The company draws up blueprints for its onslaught on the premium segment and might look at European majors for a JV

It may be the youngest entrant into India’s two-wheeler market but Mahindra and Mahindra has evidently got no plans to stay at the sidelines for too long. According to reports the company is in talks with some very renowned British and Italian firms to develop a new line of premium performance bikes for the Indian market. Sources within the company have stated that Triumph and Moto Guzzi are some of the marquees that M&M has held talks with. We already know of the company’s plans to introduce indigenously built two-wheelers in the lower and mid-segment segment but now it seems that the company is keen to acquire an international tie-up for its onslaught on the upper end of the motorcycle segment, which is extremely image-conscious.

The two-wheeler arm of M&M started retailing gearless scooters from September last year after acquiring beleaguered Pune-based manufacturer Kinetic Motors. The company currently sells three automatic scooters in the market-the Rodeo, Duro and the Flyte. "We have achieved an unprecedented milestone of selling 10,000 vehicles in the month of January within 4 months of launch of our scooter portfolio. In a relatively short time, we have developed a robust system which is poised to deliver a sustainable growth path," said Anoop Mathur, president, Two Wheeler Sector, M&M.


Words: Saeed Akhtar