Triumph sees ‘sweet spot’ in the Rs 3-5 lakh price bracket

Triumph, the 102-year old British two-wheeler brand, sees a sweet spot in the Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000  band in the Indian superbike market. There could be a Triumph offering in this bracket in the future, even though the company is not looking at it “as of now”. A 250cc model, which is expected to make a global debut in 2015-16, could fall in this category.

According to Vimal Sumbly, MD, Triumph Motorcycles India, “There is genuinely nothing (in that segment) except for Harley Davidson’s Rs 400,000 product (Street 750). So there is a sweet spot. It exists today also and I’m sure in future also it will exist.”

What Triumph is looking at currently is to rapidly build its customer base by rapidly expanding its sales network. With the Mumbai showroom, which was inaugurated on May 3, the number of dealerships has now gone up to six.

The company plans to add another three by June. By then Sumbly expects 500 customers to come into the Triumph fold. That is 150 more than what it is today.

Sumbly says his goal is to make Triumph the bestselling brand in the superbike business. That’s ambitious as there are some strong competitors eyeing that position currently held by Harley Davidson. But he feels Triumph’s heritage and brand equity will help. “We are competing with Harley on one side, Ducatis, and Kawasakis and KTMs and Royal Enfield from the other end. We would like to wear a premium brand,” he says.

The superbike/luxury bike market in India has seen a significant growth from 450 units in 2009-10 to around 3,000 motorcycles a year. Triumph expects it to touch 10,000 units in the next 3-5 years. Triumph, which is six months old in India, expects to reach annual sales of 2000 motorcycles by 2017. By then, it may add to its portfolio of 11 models (7 of them assembled in its Manesar plant).

Triumph also owns a plot of land in Narsapur (Karnataka), which could be built as a full fledged production and export base.