Yamaha has recently imported two units of a 150cc scooter from Indonesia for R&D purpose. This is in addition to the 155cc scooter imported by the manufacturer in April 2015.
With the scooter segment continuously growing in India, manufacturers are trying to lure more and more customers. Some are launching new products while others are refreshing the existing lineup. While we have a lot of scooters in the under 125cc segment, none of the brands are offering bigger than 125cc engines. This can be attributed to their lower fuel efficiency and higher cost. However, with the ever growing traffic in cities, many riders are now shifting from bikes to scooters to make the commute stress-free. Such riders appreciate the additional power offered by higher capacity engines.
In order to tap into this blue ocean, Yamaha India might launch a 150cc scooter in the Indian market sometime next year. Looking at its Indonesian lineup, the country where the scooters have been imported from, the upcoming two-wheeler would be radically different from the current offerings in the market in terms of style and features. The new look might attract the younger audience at which the scooter would be targeted. While the Yamaha NMAX sports a 155cc engine, it remains to be seen which engine does the Japanese manufacturer plonk in the scooter for our market.
Another manufacturer which is supposedly working on a 150cc scooter is Honda as it is the current leader in the scooter segment. Since the segment up to 125cc is largely dominated by Honda and the number of scooters in the segment is high, venturing into the segment above 125cc makes business sense. Yamaha would want to get the first mover advantage in the segment and possibly lead the way. With bigger wheels, more features and a much more powerful engine, the upcoming 150cc scooter won’t be cheap and might be more expensive than the Vespa 150 which is also on its way from Piaggio. We can’t wait to see these powerhouses on Indian roads.
Source – Zauba.com
