Suzuki sells over 50 units of Rs12 lakh bikes in 4 months
Suzuki sells over 50 units of Rs12 lakh bikes in 4 months
New Delhi: Nano may be hogging the limelight but Japan’s Suzuki is quietly smiling having sold over 50 units of the bike, each priced 12 times the Rs1 lakh ‘People’s Car’ from the Tatas’ stable.
The bikes — Hayabusa and Intruder — are powered by engines that are up to three times more powerful than the Nano. While Hayabusa is powered by a 1,340cc engine, Intruder has a 1,783cc V-twin engine in contrast to Nano’s 623 cc engine.
Besides attracting common biking enthusiasts, the company has also succeeded in luring Bollywood actor John Abraham to buy a fresh Hayabusa.
“These bikes are for those people who have money and also enjoy biking. We have got good response and sold 51 units so far in the country," Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) vice president (sales & marketing) Atul Gupta said.
The company has sold 23 units of Hayabusa and 28 units of Intruder in Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai, he added.
SMIPL, the Indian subsidiary of the Japanese major, had launched the two bikes in November last year and both were priced atRs 12.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Asked about the customers, who have bought the products, Gupta said: “One of our proud customers of the bikes is actor John Abraham. He owns a Hayabusa."
The company had set a target to sell a total of about 300 units of the two bikes in a year.
When asked if the launch of Nano would affect the sales of the company’s commuter segment bikes Gupta said, “Not at all. Mileage is very important to customers and our bikes run about 70 km per litre, while Nano will cover only 25 km."
Cost of ownership in Nano is also almost three times than buying a Suzuki motorcycle, he added.
In the National Capital, the price of Suzuki’s 125cc motorcycle Zeus starts from Rs42,393 (ex-showroom), while Nano will be available from Rs1.23 lakh (ex-showroom).
Suzuki, which re-entered India in 2006 with the launch of the two bikes after breaking off from a join venture with TVS Motor Company in 2000, is looking to launch at least two models every year.
It is also expanding its production capacity to 2.5 lakh units per annum by April, 2009, with an additional investment of Rs150 crore, which would also take care of new product launches. So far it has invested Rs400 crore in the country.
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