One of the most exciting things to have happened in 2020 was the partnership between Bajaj and Triumph that both the companies announced at the beginning of this year. This partnership would have seen the development of a range of Triumph mid-displacement motorcycles, manufactured by Bajaj. One of the biggest highlights of the Bajaj-Triumph partnership was the announcement that the first motorcycles to come out of this partnership will be priced under INR 2 lakhs.
A Triumph motorcycle under INR 2 lakhs? What? Yes indeed. While there was a lot of excitement around this development, Covid-19 has now deterred the plan, like it has deterred so many other things. This announcement had come before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Now, in a recent interview, Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto, has confirmed that the debut of the first motorcycle out of the Bajaj-Triumph partnership has now been delayed.
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Its now likely that the first Triumph motorcycle from this partnership will make its global debut in 2023. It was originally slated for a debut in 2022. However, Bajaj has said that they are still working hard and if the market improves sufficiently in 2021, they could still be aiming for the 2022 deadline. As per the Bajaj-Triumph partnership, the plan was to develop motorcycles in the range of 200-700cc displacement.
These motorcycles will be designed and developed by Triumph in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Bajaj will be manufacturing the motorcycles here in India using their expertise in cost-effective manufacturing. It was said that the first Bajaj-Triumph motorcycle will likely be a classic roadster, powered by a 250-350cc single-cylinder engine. It is essentially meant to take on the likes of the Honda H'ness CB350, the Jawa and of course, the Royal Enfield Classic 350.
It is interesting to note that Triumph had specifically mentioned that there will be no new Bajaj motorcycles from this partnership, unlike the Bajaj-KTM partnership. Bajaj will only be manufacturing these low-displacement Triumph motorcycles in India. And its critical for Triumph as it will help them establish in large-volume markets like Asia and South America where cost is a very important factor. In the end, the winners from this will be customers and riders who could be spoilt for choices. Who doesn't want an affordable motorcycle from a premium brand? There are exciting times up ahead, only that we will have to wait for it a little longer.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Bajaj and Triumph two-wheeler updates and all other two-wheeler news.
