Buoyant by the response to its recently launched 153 cc FZ-16, two-wheeler company Yamaha Motor India, a 100% subsidiary of Japan?s Yamaha Motor Company Limited, plans to ramp up its production from 350 units per day to 500 units per day at Surajpur plant in Uttar Pradesh, said Pankaj Dubey, national business head, division head sales and marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Private Limited.
He added that the sales target for the bike is purely dependent upon supply, which at present is inadequate. ?We had set a target of 25,000 units of FZ-16 in three months (October, November and December),? he said.
Sanjay Tripathi, division head, product planning and marketing, Yamaha India says, ?We have 22,000 paid-up orders till date for the FZ-16.? He said the company will ramp up production in a phased manner as it does not want to compromise on quality. FZ-16 was launched in October at a price of Rs 65,000 ex-showroom (All India). Currently, the bike has a waiting period running from 28 days and going up to 50-80 days. According to sources, few dealers of the company are resorting to asking for Rs 10,000 money extra on the bike for the quicker delivery. Last month, the company produced 8,000 units and claims to have sold all. ?The demand for FZ-16 has surpassed YZF-R15 (150 cc),? said Dubey. The company has sold 18,000 units of YZF-R15 so far.
Other bikes that the company sells in the market include MT01 (1670 cc), YZF-R1 (998 cc), Gladiator Type SS & RS (125 cc), Gladiator Graffiti (125cc), G5 (106 cc), Alba (106 cc) and Crux (106 cc). It will be launching two bikes in the 125 cc above segment next year and is also exploring the market for its gearless scooters.
Asked if company will look at phasing out the old bike models from the market, Dubey said, ?The phasing out of older models will depend upon demand.?
Yamaha has earmarked an investment of Rs 800 crore for the upgradation of plant, marketing and dealership expansion for the next three years. By 2010, the company is looking at a total capacity of eight lakh units per annum from the existing four lakh units per annum, taking Faridabad in Haryana and Surajpur together. Further, the company plans to have about 1500 dealers, touch points and sub-dealers taken together around the same time. At present, it has 330 dealers in the country.