Yamaha 125cc scooter India launch seems uncertain even as most of the manufacturers have already entered the segment.
There was a time when commuter motorcycles were considered to be the best alternative when it came to an affordable and efficient mode of transport. However, priorities started shifting to practicality aspect with time which fuelled the growth of the scooter segment in India. Scooters made huge sense! They were practical with a good amount of storage spaces, everyone in the family could ride them, their seats were clearly more accommodating and above all, each one of them were priced competitively in one narrow price band.
While Honda, Hero and TVS were steadily sipping away the volumes, Yamaha entered with the Ray in 2012 and followed it up with the Ray Z, Alpha and Fascino by the year 2015. Probably late to the party, Yamaha wasn’t exactly able to replicate enough success with most of its models apart from the Fascino. This is when manufacturers started entering with their 125cc offerings, that promised to have an edge in terms of performance without compromising much on fuel efficiency.
Suzuki Access 125 was the obvious choice in the market until Honda entered with its Activa 125 in 2014, the success of which caused other manufacturers to enter the segment. In came the Mahindra Gusto, Honda Grazia, TVS NTORQ 125 and how can we forget the Italians (Aprilia and Piaggio) who went to another level with their 150cc offerings! However, Yamaha seems to be really busy with its motorcycle segment to not pay any attention to the changing market preferences.
The Japanese automaker was supposed to be here with the Yamaha Nozza Grande at the 2018 Auto Expo. However, the 125cc scooter is still nowhere in sight. The retro-styled scooter was spotted on test exactly one year back in Chennai. In India, it was expected to be powered by a carburetted version of the 124cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled motor with peak power and torque output of 8.2 PS and 9.7 Nm respectively. The India launch is uncertain at this moment, but what could be forcing the manufacturer to distance itself from this highly lucrative segment?
Yamaha 125cc Scooter
– Yamaha 125cc scooter launch in India uncertain
– Company has Ray, Alpha and Fascino in its scooter lineup
– Yamaha has absolutely no presence in the 125cc scooter category
– A lot of manufacturers in India are shifting towards 125cc scooters
