Yamaha; The first two-wheeler manufacturer to import vehicles from India

For the first time in the history of two-wheeler industry, an auto maker will be importing its vehicles from India. It’s been around twenty-seven years, the Japan-based auto giant, Yamaha Motor Company established its facility in India and is now looking ahead to import its India-made sports bikes. Following the decision, the Indian subsidiary of Japanese two-wheeler maker will deliver its first consignment of 300 R15s, produced at its Surajpur facility.

The main idea conceived behind this move stands at testing the manoeuvrability of India-made vehicles in Japan, and if the results come favourable, the company might further start the imports of other products like FZ. Expressing his views on the initiative, Hiroyaki Suzuki, Managing Director, India Yamaha Motor, told Economic Times, “The motorcycles manufactured in India meet the advanced specification of developed markets and they are produced at a lower cost. We are sending R15 to Japan to test market them in the Japanese market and if the response is good, we may explore more products for export to Japan and other advanced markets.”

Elaborating the above statement, Suzuki quoted, “Japan 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 also be an ideal choice for entry-level racing. If the response is good, our next target would be Europe.”

In India, R15 is offered in a price range of around Rs. 1.15 lacs, however in Japan, the bike would cost close to ¥3.42 lacs, around Rs. 2.45 lacs. The auto industry of Japan register the sales of around 4,00,000 two-wheelers each year, wherein a large number is dedicated to the 50 cc scooters.

On the other hand, exports of two-wheelers from the Indian auto market are not new. Some of the big players of this segment, namely Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor, are already in practice of delivering their consignments to Africa, Latin America and the Asian countries. Speaking from the exports front of two-wheelers, in fiscal 2012, the Indian industry surged 27.13 per cent and stood at 1.94 million units against the 1.53 million vehicles delivered in fiscal 2011. Among the mentioned figures, 1,29,394 units were accounted to the India Yamaha Motors, who was the fourth largest two-wheeler exporter of the country at that time with a growth of 45 per cent.