According to recent reports from Europe, Ducati’s new owners aims to leverage the Italian marque’s technical know-how to aid in the development of new two-wheelers.

Audi’s sales and marketing manager Peter Schwarzenbauer was recently quoted in the press stating that the German car manufacturer has been considering developing a two-wheeler for quite some time now.

Speaking at an opening of a new Audi showroom in London, Schwarzenbauer said that Ducati would have an important role in ‘future mobility solutions’ for urban transportation, as the carmaker would use the Italian manufacturer’s experience to assist in development of an Audi scooter or motorcycle, but he was keen to point out that it would never be a ‘Ducati wearing an Audi badge’.

With the rivalry between German car manufacturers, and with BMW launching the new C600 scooter and its Mini and Daimler’s Smart concept, it’s likely that Audi’s first foray into the two-wheeler market would be with a maxi-scooter. Moreover, now that the VW subsidiary has acquired Ducati, it is also highly possible that they could they use the rumoured scooter project the latter had lined up for their new venture.

DSK Motowheels Private Limited, a part of the diverse DSK Group worth Rs 4000 crore, are targeting to achieve an ambitious sales turnover of Rs 100 crore from their newly launched two-wheel venture with Hyosung (SMT Korea).

Shirish Kulkarni, Director, DSK Motowheels stated that they aim to sell 3,780 units in total, including all the 3 offerings. Currently, the company offers the GT 250R priced at Rs 2.8 lakh (ex-showroom), the GT 650N and GT 650R which are priced between 4.2 lakh and 5.5 lakh (OTR, Pune) respectively and the ST 7 cruiser that comes with a price tag of Rs 6.57 lakh.

As you all are aware, DSK recently acquired Garware Motors’ stake in Hyosung and will shortly be setting up a Rs 300 crore manufacturing plant in India within the next two years. DSK Motowheels will be importing engines directly from Korea and assembling them in India.

Triumph is in the process of finalising its plans for its Indian entry.

As we have reported earlier, the company has chosen Karnataka for setting up its manufacturing plant and has sought land in the state. Now, the latest news is that the iconic British marque is looking for approximately 30 acres of industrial land in Narasapur, an industrial town about 52 kilometres from Bengaluru. Triumph plans to invest approximately INR 850 crores in two phases on a manufacturing plant with an initial capacity of 250,000 motorcycles per annum.

 

Speaking to members of the press, M Maheshwara Rao, commissioner of industries and director of department of industries and commerce,  stated that the company has placed before the government some specific requirements to set up their plant that includes allotment of 30 acres land at Narasapur Industrial Area in Kolar district. The proposed manufacturing plant would be operational by 2015, he added.

Triumph is in the process of finalising its plans for its Indian entry.

As we have reported earlier, the company has chosen Karnataka for setting up its manufacturing plant and has sought land in the state. Now, the latest news is that the iconic British marque is looking for approximately 30 acres of industrial land in Narasapur, an industrial town about 52 kilometres from Bengaluru. Triumph plans to invest approximately INR 850 crores in two phases on a manufacturing plant with an initial capacity of 250,000 motorcycles per annum.

Speaking to members of the press, M Maheshwara Rao, commissioner of industries and director of department of industries and commerce,  stated that the company has placed before the government some specific requirements to set up their plant that includes allotment of 30 acres land at Narasapur Industrial Area in Kolar district. The proposed manufacturing plant would be operational by 2015, he added.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI), announced that it has cumulatively touched the 10 million (1 crore) customers milestone.

The growth curve is impressive as the company had achieved its 1st million (10 lakh) mark in five years but crossed the last 10th million in just 5 months in the world’s second largest two-wheeler market.

 

Thanking Honda customers, Mr. Y. S Guleria, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, HMSI said, “We thank our valued customers and reaffirm that as the fastest growing two-wheeler company of India.” Talking about the rapid growth in India Keita Muramatsu, President & CEO, HMSI said, “Going ahead, Honda will intensify its efforts to rapidly expand production, network and continue to achieve many more million smiles introducing advanced Indian centric products across all motorcycle & scooter segments to realize our Dreams for India.”

 

 

Metro Tyres Limited, one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of two wheeler tyres in India, unveiled a new logo along with a new advertisement campaign.

The new identity is designed to profile Metro as a company that understands youth aspirations and reaches out to young people, India’s dominant demographic segment, with cutting-edge products.

“Metro Tyres has evolved significantly over the years with a view to staying ahead of the dramatic changes in the Indian business sector.  Today, our company is present in more than 53 countries and is the largest exporter of bicycle tyres and tubes from India,”said Rummy Chhabra, Managing Director, Metro Tyres Limited.   “Our new visual identity consists of a re-designed Metro name, appearing in italics to represent motion and speed. Complementing the logo, our advertisement campaign is a story of transformation: from a child to a youth. In doing so, it reflects who we are today and the company we aim to be tomorrow.”

Metro has an exclusive tie up in two wheeler tyres with Continental, Germany, one of the world’s largest tyre companies. With a market share of 24 percent in India, Metro Tyres manufactures close to 30 million tyres annually in its seven state-of-the-art plants in North India. The company sells its products through a network of 10,000 dealers spread across India.   In addition, it is the sole supplier of tubeless tyres for Honda CBR 250R and also supplies to Bajaj Auto, Piaggio and Suzuki, among others.

Kawasaki has released details about their 2013 liter-class superbike, the fearsome ZX-10R.

