The two-wheeler arm of Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Mahindra 2 Wheelers, is sprucing up its existing scooter portfolio alongside its plans to enter the motorcycle segment.
The company is revamping its ‘Kine’ 80cc offering, a part of the portfolio that was inherited from Kinetic Group. The revamped version of the Kine will be ready to hit the market next month, Devendra Shinde, vice-president (marketing), Mahindra 2 Wheelers said.
The company has been working on this model with its Italian partner Engines Engineering and Taiwan’s Sanyang Industry Company Ltd. Improvements have been made in the vehicle engine for better performance, he said. The vehicle will begin to roll out of the company’s Pithampur plant soon. In the gearless scooter segment, the Mahindra2Wheelers competes with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, Suzuki and TVS Motor in the gearless scooter segment.
At the same time, the company has aggressive plans for the motorcycle segment and intends to make a dent in this space by the end of this year. The company is currently in the process of identifying the line up for the motorcycle models. The new motorcycle is being built on a completely new platform with inputs from the Engines Engineering and Sanyang Industry Co Ltd. The company is yet to decide on the positioning for these products, he said. According to industry reports, Mahindra2Wheelers is closely looking at the mid-market segment and a high-end bike.
“Motorcycles form 85 % of the total two wheeler market in the country while scooters account for the remaining 15 %. An entry into the motorcycle segment will complete our two wheeler offerings in the market,” Shinde said. The company is reportedly in talks with European manufacturers to bring in lifestyle brands in the high-end segment. The company is always scouting for new options, he said.
January has been among the best months for the company that sold around 10,000 units in the month after averaging around 7,000 units every month. Sales in February till date have been promising and we expect to keep up the performance, he said. M&M started retailing gearless scooters from September last year after acquiring Kinetic Motor Co Ltd for Rs 110 crore in 2008. M&M holds 80% in the new venture.
At present, M&M’s scooter portfolio includes the Rodeo, Duro and Flyte. Other models from the Kinetic stable including the 4S, Nova were earlier being made in small volumes.