India Kawasaki launches updated Ninja 1000, revises Z900’s price

India Kawasaki Motor (IKM) launched the updated Ninja 1000 today as the company announced that the model is now imported in the form of semi-knocked down (SKD) units from Japan. This makes it the first litre-class model from the stable of Kawasaki to be locally assembled in India. The Ninja 1000 was earlier imported by Kawasaki for retail sales in India as a completely built unit.

The SKD kits of the new Ninja 1000 are locally assembled by the company at its brand-new facility in Chakan, where it shifted its operations with effect from July 1, 2017. It can be recalled that Autocar Professional broke the news of IKM setting up their new plant in Chakan on May 22.

The 2017 Ninja 1000, now in its third generation, comes with a price-tag of Rs 998,000 (ex-showroom, pan-India) and is positioned at professional as well as seasoned riders looking for comfortable motorcycle with cross-country touring applications. Kawasaki had first introduced the Ninja 1000 in India in December 2013 at Rs 12.50 lakh.

Addressing a press conference in Pune, Yutaka Yamashita, managing director, IKM said, “At Kawasaki, our focus is on making motorcycles easy and fun to ride while being environment-friendly. We are aggressively expanding our operations in India. We have moved into a new plant in Chakan with effect from 1 July.”

Explaining the features of the updated Ninja 1000, Susheel Kumar P, regional manager – sales and marketing, IKM underlined the model’s critical advanced electronic controls. According to the company, the new Ninja 1000, powered by four-cylinder, 1043cc engine, offers smoother power delivery along with greater comfort and safety features.

Z900 priced at Rs 768,000
Kawasaki has also revised the prices of its naked street motorcycle Z900 today, increasing its price competitiveness  versus its rivals, which primarily include the twin-cylinder, 803cc, 75bhp Ducati Monster 787 (Rs 770,000) and three-cylinder, 765cc, 112bhp Triumph Street Triple S (Rs 850,000).

The four-cylinder, 948cc, 123bhp Z900’s price is now revised to Rs 768,000 (ex-showroom pan-India). The pricing of this model, however, now does not include the accessories that were offered on it when it was first launched in March 2017. India Kawasaki had earlier launched the Z900 at Rs 900,000 (ex-Delhi).

Company officials say that the Z900’s price is revised on the basis of customer feedback.

While the company has started accepting bookings for both the models, the initial lot of updated Ninja 1000 available for sale comprise of only 20 units.  The company officials say that more units of the 2017 Ninja 1000 will be imported once the first lot is sold out.

IKM has an aggressive product roadmap for the domestic market as it has slated more launches for 2017. The Japanese big bike maker is also working to expand its retail network in India. While the current distribution network covers 14 sales and service outlets across the country, the company is talking to many more applicants (for new dealerships) with focus on Tier 1 cities.