Honda’s 2 wheeler division is leaving no stone unturned in its initiative to propel itself to the top position in India as the premier two-wheeler sales king.
Honda has now extended its support for the current Modi Government’s initiative ‘Make in India’ which urges manufacturers to process and assemble their goods within India to enjoy cheap manpower and lessening the burden of import duties on premium goods.
Assembly Within India
Honda has now decided to locally assemble their flagship motorbike, the CBR 650F at their own manufacturing plant in the country. Keita Muramatsu, President and CEO of Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India told the media that, ‘We have plans of introducing the CBR650F in India sometime around July this year. It will be totally assembled in our plant and is a part of the ‘Make in India’ concept being promoted by the government under the PM NarendraModi regime.’
Honda CBR650F
Price Tag
Honda’s decision to launch the 650cc bike in India is because they want to build a segment exclusively for enthusiasts and they plan to introduce about 15 new models within this year. Seven of these models will feature brand new engines and chassis parts. However, there is a catch! The CBR 6650F is expected to be launched at a whopping price tag of around INR 8 lakh.
Enthusiasts and experts expected the price to be lower than quoted. However, localizationof the motorcycle’s assembly would only add to 5% in the initial levels since it would currently be brought down to India as a completely ‘knocked down’ unit. Prices may rise due to demand, but that will be an afterthought after the bike is launched.
Honda Plant Details
Honda currently operates three plants in India, situated in Karnataka, Haryana and Rajasthan. All of them have a capacity of making 4.60 million units in total. A fourth plant is being built in Gujarat and will likely commence production by the year 2016.
Honda CBR650F
Bike Details
Engine Type 649cc, Liquid-Cooled Inline, Four Cylinder
Induction PGM-FI Having Automatic Enrichment, 32mm Throttle
Ignition Digital Transistorized Enabled With Electronic Advance
Transmission Six-Speed
Front Suspension 41mm Fork
Rear Suspension Single Shock With Adjustable Spring Preload
Front Brake Dual 320mm Discs
Rear Brake Single 240mm Disc
Optional Brake Honda-ABS (CBR650F ABS)
Fuel Capacity 16 Litre
Colours Matte Black Metallic, Red, Candy Blue
For Indians, this is a very exciting development because, global manufacturing giants finally recognize India’s potential in terms of return on interest in locally assembled premium products. Narendra Modi’s government has already spun the cogs in motion, it is time for other companies to also realize the hidden potential of India’s skilled manpower and lesser assemblage costs.
