As we know that Bajaj and Triumph are developing a motorcycle together. Coronavirus pandemic caused a delay of six to nine months. The motorcycle could now get launched by the end of FY 2023. The pricing of the new motorcycle is still not known but it should be somewhere around Rs. 2 lakh mark.
Triumph is collaborating with another company after 118 years. Travel flights have been restricted between UK and India because of the Delta variant. This is causing a delay in the development of the motorcycle because the development team needs to travel to both countries. The schedules are being postponed and the development of the product has been slow because of the pandemic.
The engines that are being developed could be of mid-size capacity. So, they can have a displacement of 250 cc to 700 cc. Currently, the most affordable Triumph motorcycle is the Trident which starts at Rs. 6.95 lakhs ex-showroom. The pricing is still a bit high when compared to Bajaj’s motorcycles. Earlier, the new motorcycle was supposed to get unveiled in 2022. However, now because of all the delays, it has been postponed to 2023.
Also read: Royal Enfield Classic 650: What it”ll look like
Rakesh Sharma, executive director, Bajaj Auto, said: “We are in the (product development) stage, where we have made prototypes, and these require physical presence to make corrections, if needed. This whole process takes time. The partnership got hit because of COVID. We expect towards the end of FY23 to probably present the products in the market. There will be a delay of 6-9 months from what we had indicated earlier.”
The new motorcycle will be produced at Bajaj’s Chakan plant. The production facility costs Rs. 650 Crores to make. Other brands like KTM and Husqvarna that have also partnered with Bajaj will also be produced at the very same production plant. The new manufacturing facility will be functional in 2023.
The discussions of Bajaj and Triumph started in 2017. It was not till 2020 that both the manufacturers agreed to sign a partnership. The partnership is of non-equity and its main focus is to increase the level of localization. Just like Bajaj and KTM vehicles are produced in India. This is the reason that these motorcycles are priced so competitively. Bajaj and Triumph will be working on technology, design and cost-competitive manufacturing. Bajaj is the leader in the two-wheeler market in our country while Triumph is known for its premium range of motorcycles.
The two manufacturers would be competing against the Royal Enfield which is currently dominating most of the markets in the world. Royal Enfield’s 650 Twins are the best selling middleweight capacity motorcycles. They have the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650. Both the motorcycles have been incredibly successful.
Bajaj and Triumph are not the only two manufacturers that are working together. BMW and TVS are also working together. BMW has the G 310R, G 310 GS while the TVS has the Apache RR 310. The motorcycles share the same engine. Hero MotoCorp is also working with Harley Davidson to develop more affordable motorcycles.
Also read: Meet “Kush”, a custom built, track-ready KTM RC390 from Rajputana Customs
