India Kawasaki Motors has opened its first showroom in Calcutta at 222 AJC Bose Road, near Beckbagan. The Japanese bikemaker had ended its partnership with Bajaj Auto about a year ago.
“We have a different branding and marketing strategy (from the erstwhile partners). We are more premium,” said Yutaka Yamashita, managing director, India Kawasaki Motors, explaining the idea behind the exclusive showrooms.
The company has opened nearly 30 new showrooms across India in a year and Yamashita said he expects to double sales during 2018-19, compared to the previous fiscal year.
Kawasaki is the “second highest-selling premium bike brand” in India (after Harley-Davidson). The company sells bikes ranging from 250cc to 1,400cc, many imported from Thailand and Japan. Prices start at Rs 3 lakh. The company has opened its assembly plant in Pune that makes 10,000 bikes a year currently and can ramp up to 60,000 a year.
The Beckbagan shoroom would cater to the Calcutta and Bengal market as well as the Northeast for the moment. It has been done up in the company colours of lime green and black.
There are also a number of new bikes on offer. The day the showroom was launched (February 23) was also the day when the Z900RS model with its classic retro looks was unveiled, priced at Rs 15.3 lakh.
Kawasaki has also rolled out its only cruiser bike, the Vulcan S650, at Rs 5.44 lakh. Earlier in the month, it had introduced the H2 SX sportsbike at Rs 21.8 lakh, which is the only bike in the world with a supercharged engine. And topping out the range is the H2 R at Rs 77 lakh.
Text: Abhijit Mitra
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
