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Bajaj KTM Duke India launch confirmed

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Bajaj Auto has official confirmed that the KTM Duke will be launched in India by 2011 end, putting to rest speculations about the bikes possible India launch.

“Bajaj KTM, engaged in developing high-end bikes for the Indian market, would launch their bikes by the end of the year,” S Sridhar, Bajaj Auto President (motorcycles division) was quoted as saying by mydigitalfc.com.
Bajaj has gained a major following with the Pulsar and discover range and want to take their sporty brand image further by focusing on sports bikes.

“We are at the top of the sports segment with Pulsar and want to focus on that segment,” Sridhar said. Bajaj has a share of 27% in the Indian motorcycle market and is planning to ramp up their stake in the segment by upto 4%.

“The company currently holds a market share of 27 per cent in the motorcycle segment and wants to increase it by three to four per cent by the end of the current fiscal,” Sridhar said.

He claimed that Bajaj exports 80,000 bikes annually to Africa, South America, Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Bajaj Auto is a leading two wheeler maker in the Indian market and has registered a 16.71% sales increase in the month of April 2011.

The company sold 3,22,235 units in India in April as against 2,76,095 units that they had sold in April 2010. Bajaj exported 1,58,422 bikes in April 2011 as against the 1,13,911 bikes they had exported in April 2010. The above figures indicate a sales jump of roughly 39%.

We expect the KTM Duke to come to India with a 200cc engine instead of the 125cc version. Keeping in tune with Bajaj’s trend with the Pulsar we can expect a liquid cooled 200 cc motor on the KTM as well.

The Duke will fight for ground against Bajaj’s own Pulsar 220 and other bikes like the Yamaha R15 and the Hero Honda Karizma ZMR. The Duke 125’s suspension unit consists of an inverted 43mm fork and rear shock, with both units offering 6.3 inches of travel and the India specific model too could sport the same setup. Related: 2011 KTM Duke 125 photos and specifications revealed

The Duke will most likely be produced at Bajaj Chakan plant and will be priced aggressively as most components on the bike will be locally made. If the price manages to lure customers other bikes in the segment could face some serious competition.

Source :- Dancewithshadows
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Posted by Prashant Gandhi on 5 May, 2011 1:31:12 PM IST #