Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer Yamaha Motor on Tuesday announced setting up of its fifth global research and development (R & D) headquarter in Surajpur, Uttar Pradesh that would help develop low-cost models in future.
The other four overseas R & D headquarters are located in China, Italy, Taiwan and Thailand. The company is working on to roll out a motorcycle priced at around $ 500 from India
The function of the India procurement centre established last year has been transferred and incorporated into the new company – Yamaha Motor R & D India (YMRI) – and will operate as the India integrated development centre. The company has invested Rs 2 crore for this new centre, it said.
Apart from low-cost models, the company said that the new centre also aims to contribute to India’s operations by ‘change drawings’, tailoring reforms to design, maintenance and production standards, optimising them to fit the Indian market.
“This will help us not only to develop models and parts for India market, but also to develop models and parts for export markets as well,” Hiroyuki Suzuki, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, India Yamaha Motor told reporters.
He said based on the new medium-term plan commencing this year, Yamaha will continue to launch products in the scooter category, while expanding the sales network, and launching the second factory in Chennai by 2014.
The company targets to sell 5 lakh units of two-wheelers by end of this year and aims to reach 1.8 million units by 2016, he added.
“We plan to achieve lowest cost models and parts in the world through innovative and new development based on responsible analysis (INDRA) activity meant to provide optimised specification through investigation in product lifecycle,” Toshikazu Kobayashi, Managing Director, YMRI said.
He said this activity will help the company in reducing the cost yet rolling out products that meet all customer aspirations and market standards.
The company also said it will stick to variants of 150cc motorcycles and 125cc scooters for next dew years for masses. As and when the market accepts for other categories, the company will also bring those models for Indian consumers from its global portfolio.