Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMI) has revealed that it will only focus on making bikes higher than 150 cc capacity in India and will not venture in to the commuter motorcycle segment again. The Japanese motorcycle maker, which recently launched Gixxer SF 250 and Gixxer SF bikes, has already stopped producing Suzuki Hayate motorcycle, its only offering in the commuter bike segment. And going forward, the brand will only focus on adding higher capacity bikes to its portfolio in India, giving a miss to the less than 150 cc capacity segment. According to an ETAuto report, SMI has taken this decision to focus on the growing demand for performance motorcycles in urban cities.
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Commenting on this strategy, Devashish Handa, Vice President Marketing for Suzuki Motorcycles India, said,"As part of our clear cut new product strategy, all our new motorcycle introductions will be greater than 150 cc displacement starting from Gixxer SF250 onwards. All new product introductions will be higher than this category and we do not intend to be in the commuter part of the market at all. We would like to satisfy the aspirational and passion need of the customer instead of functional needs. We are looking at a customer who is young and urban because in terms of network, 50% of our 500 dealerships are in metro or tier 1 cities."
Suzuki had stopped production of Hayate Motorcycle earlier in April this year, and a few days back, launched its first quarter-litre bike in India--Suzuki Gixxer SF 250. Along with this, the motorcycle maker also replaced its Gixxer SF bike with a new model, which retains the engine of the previous bike but, in line with Suzuki's new strategy, gets sportier design with modern features. The brand also noted that their focus will be on customers interested in sports bikes and not novice riders.
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To increase its presence in India, Suzuki Motorcycle India also plans on launching two new products in scooters and bikes segment every year, with an increased focus on cruiser bike segment in India.