Triumph's new 250-350cc machine for India is likely to take styling cues from its bigger brother, the 675 Street Triple
British motorcycle manufacturer, Triumph, which has been evaluating the possibility of entering the burgeoning Indian motorcycle market for more than three years now, may have finally found a way to do so. The UK-based company has accepted the fact that its current range of bikes – which are fitted with engines of 675cc-2300cc capacity – may not be entirely suitable for the Indian market, since these would end up being far too expensive for the vast majority of buyers. So, Triumph has decided to develop an all-new entry-level sportsbike for emerging markets like India and South America and the machine is likely to be unveiled by mid-2012.
The new Triumph motorcycle will be fitted with a 250cc-350cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine, with a power output of 25-30bhp. The bike is likely to take styling cues from its bigger brother, the Street Triple, and will first be launched Thailand (where Triumph already has a manufacturing facility), followed by India, Brazil and perhaps other Asian and South American markets.
The entry-level sportsbike segment is one of the most promising motorcycle segments in the country and various manufacturers are now launching bikes that offer a mix of style and performance, at a price point that suits the Indian palate. Currently, the Kawasaki Ninja 250R (which costs about Rs 3.10 lakh) and the Honda CBR250R (priced at Rs 1.71 lakh) are two prime contenders in this segment, while Suzuki and Bajaj-KTM are also expected to launch 200cc-250cc bikes in India by the end of this year, or early next year.
With growth slowing down in Europe and Japan, most motorcycle manufacturers now acknowledge the fact that emerging markets like Asia and South America is where the action will be, in the next few years. And they are beginning to engineer bike that will cater to the requirements of countries like India and Brazil, where buyers definitely want performance, but at a price point that’s significantly lower than what would be acceptable in Japan or Europe.
It’s a win-win situation for Triumph, though, which will sell its 250cc-350cc bike not just in India and Brazil, but also, as an entry-level bike for beginners, in Europe and the US. Though there is no official word on this yet, we expect the all-new Triumph to go on sale in India by the end of 2012 and we expect the bike to deliver a lot of bang for the buck. Stay tuned for more details, which we should be bringing for you sometime soon!
