Motorcyclists in the city are leading the pack in an emerging segment of buyers who look at bikes as a status symbol rather than just a utility.

“You can expect more superbikes being launched in the country going ahead as the base of enthusiasts increases with Bangalore leading the trend,” said Sanjay Tripathi, Division Head – Product Planning and Marketing, Yamaha.

According to industry insiders, thanks to the increased level of awareness and higher disposable incomes, the biking culture in the city is catching resulting in Banglaore accounting for over 40% of the superbikes sold in the country.

“Also, with motorcycle tourism picking up in the country, we are seeing buyers emerging from cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai as well. People these days prefer to ride up to even far off distances like Ladakh,” added Tripathi.

“The Indian two-wheeler market is progressing from mass market to a diversified market due to changes in lifestyle of consumers,” said Shinji Aoyama, President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd.

In the last one year some of the world’s most celebrated superbikes have been launched in the country. They range from Ducati, Hayabusa, YZF R1, and most recently the Honda’s CBR1000RR Fireblade. Bajaj plans to launch its Kawasaki Ninja 250R in May and Suzuki will bring in GXS-R range of superbikes by Diwali. Harley-Davidson is also said to be laying the groundwork for possible entry into the Indian market and is exploring options for doing so. According to auto analysts the segment today forms about 1-2% of total bike sales in the country and cost anywhere between Rs 9.5 lakh to Rs 45 lakh.

Bikemakers say that despite the slowdown their sales have grown beyond expectation. Suzuki for instance planned to sell about 15 units of its Hayabusa and Intruder in the first few months since its launch in November. However the company has already sold more than 40 units till date.

Even Yamaha targeted to sell about 40 units of its YZF R1 and MT01 last calendar year, but ended up selling 107 units. “The buyers in this segment are not affected by the recession. Therefore we are seeing sales beyond our initial targets,” said Atul Gupta, VP – Sales and Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycle India.

BMW bikes were the first to enter India, in the 1980s in collaboration with the Hero Group. However according to analysts they failed to win over the market as their ground work was not up to the mark. “Now we have a new surge in superbikes in the country with bikemakers having done sufficient groundwork this time around. I expect this segment to have close to 5% of the total bike market in the next 3-4 years,” said Amish Shah, auto sector analyst at Antique Stock Broking.

However companies are not looking at this segment as a money churner. Thanks to high import duties margins are very slim. In fact they are looking at the slew of launches as preparation for readiness when the market actually gos mass market. “Bike-makers are looking to showcase their technology prowess and a broad range of product offerings with these launches. It’s more a brand building exercise than a volumes game at this point of time as its still a very niche market,” added Shah.

Pranav Nambiar/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication