Audi to pay $1.12 billion for Ducati, including debt

Audi has agreed to buy Ducati from owners Investindustrial for about 860 million euros ($1.12 billion) including debt, sources familiar with the companies told news-agencies on Tuesday. The iconic Bolognese manufacturer’s total liabilities are less than 200 million euros according to Investindustrial, and the deal would value Ducati at about seven times last year’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, minus debt. Both the companies involved in the deal has declined to release specific details about the deal until the annual VW shareholders’ meeting scheduled for Thursday, 19th April.

Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who turned 75 on Tuesday, has long coveted the brand, publicly expressing interest in buying Ducati four years ago before eventually losing out to Investindustrial. The purchase will now make Ducati the 11th brand in VW’s portfolio, alongside such revered supercar marques as Lamborghini and Bugatti and heavy-duty truck manufacturers Scania AB and MAN SE.

 

Component revision affects earlier schedule

We rode the Pulsar 200NS on Bajaj Auto’s test track in February this year to come back with the impression that this was the best Pulsar made so far. We had also said that it would be launched in April after the KTM 200 Duke. However, the bike had not appeared in the showrooms yet. The reason?

Bajaj are betting big on the Pulsar 200NS and they want it to be just perfect. The automotive media, though generally impressed by the bike, had a thing or two to suggest after the pre-launch ride, to which the company was receptive. A limited number of bikes were also given out to commuters while the company was busy testing the bike in real world conditions. Based on this feedback, the company is making minor changes to fine-tune their offering.

From what we hear, Bajaj are working on a few components inside the engine to improve refinement. The headlight will get a more powerful bulb and some of the body components are undergoing quality revision.

Now the bike is expected to be launched some time this month. Well, as they say, a stitch in time saves nine.

 

Garware Motors officially confirms GT250R for India

Following months of speculations amongst Indian bikers, Garware Motors have finally announced that they are going to launch the Hyosung GT 250R in India. The Korean two-wheeler major is no stranger to the 250cc segment in India, having first sold the Comet ( in collaboration with the now-defunct Kinetic Motors) a long time before other manufacturers had even started thinking about the segment. However, limited availability and high costs of spares created a lukewarm reception for what was an otherwise excellent motorcycle.

This time round, the company will leave no stones unturned to make the 250 a success and will also offer tempting finance schemes to woo buyers. The biggest challenge for the Korean bike-makers will be to price the GT250R competitively in view of the massive import duties and taxes it attracts. Most of the 200-cc to 250-cc bikes are priced well under Rs 2 lakh, except the Ninja 250R, which costs close to Rs 3 lakh.

The company already sells three of their unique models, ST7 Royale, GT 650R and GT 650N across the country with 16 dealership which also includes presence in tier II and tier III cities. As with the bigger GT 650R, there is a distinct possibility that Hyosung will also introduce a naked version of the GT 250R soon.

Watch out for a full road test in our forthcoming issue of Bike India.

 

Basic Specifications Hyosung GT 250R:

Engine Type: Air / Oil cooled DOHC 8-valve 75° V-twin

Displacement: 249cc

Max Power: 26.27 bhp (19.6kW) / @10,000RPM

Max Torque: 21.04Nm / @6,750RPM

Mr. Yadvinder S Guleria succeeds Mr. Naresh K. Rattan as Vice President, Sales & Marketing, HMSI

Close on the heels of the announcement that Mr. Naresh K. Rattan, Board Member and Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI), has resigned from his post, HMSI has announced that Mr. Yadvinder S Guleria will take over his position.

Mr. Rattan joined HMSI as Head Sales in August, 2000 and was responsible for setting up the vital sales & marketing operations in domestic as well as international markets. He led the business to No. 3 position in India. During his tenure, he passionately developed many effective business processes and sales quality-up systems like Dealer Management System (DMS), Retail management, Customer Relations Management (CRM), Joint Promotion and dispatch systems etc. After a memorable and exciting association of close to 12 years, the Board has agreed to relieve Mr. Rattan on March 10, 2012. He was handling portfolio of Operating Head – Sales Planning and Marketing and Operating Head – Corporate Affairs.

Mr. Yadvinder S Guleria returns to Honda as the Vice President, Sales & Marketing, HMSI w.e.f. April 2, 2012. He left the Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer last year and went on to join the U.S. based all-terrain vehicle maker, Polaris as director for sales and dealer development.

Triumph has been incubating and hatching the 1200 Tiger Explorer since July 2006v but has now finally added it to its Adventure range.

They had to design and build a brand new engine as well as a brand new bike. The Explorer’s 1215cc three-cylinder motor shares no parts and no dimensions with any other engine in the current Triumph range. Three cylinders run 85×71.4mm bore and stroke dimensions and a full ride-by-wire Keihin fuel injection system takes care of a number of important aspects such as cruise control, traction control and capping the top speed to 220kmh. Triumph claim a peak figure of 137PS and – the most crucial part – a peak torque figure of 121Nm delivered at 6,400rpm. The 1200 Explorer comes, as standard, with traction control, ABS, cruise control and heated grips.

 

Suspension front and rear is courtesy of Kayaba. A 46mm inverted fork and a monoshock unit with progressive rising rate linkage at the back offer 190mm of wheel travel and 194mm respectively. The new Tiger comes with adjustable rider seat height, handlebar position and screen in line with a 20-litre fuel tank. One of the interesting points to take note off is that the 1200 Tiger has a 16000km service interval. Just a feather in its cap to prove it can stand tall for a long time.

Italian scooter giant to make their official entry next month

Vespa, the whooly-owned subsidiary of Piaggio & Co. S.p.A., is back in India and this time they are flying solo. The Italian company, as much a global fashion trendsetter as it is a scooter manufacturer, is no stranger to the Indian two-wheeler market, having had a highly successful joint venture with LML from 1984 until its abrupt end in 1989.

