The Indian arm of UK-based Triumph Motorcycles on Thursday said it had set a target of 15 per cent market share in the country this year and would concentrate only on bikes that are 500cc and above for the next three years.
The company, which announced the launch of 250cc bikes in India in 2015, has deferred the decision as of now, Vimal Sumbly, Managing Director, Triumph Motorcycles India, told Business Line on the sidelines of the new launch here.
“We don’t want to be a competitor in that segment (250cc) right now as there are many players here, such as Royal Enfield,” he said, adding that even Harley Davidson’s plans are in the pipeline. “There are a lot of super luxury bike buyers in India, and we want to concentrate on that,” he said.
Sumbly said the company has done well in less than a year since it started operations in India and expected to sell around 1,750 units next year. The company, which has sold around 800 units till now, expects to close this year with the sale around 1,500 units. It follows July-June as its financial year.
“The super luxury bike segment, which was just around 400 units in 2009-10, is expected to reach around 10,000 units (from around 3,500 units last year) this year and we are expecting around 15 per cent share in that,” he said.
The company also plans to expand its dealership from eight to 12 in the next few months. “We are opening two dealerships each in Chandigarh and Kolkata in October and one each in Indore and Jaipur by April. We will also open one in Nepal,” Sumbly said.
On Thursday, the company launched Thunderbird LT – a 1699cc motorcycle -- priced at ₹15.75 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The eight-valve engine produces 94PS at 5400rpm and 151 Nm of torque at 3550rpm.
With this, the company has 12 models in India, out of which seven are assembled in its Karnataka plant. It plans to assemble nine models by end next year, Sumbly added.