Suzuki Motorcycle India to locally assemble Hayabusa superbike

Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMIL), a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan has commenced local assembly operations of its iconic superbike, the Hayabusa at its Gurgaon plant.

An official communication from the company has confirmed the development quoting that the Hayabusa, Suzuki’s flagship motorcycle, is being imported as completely knocked down (CKD) kits and locally assembled at a ‘state-of-the-art’ assembly line at Suzuki Motorcycle’s Gurgaon plant.

The development, which supports the government’s make-in-India initiative and is in line with similar advancements made by other two-wheeler companies, will now bring down the market retail price of the model to Rs 13.57 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) from Rs 15.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

“With the advent of the Make in India program, the company is keen to support and strengthen this promising initiative to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub,” quotes the official company release.

It also clarifies that “the specifications of the motorcycle shall remain unchanged as compared to the CBU (completely built unit) counterpart which has been imported from Japan all these years.”

According to SMIL’s official website, the Hayabusa is powered by a four-stroke, liquid-cooled, four-cylinder, 1340cc engine that is mated to a six-speed transmission system. The heavy motorcycle, which comes with a kerb weight of 266kg, also features a massive 21-litre fuel tank.

The Suzuki Hayabusa directly competes with Kawasaki’s popular Ninja ZX-14R, which is powered by a four-stroke, liquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder, 1441cc engine. It India Kawasaki Motors launched the 2016 edition of its 269kg Ninja ZX-14R in February for Rs 17.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The latest edition now comes with several updated features, says Kawasaki.

On the other hand, the local assembly operations of Hayabusa clearly highlight Suzuki’s plan to boost the stable demand on the back of a burgeoning fan following of this model in India.

Commenting on this development, Kenji Hirozawa, vice- president (sales & marketing), SMIL, said, “India is one of the largest manufacturers of motorcycles in the world. This is a clear indication of the high demand in this ever- growing market. Along with growth, comes maturity. Coupled with growth in lifestyle and infrastructure, there is an increasing demand for big bikes by the Indian enthusiasts. SMIL shall cater to this by starting assembly of our widely selling big bike, the Suzuki Hayabusa. We firmly believe in the Make in India program, and this is another step to show our support in the big bike market.”

SMIL, which is celebrating 10 years of its operations in India this year, has already sold more than 62 units of the Hayabusa thus far in this financial year.