Bajaj Auto To Ramp Up Triumph 400s Production As Over 10,000 Bookings Received

Bajaj Auto Ltd. has decided to ramp up production of the Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X to cater to the "overwhelming response" the motorcycles have garnered within days of launch.

Bookings for the first single-cylinder motorcycles by Triumph Motorcycles UK Ltd. since the British marque's revival in the 1990s have crossed the 10,000 mark since they were unveiled in London on June 27, according to a company statement on Saturday. The motorcycles were launched in India on July 5.

"A pre-order of 10,000 bikes within such a short span is unprecedented and a testament to the unwavering faith that riders have placed in Bajaj Auto and Triumph Motorcycles," Rakesh Sharma, executive director at Bajaj Auto, said in the statement. "We are committed to our promise of manufacturing motorcycles that captivate riders with their performance, design, and technology."

To be sure, Bajaj-Triumph had announced an inaugural price of Rs 2.23 lakh, ex-showroom, for the first 10,000 customers of the Speed 400. That motorcycle, otherwise, is priced at Rs 2.33 lakh, ex-showroom, and will arrive at dealerships later in July. Prices for the Scrambler 400X, which will be available only by October, are yet to be announced.

The motorcycles will be produced at Bajaj Auto's new Chakan plant, which has an installed manufacturing capacity of 25,000 units per month. At first, only 5,000 units of the Triumph 400s will be produced every month, but that can be scaled up as demand intensifies, Rajiv Bajaj, managing director at Bajaj Auto, said at the launch in Pune on Wednesday.

Bajaj Auto and Triumph also plan to commence exports of the 400-cc singles to the UK, Southeast Asia, and Japan by the end of 2023. 

"The Indian market is the biggest motorcycle market, and we have a significant presence selling about 1,000 bikes (per month) in India," Nick Bloor, chief executive at Triumph Motorcycles, said at the launch event. "The brand has a completely different customer base in India. The bikes will be built in India. We have facilities in Thailand and Brazil, which will also be used to build the bikes."

Bajaj Auto will set up 100 new Triumph showrooms over the next six months to retail these 400-cc motorcycles alongside the British marque's full line-up. At present, the brand has only 15 showrooms in India.

"We will be taking the dealerships of Triumph in a systematic way. Some dealerships will sell only 400, others only CKD, and there is a third type of dealership that will offer the entire Triumph range," Rakesh Sharma, executive director at Bajaj Auto, said on the sidelines of the event. "We are being selective about it, as we do not want to over-distribute and then you chop the business opportunity."