The opening of the year for the British auto company, Triumph Motorcycle was excellent having showcased their products at the recently concluded Auto Expo. Now it is time to come out of the AC rooms and do hard business in the competitive Indian auto market. The company displayed at least seven models – Daytona 675 to Rocket III Roadster in the Auto Expo.
The auto major is targeting to select at least three to four dealerships across India in the current year. Banglore, Mumbai and Delhi are the three locations the company has zeroed in on for their dealership spots. They are contemplating to finalize Chandigadh as their fourth dealership location. These are the plans for the current year.
It is expected that Triumph Motorcycle will increase their dealerships up to 10 to 12 in the next three years. Mr Ashish Joshi, who is the MD of Triumph Motorcycles India, said that the current year was a very important year for them as they would be going global. It is the year that they will be taking the first steps towards making an impact on the most important market in the world (the Indian two wheeler market).
The company will import four models via the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route to India. These four models will make their entry from Thailand. Daytona 675, Street Triple 675, Bonneville and Speed Triple are those four models, which will make their way through the CKD.
The remaining three models are set to be imported via the CBU (Completely Built Unit). These models are Storm, Rocket III Roadster and Tiger 800XC. After being imported, these bikes will then be assembled in the company’s assembly plant. Interestingly, the location of the company’s assembly plant is however not known.
One thing is worth mentioning about the company’s professional view. The company will be importing four models through the CKD route and three from the CBU way. While importing, the import duty the company will have to pay is 60 per cent for the CKD and a whopping 110 per cent on the CBU. So if the company is known to be consumer centric, what steps they take to keep the price tag in check for the Indian customers.
The introduction of the Triumph bikes will be a big challenge to other auto majors like the Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and to Harley Davidson. A tough fight is on the cards for sure.
