Triumph Motors is all set for its Indian stint from mid-2013. Initially the company had planned to start its Indian operation in 2012 itself but the same has been delayed for unknown reasons. The UK based motorcycle manufacturer sees a prospect in premium motorcycle market in India and is also looking forward to set up its assembly plant in Karnataka. Earlier this year at the Auto Expo, Triumph Motors had showcased its seven models for theIndian market, with a starting price of Rs 5.5 lakh for the Bonneville.
Triumph’s India MD, Mr. Ashish Joshi resigned earlier this year, which gave company a setback in starting their Indian operations in 2012. Triumph will initially introduce 7 models; Bonneville, Tiger 800XC, Street Triple, Speed Triple, Daytona 675, Storm and Rocket III Roadster in India. Triumph will initially bring all the motorcycles as Completely Built Unit (CBU). Triumph plans to bring these motorcycles after setting up an assembly plant as Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits, for competitive pricing. The company is pondering on keeping the initial prices of these CBU low as the same will be reduced after the setting up of its local assembly.
Triumph will have dealerships in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore initially and will later expand its dealership network to Pune, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Goa. The company hasn’t disclosed its plans of developing any motorcycles specifically for the Indian market. The initial pricing of the Bonneville is quite aggressive for the local market and it may help the British firm to get its grip in the country. Currently in India, Ducati, Harley-Davidson and BMW Motorrad are the global players offering only premium motorcycles in the market. So if you are planning to buy a Triumph motorcycle, you will have to probably wait till next year.
Source – Wall Street Journal
