Honda to join superbikes race in India

Following the footsteps of its compatriots Yamaha and Suzuki in bringing superbikes which cost above Rs 10 lakh to India, Japan's Honda plans to launch its premium sports motorcycles, including the CBR1000RR, in this financial year.     

The company will also introduce a new model in the mass market category of 100-150 cc in the same time period.     

"We will launch two models in super bike category with 800-1,000 cc engines in this fiscal. Apart from this, we will also bring a new model in the mass market category before March next year," HMSI General Manager Marketing N K Rattan said.     

For the big-bike business, the company will set up exclusive stores in the four metros initially.      "To start with, we will establish our showrooms in the metros. Later on we will expand taking into account serviceability and other issues," he said.     

The auto player is considering launching its 1,000cc model CBR1000RR in India and another bike which which will be above 800cc. However, Rattan declined to give further details.     

Recently, Suzuki had launched its legendary Hayabusa and Intruder M1800, which are priced at Rs 12.5 lakh.     

Last year another Japanese bike major, Yamaha had introduced its flagship models -- the Super Sports YZF-R1 and the Torque Sports MT01 -- priced at Rs 10.50 lakh.     

The mass market motorbike from HMSI could be powered by a 125cc engine. HMSI already has Unicorn motorcycle in the 150cc segment and Shine and CBF Stunner motorbikes in the 125cc segments.    
The company plans to sell a total of 10,00,000 bikes in India in the current fiscal.