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Yamaha’s setting its sights on a stronger 125cc and 150cc lineup for the Indian market

If the Tuning Fork’s going to double down on its 150cc lineup in India, could this mean even better motorcycles for the Philippines?

Earl Lee Earl Lee on Mar 14, 2022
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Good news for the South Asian country of India, as a report from Gaadi Waadi states that Yamaha may be looking to get more serious about its 125cc and 150cc offerings in that part of the world. 

Just how significant is this for us? India has the largest motorcycle industry in the world not just in volume, but also in the number of brands that have set up shop there or have manufacturing facilities or agreements therein. Brands like KTM, BMW, and eventually Triumph among others have all set up or are looking to set up shop in the country due to the sheer size of the motorcycling population, and the booming manufacturing industry for two-wheelers. Yamaha could build an even stronger lineup of motorcycles for this market, which could potentially strengthen the rest of the 125cc and 150cc offerings from the Tuning Fork brand for the rest of the world. 

According to Yamaha Motor India Group’s Chairman, Eishin Chihana in an interaction with Gaadi Waadi, Yamaha plans to “target urban and semi-urban customers and mitigate the production impact caused by the chip shortage." 

“We are taking countermeasures, and purchasing semiconductors at higher prices to support our dealers. We intend to at least double our market share by 2025.”
Eishin Chihana
Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group

As it stands, Yamaha has a 3.6 percent market share in India, having sold 522,000 units last year (2021).  

Moving forward, Yamaha India will focus on building up its 125cc and 150cc portfolio in the scooter segment. Strong offerings in the global lineup like the NMAX 155 could be made available in the Indian market, as well as the Yamaha XSR 155. If you want to know just how hot the XSR 155 could potentially be in India, look no further than our Beyond the Ride review of the neo-retro motorcycle on our YouTube channel. Analytics indicate that a good chunk of the viewers hail from India, and there is indeed interest for a stronger lineup of small-displacement motorcycles in that part of the world. 

On top of this development, the report also indicates that Yamaha will be conducting a feasibility study to introduce an electric motorcycle to the lineup. A decision on this could be made quite soon. 

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