Bajaj to launch Kawasaki Ninja250cc in India

Bajaj to launch Kawasaki Ninja250cc in India during the 2nd half of 2008. Bajaj will bring the latest Ninja recently launched in United States, Europe and Japan. Kawasaki Ninja will be imported as a Completely Knocked Down (CKD) unit and it will be assembled in india. Rajiv Bajaj will assemble the Ninja at its chakan plant and will sell the bikes through the exclusive probiking showrooms. Kawasaki will provide the necessary service training and parts back-up fully to live up to the expectations of the Probikers. Bajaj - Kawasaki displayed the Ninja 250cc in addition to the Sports Roadster ER-6n, Ninja ZX-6R, Z1000 aand Vulcan cruiser. Of these, Kawsaki Ninja will be the first to hit the market. “We received a good response for the Ninja 250cc is amazing” Bajaj told at the press conference at the auto expo. Coming to the price, Rajiv Bajaj hinted that the Ninja 250cc will be imported through CKD unit from Thailand. This means it will leverage the FTA agreement between India and Thailand. Because of FTA, import duty on CKD and semi-knocked-down kits is only 10 per cent whereas from other countries it attracts more thn 50%. Hence unlike other superbikes this is going to be affordable.

About Ninja 250cc:

Kawasaki Ninja is powered by an eight valve, twin cylinder, DOHC, liquid cooled 250cc Fuel Injection engine developing 30PS at 10500rpm and a Torque of 21Nm at 8500rpm. This 250cc FI engine is mated with a 6-speed transmission Ninja 250cc features single 290mm petal disc brake at the front and 220mm petal disc brake at the rear.Ninja 250cc weighs 152kg and ground clearance is 135mm. Ninja suspension is through telescopic fork at the front and gas charged bottom-link Uni-Trak at the rear

TVS Flame Pictures and Technical Specifications

Technical Specifications:

Engine Displacement 124.8 cc
Engine technology CC-VTi, 4 Stroke
Max. Power (Kw@rpm) 7.7kw @ 8250 ( 10.5bhp @ 8250 )
Max. Torque (Nm@rpm) 10 Nm @ 6250
Gear Box 4 Gear constant mesh
Clutch Multi-Plate Wet Type
Bore x stroke (mm) 54.5 x 53.5
Compression Ratio 10:1
Carburettor Type VM Type - UCAL
Clutch Wet, Multi Plate

Wheels Mag Alloy
Tyres - Front 90 x 90 x 17, Rear 90 x 90 x 18
Brakes - Front Drum 130 dia / Disc 240 dia, Brake - Rear Drum 130 dia

Suspension
Front Telescopic Hydraulic fork, Rear Twin tube 5 step adjustable Gas filled.

Electricals
Head lamp 12V 35/35 W - Halogen
Tail lamp 12V 21W / 5W
Turnsignal lamp 12V 16W
Battery type & capacity 12 V - 5 Ah
Ignition system High Energy IDI System

Dimensions:
Height 1070 mm
Length 2030 mm
Width 760 mm
Wheelbase 1320 mm
Ground Clearance 165 mm
Kerb weight 121 kgs
Fuel Tank Capacity 8.0 Litre
Fuel reserve 2.0 Litre

