Signalling its keenness to secure its presence in the dominant executive segment of the motorcycle market, TVS Motor Company, on Thursday, launched its 125cc 'Flame'.
The launch comes even as the company is engaged in a legal battle on the technology usage in the bike with Bajaj Auto.
Executive segment forms over 50 per cent of the Indian motorcycle market. After the launch of Victor in the wake its disengagement with Suzuki of Japan, TVS Motor had not seen any significant new product roll-outs in this category. With Victor sort of fading out, TVS Motor is now filling its absence in this segment with the launch of Flame.
Flame is priced at Rs. 45,000 ex-showroom Chennai and comes with disc brakes as an option.
Addressing a press conference , Venu Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director, TVS Motor, said, "This is the highest technology product in the country. A three-valve bike has been rolled out earlier, but this is the first time that a mass market roll-out is happening." According to the Indian Driving Cycle (IDC), the bike could deliver a mileage of 82 km a litre. "No vehicle (in this segment) anywhere nears this on mileage," Mr. Srinivasan said.
TVS Motor, he said, had set a sales target of 20,000 Flame vehicles a month once the bike was launched across the country by January. Flame, along with a new Star Sport (an entry-level mass market bike), expected to hit the roads in January, would stem the sagging sales of the company, he said. Once these two bikes were launched across the nation, TVS Motor would be hoping to hawk 75,000 bikes a month.
Mr. Srinivasan refused to comment on the company's ongoing tussle with Bajaj Auto. Mr. Srinivasan said that "Flame is based on a technology patented by AVL in Austria and the rest of the world." Bajaj Auto, it may be recalled, had alleged that TVS Motor had used its technology for Flame. To a question, Mr. Srinivasan said it was only a commercial dispute between TVS Motor and Bajaj. "I will not allow this to come into the personal relationship with Rahul Bajaj."
Mr. Srinivasan said TVS Motor had forecast monthly sales of 1.30 lakh two wheelers (75,000 of which will be motorcycles) in the last quarter of this fiscal. Three-wheeler sales would commence from January. This, he said, would add 40,000 units a year from 2008-09.
On the Indonesian venture, he said mass marketing of the vehicles would begin from January. "Indonesia is an unforgiving market," he said. The dealer network in Indonesia, he said, would be beefed up by June next. The Indonesian venture would also export its vehicles to the ASEAN markets, he added.
He said TVS Motor would export 1.40 lakh vehicles this year. Last year, it exported one lakh vehicles. The target for the next year
You have entered the beautiful world of cheap cars for sale. We at prefercars welcome all our members and our friend who are new to our site. We would like to introduce ourselves as the most preferred site for buying cheap used cars and second hand cars. We understand the potential growth in the requirement of private cars for sale. We have a galore of options of cheap old cars for sale that are very cheap in price with exemplary features and mechanism.
