Two-wheeler manufacturing giant Yamaha said on April 9, 2013 that it is working on rolling out a motorcycle which will be priced around $500 for the global market. The bikes will be manufactured in India. After setting up its fifth global research and development centre in the country, the bike manufacturer is now setting its sights on wider horizons.
Yamaha has claimed that its new offering will be the world’s cheapest bike. With the recent development, the company will become a global hub for manufacturing low-cost bikes, which will be exported to other countries in Africa and Latin America. Yamaha’s new entity Yamaha Motor Research and Development India Pvt Ltd, was established at Surajpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in the month of February 2013.
The company has already started working on developing the product, which will first be launched in the Indian market. Yamaha is trying hard to enhance its position in the Indian market and will launch a new scooter model each year right up to 2016, apart from setting up the second research and development centre by the year 2015, at its upcoming facility in Chennai.
Toshikazu Kobayashi, the MD of Yamaha said that their objective was to develop the lowest cost bike model in the world and the lowest cost parts as well. This will enable even people with meagre incomes to own a motorcycle.