Performance
Max. speed 95 kmph

Bajaj Auto plans small car within four years

NEW DELHI: Bajaj Auto Ltd, India's No. 2 motorbike maker, said on Tuesday it plans to launch a low-cost small car in two to four years, probably with French carmaker Renault and Japan's Nissan Motor Co. Bajaj's announcement comes two days before Tata Motors Ltd unveils its much-anticipated $2,500 "People's Car" at an auto show. Renault and Nissan both said a deal was yet to be signed. "We think the world is moving to small cars and big bikes and we are moving there," Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj told reporters at a news conference. Small car sales, which make up more than two-thirds of India's domestic market, are expected to nearly double to 2 million units a year by 2010, helped by rising middle-class incomes. Volkswagen, Toyota Motor Corp, Honda Motor Co and Fiat have also said that they are looking to build low-cost cars. Bajaj is negotiating with Renault and Nissan to co-develop the small car, a project which would be spearheaded by Bajaj with inputs from the two overseas firms, officials and a company statement said. "In the very, very unlikely event (that talks with Renault and Nissan fail) we have every intent to move forward," Bajaj said, adding he was confident talks would be successful. A Renault spokeswoman in Paris said that a deal on the low-price car had not yet been signed with Bajaj, while a Nissan spokesman said the Japanese carmaker was still in negotiations with Renault and Bajaj over whether to go ahead with the project. If the partners decided to build the car, he said, it would be launched in two to four years as Bajaj stated. Bajaj said it also hopes to use Renault and Nissan dealer networks to sell the car, which will have both petrol and diesel variants, in the overseas market. The car would be manufactured at Chakan near Pune in the western state of Maharashtra, Bajaj said. The plant, which is being built with an initial capacity of 250,000 units, will also produce light trucks, which Bajaj expects to launch in 2009. One of the trucks will have Bajaj's first diesel engine, Rajiv Bajaj said. MOTORBIKE LAUNCHES Bajaj, whose two-wheeler sales have dropped 19.1 per cent in April-December from a year ago, said it would launch high-end KPM and Kawasaki bikes in India sometime this year as sales of lower-margin 100cc bikes are falling. Total two-wheeler sales in India in the same period have fallen by 7.7 per cent to 5.5 million units from a year ago. Bajaj has a technological tie-up with Japanese heavy machinery and engineering company Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. "This is the market that appreciates qualitatively superior products," Rajiv Bajaj said. Bajaj will also introduce two new motorbike models and a scooter model in 2008. Shares of the company were trading up 0.22 per cent at 0853 GMT, after rising 2.5 per cent earlier in the day, on Mumbai stock exchange, which was down 0.02 per cent. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Bajaj Auto Dec sales fall 7 per cent on year

Bajaj Auto Ltd, said on Wednesday that sales in December fell 7 per cent to 199,470 units from 214,928 units in the same month a year earlier.

Sales of motorcycles fell 6 per cent to 176,441 units from 187,063 units, while sales of all two-wheelers slipped 5 per cent to 177,249 units from 187,179 units, the company said.

Sales of three-wheelers fell 20 per cent to 22,221 units from 27,749 units. Total exports rose 29 per cent to 50,702 units from 39,385 units a year ago.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

In a first, TVS fits ABS in 2-wheelers

NEW DELHI: The Chennai-based TVS Motors is all set to become the first global company to launch anti-lock brake system (ABS) on its two wheelers.

ABS, often referred as a ‘sure braking system’ for automobiles, is a high-tech feature and is currently available in all premium four wheelers and commercial vehicles across the globe. It is gaining immense popularity in India and comes as a standard fitment in all premium cars and high-end trucks and buses. Banking on the rich rewards from this ‘in-demand’ safety feature, TVS is currently testing the indigenously developed ABS technology on its bikes and scooters to reduce multiple vehicle and the run-of-road crashes.

A senior executive of TVS Motors confirmed that the technology in the final stages of development and is undergoing testing at its Hosur facility. “ABS is part of the 30 different technologies we are developing for our two -wheeler range. The ABS will help in avoiding skidding of two-wheelers and allow sure stopping on wet and slippery roads and help in reducing fatalities on two wheelers,” the executive said.

ABS technology reduces chances of crashing, and the severity of impact. It significantly reduces the chances of a skid and subsequent loss of control by the driver on the vehicle. On slippery surfaces it leads better control of the vehicle rather than go into a skid as it instantly locks the multiple wheels of the vehicle.

Working on the same concept, the ABS is likely to be introduced initially on yet to be launched high powered bikes of TVS in the premium 200 cc segment. The new technology is expected to jack up the prices of these by 7% to 8%. It is an expensive technology and the company is trying to economise it by bringing in high localisation.

We are working on a proven technology that is available on several super bikes (500 cc and above) which is currently very expensive and unviable for the price-sensitive Indian market. To control costs an indigenous model is on the way,” company sources said.

According to sources, TVS Motors has reportedly applied for a patent on this technology. As part of its 30 different technologies project, which are currently underway, TVS is also developing a hybrid and a CNG fired two wheeler, which will be showcased at the Auto Expo in January.

