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Nov 19, 2013

1 Triumph's India Product Lineup. From the Official India Site

Triumph all set to officially launch its India models on Nov 28 2013..

Its taken sometime but Triumph Motorcycles is definitely here in India. On Nov 28, 2013 Triumph will officially launch it India models. The model lineup originally planned for India has undergone some change though. The official Triumph India website is up and the model line for India is interesting.

Triumph will have to target Harley Davidson's Market share in India:

Exploiting Harley's Weakness in its Strength..

But

..by the time the "average desi biker" is ready with Rs. 7-9 lakhs for a bike.. he will have reading glasses

Of all the international motorcycle brands in India, Harley Davidson has been the most successful so far. According to reports Harley Davidson currently sell about 2,000 units per year in India. Thanks to Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda which are more interested in selling 100-150 cc commuters and automatic scooters, Harley's only competitor so far in India has been Kawasaki and Hyosung Motorcycles.

If Triumph has to make its mark in India, then it will have to make its maximum presence in the 6.0-9.0 lakh Rupees sweet spot which is currently dominated in India by Harley Davidson with its entry level model like the Iron 883 which is available at a price of around 6.7 Lakhs (ex-showroom).

Exploiting the Weakness in Harley Davidson's Strength..!!:

Harley Davidson is only about cruisers and a Harley is usually bought more for attitude and image than riding ability. On the other hand, Triumph has a wonderful lineup of motorcycles ranging from Adventure Tourers, Super Sports, Street Sports/Fighters (Triumph calls it Roadsters), beautiful Classic/Retro British Models and yes Cruisers too..!!

As a classic business case study, it would be wise for Triumph not to take Harley head on with cruisers. Instead Triumph can try to exploit Harley's weakness in it strength i.e. Harley Davidson is only about Cruisers.

A look at Triumph's India lineup indicates that Triumph is trying to do exactly this. Triumph will display it's impressive lineup of motorcycles for all kinds of riders in India.

  • Adventure Motorcycle: Tiger 800 XC and Tiger Explorer

  • Roadsters (Street Fighters): Street Triple and Speed Triple

  • Super Sports: Daytona 675 and 675R

  • Classic/Retro Models: Bonneville, Bonneville T1000 and Thruxton

  • and yes Cruiser too: But just the Rocket III Touring

The Rocket III is very different than a typical V-twin Harley, it has a huge 2.3 litre 3 cylinder engine and sounds more like a Super Sports on the move.

So its clear that Triumph is steering clearly away from Harley Davidson by playing to its strength of providing different kinds of motorcycles to different kinds of riders.

But ultimately it will boil down to the Pricing..:

This is India and in order to succeed one got to have a best seller and in most cases the best seller is found in the form of an entry level model. Harley Davidson will now manufacture its new Street 750 in India and due to that it would be most probably be able to price it lower than even Hyosung models..!!

Another issue for Triumph is also that by the time the average motorcycle enthusiast is financially ready to make a purchase of Rs. 7.0-9.0 lakhs on a motorcycle, he will either have a receding hairline or have reading glasses. And thereore the laidback attitude of the Harley might appeal more to this guy.

..and basics like After Sales Service and Brand Engagement:

Brands like BMW Motrcycles, Ducati, Aprilia are present in India too but the after sales service is almost non existant. Kawasaki enjoys its tie up with Bajaj and gets access to its service centers. Also Harley Davidson is doing a great job at engaging with its customers in the form of Organized Group Rides and Rider Meets. Triumph India will have to look at all these aspects if it has ambitious plans in India.

Anyway, Triumph is ultimately here in India.. and if like Harley Davidson if it can too start manufacturing in India, that would be great news.




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This is to remind that the Views or Opinions in the blog are entirely mine unless explicitly stated. The Views and Opinions published in this blog should in no way be related to any other person or organization associated -- directly or indirectly -- with me.




1 Comments:

Vijay Anand said...

Very concise and simple. But if there is one market that's making a radical change in the world I'd say is the BRIC countries, and the demand here is very positive that it almost sends brand and image tied tier 1 companies to bring in low cost alternatives.

I think the future is not super sports, but affordable, punchy yet powerful bikes.

The biking scene is changing for better.

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