New Bike Launches in India

Dr. Venki Padmanabhan takes the riding seat as R. L Ravichandran moves on to the Eicher Board

Royal Enfield Motors, manufacturer of the iconic Bullet motorcycle has announced the appointment of Dr. Venki Padmanabhan as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. The motorcycle maker has in the recent years strengthened their brand image in India and internationally by their witty commercials and bike rides. Dr. Padmanabhan will have the task of taking this to the next step.

Dr. Padmanabhan first joined Royal Enfield two years ago, acting as COO under marketing wizard CEO R.L. Ravichandran. During that time, the company posted a 21-percent growth in sales volume, 54-percent growth in sales turnover and a return to two digit profitability. Prior to joining Royal Enfield, Dr. Padmanabhan, a citizen of the United States and an Overseas Citizen of India, was Managing Director of Chrysler’s South East Asia Global Sourcing Office based in Chennai, India and responsible for $1 billion worth of material sourced to its parent manufacturing units in the United States.

Words: Sarmad Kadiri

The Chennai based company is all set to enter the Brazilian market

Royal Enfield, the classic Indian motorcycle manufacturer has a strong desire to enter the Latin American market and wishes to begin this venture with Brazil. The company is apparently in talks with various contract manufacturers in Brazil. RE is looking for a contract manufacturer as the company doesn’t want to raise the stakes too high and enter an unknown market all by themselves. The Brazilian two-wheeler market is approximately 6-7million units a year and it would benefit RE if they enter this market. This venture will also help them to create a bigger footprint the world of two-wheelers. However, the company has not released any information confirming these plans. But we expect RE to do it shortly.

Words: Ravi Chandnani

A twin-cylinder engine bike on the anvil

 

 

Come 2013 and we might be able to see a twin-cylinder machine bearing the Royal Enfield marque. Though it may sound difficult to believe, the Chennai-based motorcycle company is said to be working on such a bike. The big bike is apparently in the concept phase and the company hopes to finish it by 2013. Along with the twin-cylinder engine bike the company will also roll out a new avatar of the Thunderbird and a new range of bikes with café racer-inspired styling. It seems that Royal Enfield are viewing Harley-Davidson as a threat now and are gearing up to compete with the American legend.

Words: Ravi Chandnani

Piaggio showcases the spectacular line up of its global two wheelers

 

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., the Indian subsidiary of Piaggio & C s.p.a. of Italy, today unveiled the superbike Aprilia RSV4 Factory at the Mumbai International Motor Show along with the original, iconic scooter Vespa LX 125. Aprilia has been a part of the Piaggio Group since 2004 and the Aprilia RSV4 Factory is the flagship from the Aprilia stable. Its super compact 180 HP, 999.6 cc, 65° V-four cylinder engine is designed for maximum power and uses ride-by-wire multimap technology and a sophisticated electronic injection system with 2 injectors and adjustable height ducts for superior performance. All four variants of the RSV4 will be on sale here, and prices will start from Rs. 13 lakh for the base version, going upto 18 lakh for the fully-loaded models. Piaggio also showcased the Vespa LX 125 at MIMS to give buyers a foretaste of what to expect when the iconic Vespa brand hits Indian roads next year.

Speaking at the ocassion, Mr. Ravi Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director of Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. Stated, “Piaggio India is proud to unveil the superbike Aprilia RSV4 in India. This bike is a living example of the technological superiority that Piaggio offers to consumers across the globe. We are in the process of bringing our global line-up of highly successful superbikes to India. We believe that today’s young and mobile Indian has a strong appetite for powerful bikes, and we see immense potential for Aprilia in India. This bike has set world racing tracks ablaze with it sheer power and technology and it will hit Indian roads soon. We are also looking forward to the launch of the iconic Vespa in the country soon. The Vespa LX 125 is much more than a scooter – it’s the original, timeless 2-wheeler that has become a “way of life” in market after market around the world”.

 

Bajaj to drop its name; retain only the core models’ names

 

 The brand that gave India the slogan ‘Hamara Bajaj’, a catchphrase synonymous with a whole generation, will cease to exist come April this year. Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj recently stated his intention to remove the Bajaj brand and, in its place, establish its top-selling Pulsar and Discover as separate brands in their their own light. This is not an unusual move for brands in European and foreign countries but will certainly be a first for Indian automotive manufacturers who rely on family names for their product range (read TVS, Mahindra and Tata).

“Actually I don’t want that (Bajaj) name. We have already started the process so today on a Pulsar, the Bajaj name is seen only on the engine. The same is the case with Discover. Our three-wheeler has Bajaj in small font while the initial ‘RE’ is in much bigger font. One day, We will drop the Bajaj name from there also completely”, Rajiv Bajaj disclosed in a recent interview. “Consumers know that the product is coming from Bajaj, just like I know my Audi is coming from Volkswagen. But there is no Volkswagen on the Audi product. This creates a perception that there is something more in the product”, he added.

The project is spearheaded by Fitch, the international design agency that have collaborated with brands as diverse as Aditya Birla Group, Boeing, Reliance ADAG, Tata and Microsoft in the past.

Words: Saeed Akhtar