American motorcycling legend Indian Motorcycles, which is currently owned by Polaris plans to assemble bikes via the CKD route.
The Indian Motorcycle brand is a relatively an unknown entity in India, even though the company has a rich history of vehicles and it also makes some very gorgeous looking motorcycles. This primarily boils down to the lack of public knowledge of the brand and hence the absence of aspirational value, which is the prime driving factor for sales in its segment. The company has seen dwindling sales year by year whereas its chief rival Harley-Davidson enjoys unbound success and is even started to feature in Punjabi songs, replacing the Royal Enfield Bullet.
Therefore, Polaris has been busy firing up all cylinders and developing new strategies to promote the brand in India. It has been reportedly looking to expand its dealership footprint as well as look for new avenues to start assembling its bikes in India, majorly to bring prices down and lower the various logistical costs. The company has started to give its joint venture with Eicher a serious re-look as the previous plans of capturing the commercial as well as agricultural market have not been as fruitful as thought earlier.
The American automaker is also exploring the possibility of assembling vehicles at the same plant where it currently manufactures its ATVs i.e at the JV’s Jaipur facility. The facility has an annual capacity of 60,000 units and the company has so far invested Rs. 350 crores.
Indian Motorcycle Assembly In India
– Indian Motorcycles doesn’t enjoy the same brand value in India as Harley-Davidson
– Polaris is reportedly scouting for locations to start local assembly of the American bikes
– The company is also planning to expand its dealership network
Source – ETAuto.com
