Suzuki eyes gains in premium bike market, launches hot GSX-S750 at Rs 745,000  

Suzuki Motorcycle India today introduced its aggressively styled naked street bike – the Suzuki GSX-S750 – priced at Rs 745,000 ex-showroom, New Delhi. The motorcycle will be assembled from CKD kits at the company’s plant in Gurgaon, in Haryana.

The most attractive design trait on the new motorcycle is the chiselled fuel tank, which gives it a dominating presence. The bodywork also includes a vented front fender, moulded mirrors, and an angular tail-section with integrated LED tail-lights. The front also includes an LCD digital speedometer console, which offers adjustment options for its brightness.

The GSX-S750 comes powered by a 749cc, four-cylinder, fuel-injected motor, which develops 112bhp of power at 10,500rpm and 81Nm of peak torque at 9,000rpm. The motorcycle boasts KYB-sourced inverted forks at the front and Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S21 tyres.  

In terms of the safety equipment, the GSX offers a three-mode traction control system, as well as gets a compact ABS system developed by Nissin.

According to Satoshi Uchida, managing director, Suzuki Motorcycle India, “We had made a commitment to launch several new and premium products every year for the Indian-market. The GSX-S750 is not just the first new offering from Suzuki for the new financial year, but is also our first product in the sub-1,000cc big-bike segment. As our second CKD model in India, we are confident that the GSX-S750 will further strengthen the ‘GSX’ brand, which is Suzuki’s DNA in motorcycles.”

Sajeev Rajasekharan, executive vice-president, Suzuki Motorcycle India added, “The GSX-S750 has been designed to dominate, be it with its aggressive styling, comfortable ergonomics or the powerful engine. Every aspect of this street-fighter will enthral the biking enthusiasts in India”

Suzuki now focused on premium motorcycles
Suzuki Motorcycle India registered total sales of 501,203 units in FY2017-18, posting handsome growth of 42.99 percent, most of which came on the back of strong sales of its Access and Swish scooters. The scooters went on to cumulatively sell 421,539 units in the fiscal, growing a substantial 50.1 percent (FY2017: 280,783).

While the strong scooter sales made the company enhance its scooter market share from 5.01 percent a year ago to 6.27 percent by the end of March 2018, its motorcycles, however, remained comparatively on the slower side, going home to 79,664 buyers (FY2017: 69,736 / +14.23%), and barely managing to keep afloat amidst aggressive competition with a mere 0.63 percent market share of the rather voluminous motorcycle category, which saw overall industry sales of an eye-popping 12,613,241 units (FY2017: 11,094,547 / +13.69%).

Over the past few years, the company has seen a sizeable de-growth in the contribution of the sub-150cc segment motorcycles in its total sales, with the products declining from contributing 54 percent (FY2015-16) of the sales to 50 percent (FY2016-17) and now plummeting to a dismal 15 percent (FY2017-18). On the other hand, its scooters have been consistently rising from contributing 46 percent (FY2015-16) in total sales to 50 percent (FY2016-17) and soaring to over 84 percent (FY2017-18).

Having only a single commuter offering in the form of the 110cc Hayate, and gauging the gradual shift of the Indian two-wheeler segment towards premium motorcycles, the company was quick to identify and determine its future roadmap last year, which now stands as being that of focusing only on premium products above the 150cc category. While it plays in the 150cc and above segment with the Gixxer and the Intruder offerings, Suzuki Motorcycle India is now resolute to introduce two new products in the premium motorcycle category every year, with an aim to take its motorcycle sales to 200,000 units by FY2019-20.

With the GSX-S750 introduced today, the company has expanded its portfolio of premium sports motorcycles on offer in the country, which includes the Suzuki GSX-S1000F, GSX-R1000, GSX-R1000R, V-Strom 1000 and the much popular Hayabusa in the over 1,000cc motorcycle space.

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