Could be made at the Chennai plant.
A reader of Tamil publication, Motor Vikatan, snapped the Yamaha Nozza Grande scooter testing in the city of Chennai, where the Japanese manufacturer will soon commence operations at its second plant. The publication reports that the scooter is codenamed '04X', and will probably use a different name when it goes on sale in India.
The Nozza Grande was launched in August 2014 in Vietnam. Currently, the manufacturing and sales of the scooter is handled by Yamaha Motor Vietnam. The scooter is powered by a new air-cooled 125 cc single-cylinder engine with fuel injection, and claims an economy of 54 km/l. In Vietnam, the scooter is priced at 28.9 million Vietnamese Dong (INR 84,173).
Yamaha has not announced the launch of the Nozza Grande in India. For that matter, the company's premium D'elight offering was also spotted in India recently, but a launch has not been communicated by the company.
However, a media report last year said that Yamaha would launch a 125 cc scooter this year, that would roll out from its new Chennai plant. Given that the scooter market in India is seeing robust volumes with an expected growth of 21 percent this fiscal, Yamaha could bolster its scooter portfolio, which currently includes only the Ray and Alpha models, both 110 cc offerings.
The 125 cc Nozza Grand could be an ideal contender to rival the likes of the Honda Activa 125, Suzuki Access and the Piaggio Vespa, though the latter caters to the lifestyle-conscious audience.
Competitors: Honda Activa 125, Vespa VX125, Suzuki Swish, Suzuki Access, Mahindra Rodeo
Expected Price: INR 55,000-65,000, ex-showroom (depending on whether the engine is fuel-injected or carbureted)
Launch date: 2015 (reported)
[Spyshots from MotorVikatan]
