American bike maker Indian Motorcycle drives into India

The bike is priced between Rs 26.5 lakh and Rs 33 lakh

Iconic US bike maker Indian Motorcycle International, on Wednesday, announced entry into the Indian market with a price range starting at Rs 26.5 lakh. The America’s first motorcycle enters India within two months after iconic British bike maker Triumph entered Indian market. It will also take on other super-premium bikes including Harley Davidson, Ducati and BMW.

Polaris India Pvt Ltd, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Polaris Industries that bought America’s first motorcycle company Indian Motorcycle in 2011, will sell the least expensive bike Chief Classic for Rs 26.5 lakh (ex-showroom), while other two models — Chief Vintage and Chieftain will be priced at Rs 29.5 lakh and Rs 33 lakh, respectively.

The company said that all the bikes will be powered by 1,811cc Thunder Stroke III engine that has 139 newton meter torque and 6-speed transmission.

“These are the most expensive machines that you can buy. This is a machine that will carry the ‘Indian’ name on Indian roads. We are here to position Indian above all super bikes in India,” said Pankaj Dubey, managing director, Polaris India.

Over the next few years, the company targets to have a 10% market share in the above 1600cc bike market, said Dubey. The segment is estimated to have sales of about 200 units annually. “We expect this market to grow by 40-50% in a few years,” he added.

Target customer segment for the company would be businessmen, company executives and sports enthusiasts in the 30-50 age group.

The company will set up its first dealership in Delhi by March this year and the second dealership will be opened in Bangalore within next two quarters. It has set up a warehouse in Faridabad, near New Delhi and its engineers will travel across the country to address service-related issues.