Few months ago we reported about Yamaha’s low cost motorcycle called “Project Indra (Innovative and new development based on responsible analysis) that is being developed specifically for the Indian market. With a price tag of Rs 30,000, this new bike is being co-developed by Yamaha Motors’ India and Japan R&D teams.
This new affordable bike will be manufactured at Yamaha's new 180-acre facility in Chennai, which will be commissioned in the coming months. It will have 60 acres allotted to eight Japanese vendors who are part of Project Indra. These include Kayaba for suspension, Sakura for job systems and other suppliers for casting and alloy wheels. Injection moulding and painting, likewise, will have dedicated suppliers. This supply chain will play a big role in reducing costs substantially unlike Yamaha’s northIndia plant which sources parts from a host of locations. All this goes into the material costs which will be practically eliminated in Chennai.
Yamaha has confirmed that half of the bikes manufactured in India will be exported to Africa, which is home to low-cost affordable two-wheelers. This new bike from Yamaha is expected to make its way to the Indian market in 2016-2017. Currently the cheapest Yamaha bike is the Crux which is being sold since many years now. Once launched, the new Yamaha bike will compete with the Hero HF Dawn.
