Originally posted by: Orang Kanada
Have any pictures of the new bike?
clearly a "motor cowok" rather than the ubiquitous 'motor bebek' so popular in indonesia ...
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JAKCHAT/India's Bajaj makes debut in RI market
clearly a "motor cowok" rather than the ubiquitous 'motor bebek' so popular in indonesia ...
JAKCHAT/India's Bajaj makes debut in RI market
JP/India's Bajaj makes debut in RI market
With the launch of the new motorcycle, which has an engine capacity of 180 cc, the Indian company will be competing head to head with established manufacturers, such as Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki, which have also begun to boost the sales of their sporty-look models.
Bajaj Auto Indonesia marketing sales director Dharmesh Banerjee said the company, which would focus on the sporty-look market segment, was quite upbeat it would be able to make inroads despite the tight competition.
"The growth of this motorcycle segment in Indonesia has been steady over the last few years. There is still a major opportunity for this segment to expand," he said.
According to data from Indonesian Motorcycle Association (AISI), sales of sporty motorcycles rose to 300,000 units in 2005, accounting for about 5.9 percent of total motorcycle sales, from 25,000 units, or about 7 percent of total motorcycle sales, in 2004.
The sporty motorcycle segment in Indonesia has traditionally been dominated by Honda, with its number-one product, the Mega Pro, controlling about 30 percent of the market. Other players include Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki, with most of their motorcycles priced between Rp 18 million (US$2,000) and Rp 20 million.
The company's president director, K.S. Grihapathy, said the newly launched Pulsar DTS-i (Digital Twin Spark Ignition) has two variants, Cast Wheel and Spoke Wheel, which are priced at between Rp 15 million and Rp 16.5 million.
To ensure customer satisfaction, he added, the company would build 50 service centers across Java by the end of the year, with main dealers being located in Jakarta and Surabaya.
"This year, we will concentrate on Java, while next year we will focus on areas outside Java, with the first target being Medan (North Sumatra)," he said, adding that the reason for this was because Java accounted for 60 percent of motorcycle sales in Indonesia.
At the launching, the company also revealed a plan to build a factory in Indonesia with an investment of about US$50 million. The plant would have a capacity of 100,000 bikes a year.
"As Indonesia is the largest market for motorcycles within the Southeast Asian region, we plan to make Indonesia Bajaj's central manufacturing hub for the Southeast Asian market. We hope to supply our products from Indonesia to the rest of the Southeast Asian region," said Bajaj executive director Sanjiv Bajaj, who is also responsible for the company's international operations.
Bajaj is the second Indian motorcycle company to have come to Indonesia after its competitor, TVS, which is currently building a US$45 million factory in Karawang, near Jakarta.
The number of motorcycles sold in Indonesia reached 3.1 million in the first nine months of this year, with Honda holding a 51 percent market share, followed by Yamaha (32 percent), Suzuki (12 percent), and others (5 percent). In 2005, total sales reached 5.07 million units. (09)