as against 252,004 units during the same period of previous year. It has also been reported that this has been the best December sales for Bajaj.

Hero Honda registers 33 per cent growth in December

The country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero Honda has reported a 33 per cent growth in sales at 501,111 units for December 2010 over the same month in the previous year.

The reports have mentioned that the company said it has recorded a sales growth of 16.4 per cent during the calendar year 2010 with cumulative sales of over 5 million units. "2010 has been an outstanding year for Hero Honda. For the coming year, we further intend to solidify our leadership by launching new products combined with customer-focused marketing programs," Hero Honda Motors Sr. VP (Marketing & Sales) Anil Dua said, the reports have mentioned.

Honda looking at tripling bike sales in next 5 years

After the end of one of the world’s most successful joint-venture Hero Honda Motors Ltd., there had been lot of talk about how the Japanese company would move ahead with its plans in India. Now it has been reported that Honda though has lost the five million numbers it gained through the joint venture, it plans to reach that number in another five years.

According to a Reuters report which mentioned the Nikkei business daily from Japan stated that Honda Motor Co. plans to ramp up motorcycle production and triple sales in India to 5 million units annually in five years as its partnership with the Hero Group nears end.

Royal Enfield CEO Ravichandran moves to Eicher board

The man tunred around the sagging fortunes of the iconic motorcycles company Royal Enfield in the past five years has now finally moved ahead from the saddle and has gone to join the Eicher board. It has been reported that R.L. Ravichandran wrapped up his last day as CEO of Royal Enfield on December 31.

In a talk with the business daily The Business Line, he said “It is really no big deal. The show goes on at Royal Enfield and I continue to be associated with the Eicher Group." He is now getting ready with his new assignment as Executive Director and Member of the Board. The report stated that what gets him excited, though, is the remarkable turnaround of Enfield from the time he took over as CEO in mid-2005.