International bike-makers seem to have developed a strong liking for the Indian automotive market. As per reports, American bike-maker UM global may probably join hands with a local brand or set up its own plant by sourcing a majority of required parts from the local market. Rajeev Mishra, director of UM India Two Wheelers, said, “Unlike other companies, we are not importing bikes from the US. We are planning to assemble bikes in India to achieve cost competitiveness. We will go for localization and plan to start with at least 50 per cent content sourced from the Indian market.”
It is interesting to note that UM Global is relatively a new name in the two wheeler market. As per sources the bike-maker plans to launch around 4 models this year. The first two would be Renegade Commando and Commando limited edition that share a common 223cc, single-cylinder engine. The other two would be the variants of the Renegade Sport that shall be available in 223cc and 200cc engine options. The bikes are expected to be priced something in between Rs. 80,000 to Rs. 150000 price bracket. Speaking more about the marketing strategy Mishra added, “We plan to focus on the 200cc-300cc segment and we are doing the math to position our models in the affordable ex-showroom price bracket of Rs 80,000 - Rs 1,50,000. Riders who are looking to buy Royal Enfield bikes have limited choices today and we plan to offer more options in that segment. Our Commando cruisers not only offer solid build quality but are also high on technology and innovative features.”
The bikes are clearly aimed at competing against bikes in the 200cc – 300cc segment. Speaking about the anticipated launch date, Mishra said, “To achieve cost competitiveness in the market, we plan to locally manufacture our bikes. We will soon announce the name of our JV partner, which will execute the manufacturing operations while we will handle all other areas. However, setting up such as facility will take time and we expect to begin our local manufacturing by April 2015.”
Source: Autocar Professional