While there’re no major changes under the fairing, Kawasaki has clothed the green monster in a new livery and fitted it with a new electronically controlled steering damper from Ohlins.

 

The new damper is mounted behind the triple clamp and controlled automatically via a combination of the bike’s internal sensors and a separate ECU. The change comes at a cost of $300 with the ’13 model retailing for $14299 (in the US). Kawasaki also offers a model with ABS for an extra $1000. Hit the jump below for the full specifications about the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R.

Engine: Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, inline-four
Displacement: 998cc
Bore x stroke: 76.0 x 55.0mm 
Compression ratio: 13.0:1
Fuel system: DFI® with four 47mm Keihin throttle bodies with oval sub-throttles, two injectors per cylinder
Ignition: TCBI with digital advance and Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) 
Transmission: Six-speed 
Final drive: Chain
Rake / trail: 25.0 degrees / 4.2 in.
Front tire: 120/70 ZR17
Rear tire: 190/55 ZR17
Wheelbase: 56.1 in.
Front suspension / wheel travel: 43mm inverted Big Piston Fork (BPF), adjustable rebound and compression damping, spring preload adjustability / 4.7 in.
Rear suspension / wheel travel: Horizontal back-link with gas-charged shock, stepless, dual-range (low-/high-speed) compression damping, stepless rebound damping, fully adjustable spring preload / 5.5 in.
Front brakes: Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Braking (KIBS), dual semi-floating 310mm petal discs with dual four-piston radial-mount calipers
Rear brakes: KIBS-controlled, single 220mm petal disc with aluminum single-piston caliper
Color choices: Lime Green/Metallic Spark Black, Pearl Flat White/Metallic Spark Black

Kawasaki has released details about their 2013 liter-class superbike, the fearsome ZX-10R.

While there’re no major changes under the fairing, Kawasaki has clothed the green monster in a new livery and fitted it with a new electronically controlled steering damper from Ohlins.

 

The new damper is mounted behind the triple clamp and controlled automatically via a combination of the bike’s internal sensors and a separate ECU. The change comes at a cost of $300 with the ’13 model retailing for $14299 (in the US). Kawasaki also offers a model with ABS for an extra $1000. Hit the jump below for the full specifications about the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R.

Engine: Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, inline-four
Displacement: 998cc
Bore x stroke: 76.0 x 55.0mm 
Compression ratio: 13.0:1
Fuel system: DFI® with four 47mm Keihin throttle bodies with oval sub-throttles, two injectors per cylinder
Ignition: TCBI with digital advance and Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) 
Transmission: Six-speed 
Final drive: Chain
Rake / trail: 25.0 degrees / 4.2 in.
Front tire: 120/70 ZR17
Rear tire: 190/55 ZR17
Wheelbase: 56.1 in.
Front suspension / wheel travel: 43mm inverted Big Piston Fork (BPF), adjustable rebound and compression damping, spring preload adjustability / 4.7 in.
Rear suspension / wheel travel: Horizontal back-link with gas-charged shock, stepless, dual-range (low-/high-speed) compression damping, stepless rebound damping, fully adjustable spring preload / 5.5 in.
Front brakes: Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Braking (KIBS), dual semi-floating 310mm petal discs with dual four-piston radial-mount calipers
Rear brakes: KIBS-controlled, single 220mm petal disc with aluminum single-piston caliper
Color choices: Lime Green/Metallic Spark Black, Pearl Flat White/Metallic Spark Black

The diversified Mahindra and Mahindra groups two-wheeler arm is all set to revamp their image in the two-wheeler market by introducing 3 new motorcycle variants across the different segments in the next few months.

The company which had made its entry in the highly competitive 100cc segment with the Stallio will soon introduce a revamped version of the same. Also waiting in the wings is the highly anticipated 300cc Mojo performance bike.

Speaking to mediapersons recently, Mr Viren Popli, Senior Vice-President, (Strategy & Market Development) Mahindra Two Wheelers, stated that the company have stopped production of the 100cc Stallio and will be making announcements about the newer version very soon. The company is also currently testing its 300cc performance bike Mojo and this Indo-Italian bike will go on sale soon.

Mr Popli also hinted to the fact of introducing an offering in the moped segment, particularly for the rural markets in India, there are currently carrying out different research for this segment. The company also plans to introduce two more offerings in the scooter segment.

Benelli, one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in the world, have recently launched a state-of-the-art concept showroom in Saigon, the capital city of Vietnam.

The Pesaro (Italy) based company, which is now a part of Chinese automotive group Qianjiang, went bankrupt in the mid-80s after a string of successful sporting victories, but got resuscitated in the mid-90s thanks to entrepreneur Andrea Merloni’s endeavours.

The concept showroom will house famed Benelli bikes like the TNT R, TNT 899 and the 1130 Century Racer edition. Benelli have inaugurated this showroom as part of the companies long term plan to consolidate their presence in emerging markets. Benelli have stated that,”The Vietnamese market is certainly a strategic market in Asia and Benelli Q.J. decided to introduce in Vietnam some products dedicated to the customers of the ASEAN countries”. With the new ‘Benelli concept showroom’ in Saigon, the firm intends to meet the requirements of the Asian customers by introducing and developing new motorcycles and scooters for the emerging markets. Reason enough for us to start making wild guesses about when will this revered marquee makes its way to Indian shores, now that most of its compatriots are here already?