Bajaj Auto is making all attempts to increase the presence in Indonesia with their successful Pulsar line up. But not everything going well for Bajaj in Indonesia, they are forced to recall Pulsar 135 LS there due to faulty electrical system. Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS was launched in Indonesia in last April and from next month onwards Bajaj is planning to recall Pulsar 135 LS for free repairs.
» Read more: Bajaj Auto recalls Pulsar 135 LS in Indonesia, What about Indian Pulsars?
Yamaha India is in the process of pruning their products line up. One day after the launch of three new models, company announced that three commuter segment bikes, Alba, G5 and Gladiator have been withdrawn from the market. An official statement said company has already discontinued the production of these three models from April this year.
» Read more: Yamaha India Trims Product Line Up, Withdraws Alba, G5 and Gladiator
Yamaha India, the Indian subsidiary of Japanese two wheeler major today launched three bikes namely, SZ, SZ-X and YBR 125 in Greater Noida. Few days before we had reported this story. Eventhough Yamaha is present in India for a long time, could not create a mass volume model in our market. This is considered as Yamaha’s desperate attempt to gain considerable market share in 94 lakh units Indian two wheeler industry. These three commuter segment bikes fall in a price band of Rs 47,000-Rs 52,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi).
» Read more: Yamaha India Turns Aggressive, Launches SZ, SZ-X and YBR 125
Cheaper Yamahas on the way
Now that Yamaha have taken over the performance segment with the YZF-R15 and FZ series, it was about time they moved towards the lower end of the spectrum which is exactly what they are doing. Yamaha have lined up a slew of launches starting with the SZ 150, a cheaper variant of the FZ that will take the fight to the Discover 150. The bike is aimed at customers who find the FZ expensive (which it indeed is, at over Rs 70,000 Ex-Showroom). It is expected to come with a detuned engine producing around 11bhp and priced between Rs 55,000 – 60,000.
Below the SZ, Yamaha will launch a 125cc commuter bike aimed at the Discover and Hero Honda’s Super Splendor. It is expected to be named as the YBR 125 and will take over from the YBR 110. Also on cards is a refreshed Fazer. Stay tuned for more news!
Notice the new rear mud-guard
You need to specifically label an award titled ‘Fastest upgrade of the year’ and give it to Bajaj. The Pulsar 135LS was launched just seven months ago and now we see its first upgrade already, probably based on customer feedback. Mind you that this is not a facelift. Bajaj have revised a few parts and the most glaring change is the adoption of a split-rear mud-guard that replaces a single piece unit. The older one’s rear styling wasn’t the most loved.
Hit the jump for more images and details.
Once a successful maker of scooters in India, Italian marque Piaggio, that now owns Vespa will re-launch the brand in the Indian market. The top officials have approved a business plan to set up a plant and distribution network in India. Their first model will be a specially developed model for the Indian market, called as LX125. The new facility will have an annual capacity of 150,000 units per annum. Piaggio will invest an amount of Euro 30million in FY 2010-11 and expects to make a profit of Euro 70million by 2015.
Vespa has a long history of making scooters in India, a market that they entered in 1950s. Their partnership with LML ended in a dispute in 1999 thus taking the brand out of India. Piaggio already has a base at Baramati, where they make their range of three and four wheeler commercial vehicles. This base could be expanded to take up the two wheeler operations or a new set up could come up elsewhere.
Bajaj’s success of the Pulsar series continues with the latest Pulsar 135LS hitting 100,000 unit sales since its launch. The 135LS has also received several accolades from many Automobile magazines in the country. Sporting cutting edge technology and features, the Pulsar 135 LS, where the suffix LS stands for Light Sports has revolutionised biking in the country by taking performance biking to the masses. The bike offers performance comparable to the 150cc class while delivering better fuel economy than its 150cc counterparts.
Sporting a power of 13.5bhp and a power to weight of 110.6 ps/tonne, the ultra lightweight (122kg) 135LS is a nimble handler as well. It costs just Rs 52,997 Ex-Delhi. Commenting on the occasion, S. Sridhar, CEO-2Wh said, “With the launch of the Pulsar 135LS, our aim was to democratize the thrill of biking by making performance accessible. Not only have expert bikers and specialist auto magazines and channels greatly appreciated the bike, the response from customers too has been overwhelming. The strong growth numbers have been achieved with innovative activations and digital campaigns backed by a very strong product offering.”
Bajaj-KTM performance bikes are expected to hit Indian market by first half of next fiscal. Definitely a good news for those who are in waiting mode but the bad news follows, Bajaj-KTM sports bikes will not be that cheap. Here they will be priced well above Rs. One lac. India’s no.2 two wheeler manufacturer in association with KTM developed an array of sports bikes with engine capacity of 125cc and above after spending nearly two years. These range of newly developed performance bikes will be initially launched in European markets then our market will receive them.
Honda Dazzler came earlier than we expected, we anticipated the launch of Honda Dazzler the so called sportier version of Honda Unicorn by June 2010. But we are happy to welcome the Dazzler much before than expected. Honda Dazzler was first showcased in this years Auto Expo and since then it was a discussion topic among bike enthusiasts. The Dazzler is powered by Honda Unicorn engine with minor modifications. The maximum power of this tweaked Unicorn engine is 14bhp and maximum torque is 1.3kgm at 6500rpm.
Bajaj is all set to regain the leadership in commuter bike segment. Yesterday Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) launched the latest weapon from their cache with very aggressive price tag. The new Discover 150cc has been priced at Rs.46,0000/- (ex-showroom New Delhi). BAL’s arch rival Hero Honda’s hot selling commuter bike Passion Pro comes at Rs.44,800 (ex-showroom New Delhi). That means Bajaj is focussing commuter biker buyers who can spend some extra amount to upgrade to powerful and feature rich commuter bike.
