Triumph Motorcycles of the U.K. and Bajaj Auto have entered into a partnership for the manufacture of Triumph-branded motorcycles in India for the global market.

 

The partnership aims to deliver a range of mid capacity motorcycles out of India, said a top official.

 

“We will be jointly developing new products in the mid-range here,” said S. Ravikumar, President (Business Development & Assurance), Bajaj Auto. “The motorcycles will be sold in India and in other export markets,” he added. The alliance does not involve equity infusion, it is learnt.

 

‘Development begins’

 

“Product development has already started and time of product introduction will be announced at a later stage,” he added.

 

According to people familiar with the development, Triumph-branded motorcycles will be made at Bajaj Auto’s plant at Chakan, near Pune. The partners will develop a new range of motorcycles in the sub-800 cc capacity. To begin with, the ASEAN and African markets are the targets, it is learnt.

 

Shrikant Akolkar, research analyst, Automobiles, Angel Broking said the partnership would leverage on Bajaj’s low-cost expertise to create a value proposition in the 400cc-800cc segment.

 

“There is growing demand for leisure bikes in India and this tie-up... is a step towards addressing that need. The idea is to combine Triumph’s global brand image and Bajaj’s low-cost manufacturing prowess. Triumph bikes globally start from 675 cc and this tie-up will give them an opportunity to scale down the capacity curve,” he added.