Japanese two-wheeler giant Yamaha said it plans to increase India’s share in its worldwide sales to 10% over the next 3-4 years, after falling demand worldwide made the company report a net loss of 216.15 billion yen (approx. Rs 11,678 crore) in 2009.
Yamaha sold around 58.5 lakh units worldwide last year, but is a small player in the Indian two-wheeler market. It sold merely 2.2 lakh units in India in 2009, but now plans to sell 10 lakh units over the next 3-4 years.
To reach this goal, it intends to spend more money on introducing new models and widening its sales network. As part of the step, the company’s fully-owned associate, India Yamaha Motor, has introduced 3 commuter segment bikes, costing Rs 47,000-Rs 52,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Yoshiteru Takahashi, Yamaha Motor Co Director and Managing Executive Officer (Motorcycle Business Operations) said, “Last year, the motorcycle market was down worldwide and demand dropped 20-30 per cent, mainly due to the US. Yamaha is now concentrating on the Asian market for growth… India is the most important market for us”.
Besides India, the company is seeing growth in other Asian countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, China and the Philippines, he said.