Source: The Economic Times

Hero Honda drives into used-bike market

NEW DELHI: Hero Honda, the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world, has forayed into the used two-wheeler trading business under the ‘Hero Honda SURE!’ brand.

Taking a cue from the passenger car market leader, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), which spearheaded the used-vehicle business through Maruti True Value, Hero Honda has started SURE! at its 40 dealerships across India on a pilot basis. Maruti has sold around 90,000 cars through True Value, which was 16% of its total sales last year.

Hero Honda SURE! is looking at the vast trading potential to generate new vehicle sales from the 7 crore stock of two wheelers on Indian road. Hero Honda, which sells every second two wheeler in the market is the first India company to launch this service in the two wheeler space.

A senior Hero Honda executive confirmed that the company had launched the new marketing initiative and said, “It’s a pilot project, which has been started at some dealerships. We are experimenting with various models at present so as to evolve a right structure for this business.”

As part of its strategy to remain India’s top two wheeler company, it has introduced a 110-check point quality parameter to assess the condition of used two-wheelers to develop SURE! as a reliable place to buy, sell and exchange pre-owned two-wheelers in India.

Hero Honda engineers re-condition these used vehicles with genuine spare parts and the company also offers warranty on different vehicles and free service benefits. Convenient and easy finance options for both new and used two wheelers are also available at its different dealerships.

The company refused to share the actual sales it has generated from Hero Honda SURE!, but sources at the dealership level say that the scheme is generating huge business and has been successful in luring customers to go in for new two wheeler purchases rather than a used one. Hero Honda SURE! dealers are also offering special price deals on buying new bikes and scooters.

Other major two wheeler players like Bajaj Auto and TVS Motors do not offer any such facility at present. Exchange facility for two wheelers is also available at the used car outlets like True Value and Hyundai Motor India’s Advantage, where the two-wheeler owners are given the option to upgrade from scooter or a bike to a new car.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

HC restrains TVS from selling recently-launched bike Flame

CHENNAI: The legal tussle between two-wheeler giants Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company took a new twist on Wednesday, with the Madras High Court turning the heat on the latter’s Flame bike.

On Wednesday, the court restrained TVS from booking, distributing or selling the recently-launched Flame, following a patent infringement suit filed by Bajaj Auto.

The case, which came up for hearing before Justice R Banumathi, has been adjourned till January 3.

Apart from maintaining status quo, the court has also directed TVS to maintain accounts in respect of orders already booked. The copy of the order is expected to be issued on Thursday.

At Wednesday’s hearing, TVS tried to impress on the court not to issue any interim order as it wants to file a counter with respect to the case. However, for the moment, its rival appears to hold sway.

AA Mohan of Mohan Associates and Dhruv from Mumbai are the legal counsels for Bajaj Auto while TVS is represented by Chennai-based HSB Associates senior counsel AL Somayaji.

TVS has already filed a suit under the Indian Patents Act in the Madras High Court to counter Bajaj’s claims of patent violation. The case is to come up for hearing next month. In the absence of a court order, TVS had launched its new 125-cc offering on December 13.

The country’s third-largest motorcycle manufacturer, after Hero Honda and Bajaj Auto, had expected the new product to boost its monthly sales by 20,000 units, once the national rollout was completed in January. Flame was aimed at taking on Bajaj’s XCD 125, launched in September. Buoyed by strong demand, Bajaj Auto has apparently sold 63,000 units of XCD 125 in September and October and is set to enhance this figure to 75,000 units.

Bajaj Auto responded to the launch of Flame by filing a suit on December 17, seeking to restrain TVS from manufacturing, selling or distributing vehicles protected by patent number 195904.

Bajaj Auto claims that it has the patent credit for the digital twin spark ignition (DTSi) technology, which uses two spark plugs for better fuel-efficiency and lower emissions. It found Flame’s technology specifications to be infringing on its patent.

It all started in September this year, when Bajaj Auto alleged that TVS had infringed on its DTSi patent, an intellectual property used in most Bajaj bikes. The initial duel remained verbal till TVS took the war to courts in October. It filed a Rs 250-crore defamation suit against Bajaj Auto in the Bombay High Court and another one in the Madras High Court under the patent law. Bajaj Auto was recently served papers by the court in the first case.

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com