Kawasaki to source more made-in-India parts for Ninja bikes

Pune, April 10, 2013: Bajaj Auto launched the much- awaited Kawasaki Ninja 300 today for Rs 350,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi). First revealed in September last year in the US, the Ninja 300 is touted to be Kawasaki’s answer to Honda’s CBR250R. Also sold in the US, European and other markets, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 is also available in India with bookings already on the go.

Yuji Horiuchi of India Kawasaki Motors said, “We have successfully sold more than 3,000 Ninja bikes (250cc and 650cc put together) in India so far.” Borrowing its styling cues from bigger Kawasaki bikes such as the ZX-10R, the Ninja 300 is powered by a parallel-twin, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, 296cc engine which develops close to 39bhp at 11,000rpm. The Ninja 300, hence, gets a power boost of around 7bhp over the Ninja 250cc, which will be now be replaced by the 300 in India. Available in green and white colour options, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 will be sold in India through Bajaj Auto’s network of over 70 Probiking showrooms.

While the CKD kits of the Kawasaki Ninja bikes are imported from Thailand, these are currently assembled in India at Bajaj’s facility in Pune. “The focus on India is gaining prominence as the headlamps, tail-lamps, instrument panels and switches are currently sourced from India for Kawasaki’s Ninja series. To add, the suspensions for these bikes are also being readied as per the requirements. Going forward, Kawasaki plans to source more components from India for its Ninja bikes sold globally,” revealed Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, Bajaj Auto.

In 2012-13, the company sold around 500-1,000 Ninja bikes in India. The number could have been higher but for supply shortages, said a company official.

AMIT PANDAY