The Mahindra & Mahindra group on Sunday said it will enter the motorcycle segment this year with the launch of an in-house developed bike.
The group, which aspires to be a significant player in the two-wheeler market, is also working on adding an additional production capacity to meet future targets.
“We are working on a motorcycle and you should see it during the course of 2010,” Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) President (Two-Wheeler Sector) Anoop Mathur told PTI at the 10th Auto Expo here.
When asked about the timing of the launch of the bike, he said, “we will time the launch of the bike in such a way that we get the best impact.”
Mr. Mathur, however, declined to disclose the segment in which the bike will be positioned.
“We will be present across all segments of scooters and motorcycles as we want to become a significant player in the two-wheeler market. The new motorcycle will be one of the many products we will launch,” he said.
The Indian two-wheeler market is pegged at about 80 lakh units annually, with Hero Honda leading the segment, followed by Bajaj Auto.
Mr. Mathur said the motorcycle has been developed in-house by the group and not much input has been used from the stable of Kinetic, the two-wheeler assets of which were acquired by M&M in 2008.
“In 3-4 years’ time, we will be running short of capacity as per our targets. So, to meet demand then, we have to start working from now to expand our production capacity,” he said, declining to comment on details like planned investments and the possibility of setting up of a new factory.
