Triumph to enter India in 2012;mulls setting up assembly plant

The company has appointed Royal Enfield's ex-Europe head Ashish Joshi as its Managing Director for India.

"India is a very important motorcycle market and Triumph has assessed it carefully before deciding to step in. We see it as the next step in our global business model," Triumph Motorcycles UK Chief Executive Officer Nick Bloor said in statement.

When asked about the India plans, a company spokesperson told PTI: "It is our intention to enter the Indian market during 2012, initially with six to eight models from our existing range... Our current range totals 20 models and I would expect that we would offer between six to eight models initially."

Triumph is currently in the process of establishing a company in India and carrying out research on which products to offer to the market, he added.

"...(we) are investigating both the viability of importing complete motorcycles, as well as operating a CKD (Complete Knock Down) system," the spokesperson said.

The official, however, declined to share any investment detail at this moment.
"Needless to say, however, we will be making a significant investment in establishing our Indian operations," he added.

Bloor said the appointment of Joshi is a signal of the company's seriousness about its success in India.

Prior to joining Triumph, Joshi was heading the European operations for Royal Enfield and established the company's business in Europe. He has over 16 years of experience in Asia and Europe, the statement added.

In the past, Triumph has been linked with Bajaj Auto for a possible stake acquisition or alliance which never happened.

Established in 1902, and now based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK, the company is known for its broad range of bikes, including the 2.3 litre Rocket III, Speed Triple, Daytona 675 and the recently launched Tiger 800.

The price of its different models ranges from about 6,650 pounds (about Rs 4.77 lakh) to 12,650 pounds (about Rs 9 lakh) in the UK.

The Indian super premium bike market has been attracting global players and companies like Harley Davidson, BMW Motorrad and Ducati have already set up shops here.