Suzuki India recently revealed that the brand will be focusing only on the higher displacement motorcycles and will be staying away from the commuter motorcycle segment in the future. This announcement makes Suzuki the second two-wheeler brand in India after Yamaha to take this decision. The company’s shrinking market share in the commuter motorcycle segment has forced it to concentrate majorly on the 150cc+ motorcycles with the price tags ranging above INR 1 lakh.
Devashish Handa, Vice President, Suzuki India, confirmed that the company will focus only on motorcycles with an engine bigger than 150cc. He commented in a statement to Times of India: “As part of our clear cut new product strategy, all our new motorcycle introductions will be greater than 150cc displacement starting from Gixxer SF 250 onwards. All new product introductions will be higher than this category and we do not intend to be in the commuter part of the market at all. We would like to satisfy the aspirational and passion need of the customer instead of functional needs.”
The company also plans on launching the highly-anticipated Gixxer 250 naked roadster in the coming months (around Diwali), as confirmed at the launch of the Gixxer SF 250 and the 2019 Gixxer SF 150. Some reports also suggest that the brand is also working on a quarter-litre Intruder cruiser motorcycle with the official launch expected to happen at the Auto Expo in February 2020.
With the upcoming products, the brand plans to compete in the market with the likes of Yamaha Fazer 25 and the Bajaj Pulsar 220F. Commenting on it, Mr Devashish Handa added: “In the short term (this year and next) we would be targeting the sports motorcycle category to customers who want another option from say a Bajaj Pulsar 220F or a Yamaha Fazer 25. We are looking at a customer who is young and urban because, in terms of network, 50% of our 500 dealerships are in metro or tier 1 cities.”
Commenting on their expansion in the scooter market, the brand stated: “All our introductions will be higher up the value chain. Going ahead, we will introduce two products every year in scooters and bikes and all these will be upwards of where we are now in terms of engine displacements.”
