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TVS Suzuki to launch new 2-wheelers in 2001

Indian two-wheeler maker TVS Suzuki Ltd will launch new four-stroke or more fuel efficient motorcycles, scooterettes and mopeds later this year to improve market share, a company official said on Wednesday.

Madras-based TVS Suzuki, 25.9 per cent owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp, is a leading maker of mopeds, motorcycles and scooterettes or light, small scooters.

An official at TVS Suzuki who declined to be identified said that the company will introduce four stroke variants in each of these segments beginning with a 110cc range of 4-stroke motorcycles in September.

Three versions of the 110cc motorcycle would be launched, to be followed in October by an upgraded version of the Fiero, TVS Suzuki's recently launched 150cc four-stroke bike.

The 100cc motorcycle segment makes up nearly 80 per cent of India's motorcycle market and is dominated by Hero Honda, India's largest motorcycle maker and Honda's Indian joint venture.

TVS Suzuki has been unable to exploit growing consumer preference for motorcycles due to the lack of a four-stroke motorcycle.

The company also plan to launch a four-stroke version of the Scooty, its scooterette and a moped by the end of 2001, the official said.

The launch of a 125cc bike in 2002 was also being evaluated, he added.

Analysts estimate mopeds contribute about 23 per cent of TVS Suzuki's revenues, motorcycles about 56 per cent and scooterettes about 13 per cent.

In the full year to March, the company sold 345,505 motorcycles, 366,479 mopeds and 142,575 scooterettes.

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