Triumph and Bajaj have joined hands to manufacture entry level motorcycles in the 250cc to 500cc segment – rival Royal Enfield
It was back in Jan 2022, that the official announcement was made. India’s Bajaj Auto and UK’s Triumph motorcycles had joined hands to manufacture motorcycles in the price range of Rs 2 lakh. Launch was expected in 2022, but due to Covid-19, it has now been delayed to 2023.
Bajaj Triumph Motorcycle Spied
First spy shots of the upcoming Bajaj Triumph motorcycle have arrived. From the looks of it, the motorcycle looks like a rival to Royal Enfield Meteor 350, which is also priced in the Rs 2 lakh range. Debut is expected later this year, around Diwali 2022. Launch in 2023.
Royal Enfield dominates the 350cc-500cc single cylinder motorcycle segment with over 85% market share. It is this segment that has been eyed by Bajaj for years now. They launched the Dominar brand to tackle RE, but failed. With Triumph, they are getting to take on Royal Enfield once again.
Speaking about the upcoming Bajaj Triumph Motorcycle, it will be branded as a Triumph, and not a Bajaj. It will be sold in India, as well as global markets as a Triumph. Bajaj will be manufacturing the motorcycle at their plant near Pune.
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Make In India Benefits
The Bajaj-Triumph joint venture has been one of the most talked about partnerships in the Indian automotive market in recent times. The project has seen its fair share of delays which further got extended due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But with businesses resuming full throttle, the JV is now looking forward to developing its first project for India.
The main objective of the iconic British bike maker through this tie-up is to build more accessible ‘Triumph’ branded motorcycles in India. To achieve this, Triumph needed high levels of localisation to bring down the cost and hence required an Indian partner to carry out research, development and manufacturing of these bikes.
New 250cc-750cc Triumph prototypes ready
Bajaj and Triumph have been working on the project since 2020. As per original plan, the first of new 250cc-750cc Triumph motorcycles were to be unveiled by 2022. However, the plans have been delayed due to the pandemic. Travel restrictions between India and the UK have been a major roadblock. Now that things have improved, the project is expected to gain momentum.
According to Miles Perkins (Head of Brand Management at Triumph), the project is on track and prototypes have been developed. Though a specific timeline for launch has not been provided, details about the bikes could be made available soon. The new Triumph bikes manufactured by Bajaj will be sold globally. It will not be limited to Asian markets that are known for their preference for affordable, small capacity bikes.
There are multiple reasons why Triumph chose Bajaj for manufacturing its new 250cc-750cc range. A key factor is that Bajaj has a strong presence in both domestic and international markets. Plus, it has experience working with global brands like KTM, Husqvarna and Kawasaki.
According to Perkins, the two companies have matching family-oriented leadership values and principles. Both teams are passionate about what they do and have displayed a high level of focus and commitment.
Source
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
