With the craze for owning superbikes gradually growing in India, Polaris India Pvt Ltd, the subsidiary of American off- road and All- Terrain Vehicles maker Polaris Industries Inc., is rapidly expanding the dealership network of Indian, its iconic superbike brand in India which was first introduced in the US in 1901.
The company which currently offers six superbike models in India, in the price range of Rs. 12 lakh to Rs. 35 lakh (ex-showroom), has decided to more than double its dealership network to 12 by the end of 2016 to be closer to its customers.
The company on Thursday opened the Mumbai dealership of Indian Motorcycle, which is its fifth showroom in India after Gudgaon, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
“We will open our next showroom in Ahmedabad and by the end of next year we will have 12 sales and services outlets across the country. The demand for our superbikes are growing in India and our range has been accepted reasonably well in the market,” Pankaj Dubey, Managing Director, Polaris India told The Hindu.
Meanwhile, the company is planning to introduce more models in the slightly lower price range to appeal to young buyers, said James P Williams, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Polaris Industries.
He said India figures high in the company’s global agenda, as the demand for iconic and heritage superbikes is growing steadily. He said unless the company achieves desired sales volumes, it would not set up a manufacturing base in India. Currently, all the bikes are imported from the US as Completely Built Units.
“Our Indian brand represents the perfect balance of legendary heritage and brilliant latest engineering and technology,” Mr. Williams said.
The superbike segment in India has grown from 100 units in 2007 to over 10,000 units in 2015 and the segment has been growing in high double digit figure forcing almost all global superbike makers namely Haley Davidson, Triumph, Benelli, Polaris (Indian Motorcycles), Ducati, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki to set up sales and service network in India.
According to analysts the market is growing fast, due to inspirational levels of a section of Indians to own a superbike as well as due to better road infrastructure to enjoy the thrill of riding a speed monster.
