India may be future export hub for Kawasaki

• Published On: 3 August 2018
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Kawasaki could also make an affordable India-specific motorcycle in the future.

Kawasaki recently launched its locally produced Ninja 300 and the locally assembled Ninja ZX-10R and they have done well in the Indian market. Japanese media house, Nikkei Asian Review, has said that Kawasaki is planning to ramp-up its production in India and intends on producing 10,000 motorcycles per annum in our country. The company is looking to boost its sales to 5,000 units by 2020 (Kawasaki currently sells 5,000 units in China, as well). The company intends to also make India its export hub for Africa and Latin America.

The publication also said that there are lots of Kawasaki engineers from Japan that have been moved to India to fast track localisation. Kazuo Ota, head of Kawasaki's motorcycles and engines division in Japan, said that Kawasaki isn’t just focusing on high displacement motorcycles in India, it’s also studying the feasibility and demand for motorcycles with engine displacement as low as 200cc.

India is the largest two-wheeler market in the world as far as sales are concerned, and the low displacement bikes under Rs 1 lakh are currently driving sales in our country. But with rising income and aspiration among Indian bikers, demand for performance bikes has risen quite consistently. India could, very soon, become the world’s largest market for sub-500cc motorcycles.