According to a forecast, the Indian two-wheeler market is growing at a steady rate with the rising popularity of premium bikes among auto aficionados. As a result of this, premium bike makers are entering the country to capture a sizeable amount of market share. The most recent addition to the list is Triumph, which happens to be a UK based bike company. The auto maker made a sizzling Indian debut with the introduction of 10 premium models, tagged with a price between Rs. 5.7 lakh and Rs. 20 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The main aim of this company was to pose a stiff challenge in front of Harley-Davidson and consequently, be a threat to its dominance in long run. Worthy to note, at present, Harley-Davidson has 11 motorcycles on offer that are priced between Rs. 5.91 lakh and Rs. 29 lakh.
Triumph Motorcycles has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in the country. It is targeting to sell about 1,000 units in first year of operations. Notably, the bike company has established an assembly facility in Manesar, which is close to rival Harley-Davidson's unit in Bawal (Haryana). Setting up a facility on the Indian soil means that the company has some long term plans to achieve. Currently, Harley-Davidson is way ahead of Triumph. The bike company has an annual global sale of around 250,000 units while Triumph is hoping to close with sales of over 51,000 bikes in 2013.
Triumph first showcased its bikes at the 2012 Auto Expo held in New Delhi. With respect to this, the entry has been quite late ( nearly two years), however, the bike maker is not too worried about the same. Paul Stroud, Global Director (Sales and Marketing), Triumph, reportedly said, “We wanted to make sure that we entered the market with the right models and right partners. We were also looking at developing back-end support, as well as investing in the assembly facility during the period.”
Vimal Sumbly, Managing Director, Triumph Motorcycles India, gave more insight in the company's product strategy. He said, “Our competitors either have sportsters or cruisers in their portfolio. We have a broader appeal as we have come to India with 10 models and with differentiated offerings in each category - classics (Bonneville), roadsters (Street Triple, Speed Triple), supersports (Daytona), adventurers (Tiger 800) and cruisers (Thunderbird Storm). We will give our customers options to choose from and are confident that we will expand the industry.” He also added, “In 2008-09, sales of premium motorcycles stood at around 450 units per annum. This has increased to about 3,000 units per year now. The per capita income in India is increasing, customers now have access to varied brands, riding infrastructure has improved. Given all these factors, the market can only grow from here.”
Out of 10 models that have been introduced, six will be assembled locally. Expensive products like cruisers Thunderbird Storm (Rs. 13 lakh, ex-showroom, India), Rocket III Roadster (Rs. 20 lakh), adventure riding bikes Tiger 800 XC (Rs. 12 lakh) and Tiger Explorer (Rs. 17.9 lakh) will be imported by the company as CBU (Completely Built Units) from its manufacturing facilities based in UK and Thailand. The bike company is planning to have nine dealerships by the end of March 2014. Sumbly pointed out that the company will get this done in two phases, the first phase will include dealerships in Hyderabad & Bangalore by December 2013 and Delhi & Mumbai by January 2014. The second phase will include dealerships in places like Kolkata, Chennai and Pune.
