The competition in the premium end of motorcycles market is going to be the highlight of the year as Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India (HMSI) readies its first salvo to Bajaj which has made its intentions clear with the twin launches of Duke 200 and Pulsar 200NS. It has been reported in Business Standard that the company has lined up a face-lifted CBR 250R model for launch by this month-end. The new 2012 edition, also show-cased at the Auto Expo, will be dearer by Rs 1,500 offering a new colour combination.
The report quoted Naresh Rattan, vice-president, sales and marketing, HMSI as saying that the company was due to launch the CBR 250R shortly in the market. "The new bike has gone under production by the middle of this month," he added. The CBR 250R has seen some substantial slide in sales in the recent months. The company saw sales of under 140 units of the bike in January as against its usual tally of around 2,500-3,000 units every month. "There is no dearth of demand for premium priced bikes in India despite a broader slowdown in demand for the commuter bikes witnessed by a few players," Rattan noted. "The market is growing rapidly even is such times."
It was reported that HMSI is phasing out the current generation of the bike from the distribution channels before trying to launch a face-lifted version. Further, the company has been facing problems regarding components supplies from Thailand. "There have been issues relating to components shortage due to the recent floods in Thailand which has impacted local production," revealed Rattan. "This matter is being sorted out before we launch the new version." Besides the commuter segment bikes, the company is lining up latest versions of imported models, such as the CB1000R and the CBR Fireblade for launch, according to the report.
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