Yamaha to Wear Made-in-India Tag
India Yamaha Motor to export 300 R15 bikes to Japan
Twenty seven years after setting up a manufacturing base in India, Yamaha Motor Company’s Indian subsidiary will export sports bikes to Japan, in what is a first in the history of Indian two-wheeler industry.
ET learns that India Yamaha Motor, the subsidiary of the Japanese two-wheeler company, will be exporting its first shipment of 300 deluxe motorcycles of R15, a 150-cc sports bike manufactured at its plant in Surajpur. The idea is to test the product in the Japanese market, and if the response is good, the company may even begin the exports of another deluxe motorcycle, FZ, to its home market.
Confirming the development, Hiroyaki Suzuki, MD, India Yamaha Motor, told ET, “The motorcycles manufactured in India meet the advanced specification of developed markets and they are produced at a lower cost. We are sending shipments of the R15 to Japan, to test-market it in the Japanese market and, if the response is good, we may explore more products to export to Japan and other advanced markets.” “The Japanese market is a market for big bikes and racing motorcycles and, within that, the 150-cc segment is emerging. Our R15 fits the image; not only is it easy to race and manoeuvre, but it could be an ideal choice for entrylevel racing,” added Suzuki.
Annually, about 4,00,000 units of two wheelers are sold in Japan, with a large part of the market being dominated by the 50-cc scooter market and the balance making up for big bikes of 250 cc, 400 cc, 600 cc and above. R15 commands a price tag of Rs 1.15 lakh on Indian roads, but in Japan, it will sell at 3.42 lakh yen or Rs 2.45 lakh.
The Indian MD explained that once Yamaha’s sales team in Japan is able to ascertain the demand for the products, the Japanese team will give the Indian team an indication of the demand for ‘made in India’ bikes for export to Japan. “If the response is good, our next target would be Europe,” says Suzuki. Exports of two wheelers from India is nothing new. Bajaj Auto and TVS Motors export two wheelers to markets in Africa, Latin America and the Asean countries, but Yamaha’s move to reach out to the developed markets from India is something new.
