Suzuki Motorcycle to launch three new products

Two-wheeler maker Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited (SMIPL), a subsidiary of Japan-based Suzuki Motor Corporation, is planning to launch three new products in the coming 18 months, catering to the mass market.

Launching Suzuki SlingShot, its 125 cc motorcycle here on Friday, Anand Singh Thakur, senior manager (sales and marketing), SMIPL, said, “We will be coming out with a 100 cc motorcycle and two scooters and are in the process of finalising the project.” The new products would be manufactured from the company’s plant at Gurgaon.

Suzuki’s current portfolio of both scooters and motorcycles includes Access 125, Suzuki GS150 R, and GSX-R 1000, Bandit 1250S and Hayabusa.

With the launch of SlingShot, the company is aiming at a 10 per cent market share in the motorcycle segment in India by 2012. Suzuki has a 26 per cent market share in the scooter segment, with sale of 20,000 units per month.

“The company is planning to increase its dealership network to 350 from the current 226, across India by 2012. We are aggressively expanding our production capacity to 540,000 units from 250,000 units by 2012,” he added.

Suzuki Motorcycle has invested Rs 500 crore in SlingShot bikes, which are priced at Rs 44,737 (ex-showroom, Hyderabad) and available in four colours.

Currently, the company is exporting to Nepal and plans to export to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as its production increases. “But, our focus will be mainly on the domestic market. We will try to make it available in all the two-wheeler sub-segments in the future,” he said.