 

Piaggio Group President, Mr. Matteo Colaninno, will be commercially launching Vespa in its new avatar in Mumbai on 26^th April, 2012. This will be followed by the plant inauguration at Baramati, on the outskirts of Pune. We reckon their first offering will be the trendy LX 125 scooter displayed at the Auto Expo this year, aimed at young and fashion conscious college-goers. All we can say is, welcome back, Vespa.

Triumph Motorcycles have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Karnataka government to set up a bike assembly plant in the state within a year.

The renowned UK-based bike-makers were on the lookout for a location for their facility close to a port, so that they could import completely knocked-down (CKD) units and, in the future, also export the bikes manufactured in India. They have now zeroed in on Narasapur in Kolar district, on the Bengaluru-Chennai highway, about 50 km away from Honda’s upcoming motorcycle plant.

After the UK and Thailand, India is the third country where the company is going to set up its manufacturing facility. The new facility will help Triumph price their motorcycles competitively in the world’s second largest two-wheeler market. It may be recalled that last year Harley-Davidson started similar operations at a facility in Haryana.

Triumph had announced that they would be assembling the Bonneville, Street Triple, Speed Triple and Daytona 675 models locally. The company is already working on a smaller capacity motorcycle, around 350 cc, which will ensure the numbers to justify the setting up of the facility. Later, the company might consider full manufacturing as well. The plant will take about a year to reach completion, but the bikes will be launched before that via the CBU (completely built-up units) to generate initial brand awareness. The introductory prices will also be kept low, keeping in mind the plans of local assembly, which will help the company avoid import duties.

Triumph’s head office will be based in New Delhi. They will appoint four dealers this year and another 12 over the coming three years.

Honda launches the CBR 150R in India in two variants

Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the smallest CBR ever. Honda have launched the CBR 150R in India in two variants, Standard and Deluxe. While the Standard will retail for Rs. 1,16,385, the Deluxe variant will set you back by Rs. 1,17,385 (both prices, ex-showroom, Delhi). The Standard variant will be available in 2 shades– Black with Pearl Sunbeam White and Sports Red with Pearl Sunbeam White while the Deluxe model (with special graphics) will be available in Black with Candy Palm Green & Vibrant Orange with Pearl Sunbeam White colour.

Powered by a liquid-cooled fuel-injected DOHC engine producing 18.3PS of peak power and 12.6 Nm of peak torque, this CBR packs a sizeable punch that belies its small package. Disc brakes are standard at both the front and the rear. Visually, the CBR 150R bears a striking resemblance to its bigger sibling, the CBR 250R, thanks to its adoption of Honda’s dual layered full body cowling, albeit smaller in every aspect. Apart from the powertrain, the only major difference is the twin tubular frame on the CBR 150R, which endows the bike with excellent rigidity and stability.

Honda has already started taking bookings for the CBR 150R and the first deliveries are expected to happen by the end of this Month.

Yamaha to launch Ray scooter this Diwali

At this year’s Auto Expo, Yamaha showcased a pink-purple and black scooter named ‘Ray.’ And now the news is that this 125cc scooter is going to become a production reality. There had been rumors that Yamaha was entering into the scooter segment in India and recent news shows that the Japanese bike manufacturer will be making an entry into the scooter segment with the Ray around Diwali.

Their flagship scooter is set to target female customers primarily and will have chic styling, vivid colours, a smooth engine feel and a large underseat storage space. The company has also picked John Abraham as the scooters brand ambassador and this may help convincing the PYTs to choose this scooter over other options in the market. The pricing for this 125cc scooter hasn’t been disclosed yet but we expect it to be priced between Rs 40-50K.

Yamaha is also planning to set up a new plant in South India and, if their present offerings are anything to go by, we reckon their upcoming entries into the bike and scooter segment should be some of the most exciting, sporty and stylish offerings in their own categories. Bring it on!

Is Hero MotoCorp considering to take over Ducati?

Since 2010, when Hero decided to part ways with technology partner, Honda of Japan, the Indian company has been on the lookout for a viable long-term partner that could bring along a thorough know-how of two-wheeler technologies. Being the world’s biggest two-wheeler makers, Hero know how to sell bikes; all they
need is strong R&D that churns out fresh, attractive and dependable vehicles, which have been the pillar of Hero products in the last three decades.|

Internationally, news agencies are abuzz with reports of Ducati Motor Holding SpA being on the lookout for financial support and a possible buy-out. The Italian superbike maker has a profile that fits perfectly to complete Hero MotoCorp’s dream of becoming a global player. No wonder, this has given rise to rumours that the Indian company is in talks with bankers to buy Ducati. In doing so, the company would gain access to Ducati’s advanced technology, which will come rather handy once Hero and Honda’s licensing comes to an end in 2014.

Speaking to the media, Pawan Kant Munjal, MD, Hero MotoCorp, said that a number of bankers had approached them with a proposition for Ducati buy-out and that Hero had been talking to a number of people. And it’s not just Ducati, but the company speaks to whoever that comes to them.

Other prominent front-runners include the German automobile giants, Volkswagen and BMW. Though there was speculation that even Mahindra & Mahindra had shown interest in this acquisition, it now seems to have fizzled out. Hero MotoCorp have the funds to make the final bid and the current slowdown in European economy would also ensure that they get the iconic Italian company for a good price. The big question that now remains is will Hero MotoCorp manage to do in the global two-wheeler industry what Tata Motors did by acquiring Jaguar and Land Rover in the four-wheeler segment? Well, your guess is as good as ours.