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The Auto Industry in India is hit by a slowdown, but that's not bothering Japanese bike manufacturer Yamaha, whose FZ16 Motorbike has set the ball rolling for the brand in the country.
The manufacturer plans to scale up production from 350 units per day to 500 units per day at Surajpur plant in Uttar Pradesh to cope up with the increase in demand of its bikes, the economic slump having no effects on the bike maker.
25,000 Yamaha FZ16's were planned from the Production facility for the first 3 months and the expectations were surpassed with 22,000 paid bookings registered across the 330 Yamaha showrooms, within such a short time period.
The last thing Yamaha would want to do is raise production and barter quality. But Mr.Pankaj Dubey, business head, Yamaha Motors India, says the company has got it covered. Production would be ramped up in a systematic fashion ensuring uniform quality levels.
The Yamaha FZ16 is in such demand where waiting periods span anywhere from 28 to 80 days from the time of booking till the time of delivery.
However customers don't complain about the long Que. The Yamaha FZ16 offers class-leading styling and features, two crucial factors in the bike's remarkable success.
For all these years, both Hero Honda and Bajaj have relished big margins, sound sales charts and market shares while Yamaha along with other bike makers like LML and Kinetic shaped the rear of the pack. Now though, things are appearing bright for Yamaha with the success of the Yamaha YZF R-15 and FZ16, two radically different bikes which have received solid response from Indian customers.Yamaha plans to capitalize this position by launching a string of gearless scooters and two 125 cc motorcycles within the next year.
IAB Comment- With tumbling sales numbers and pruning margins in the houses of HH and Bajaj, one has to say the time has come for Yamaha to get back into business. If you want to beat the recession, try launching a product, which adds something new to your company's lineup rather than stickering and painting your current range of bikes.
We hope more bike makers (the likes of Harley Davidson) will veer towards India and offer a variety to the buyer.
2008 Yamaha FZ16 Image Gallery
Visit the Official Yamaha Homepage to learn about the FZ16
