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Yamaha Adds The FZ25 To Its Stable In India

Yamaha looks to take on the Bajaj Pulsar 200 with its latest offering.

Yamaha Motor Co. motorcycles are displayed in a showroom in New Delhi. (Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg)
Yamaha Motor Co. motorcycles are displayed in a showroom in New Delhi. (Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg)

Yamaha Motor India launched its FZ25 motorcycle, priced at Rs 1.19 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, in yet another attempt at increasing its market share in the country.

The FZ25, has a two-stroke, 249cc engine, but with out the option of an anti-locking braking system, a feature that’s increasingly getting popular, amongst two-wheelers with higher engine displacement. A company official maintained that a four-stroke motor was considered but later ruled out, keeping the price point in mind, which makes it the most affordable 250cc motorbike in India right now.

The motorcycle gets a fuel-injected engine, which churns out a peak power of 20.9 PS and 20 Nm of torque. The primary target audience are affluent enthusiasts residing in metropolitan cities in the 20 to 30 age bracket.

Over the past few years, India has seen a consistent rise in sales of motorcycles with a higher engine displacement, a visible shift from the mainstay 100cc motorcycles, and Yamaha, like others, plans to cash in on the trend.

The FZ25 also marks Yamaha Motor’s entry into the 250cc segment, and fills a gap in the company’s range of motorcycles, considering its R15 and YZF-R3 models play in the higher and lower displacement bands, respectively.

Competition

Given the motorcycle's pricing, it will compete against Bajaj Auto Ltd.'s Pulsar RS 200, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India’s CBR 150 R, and also KTM’s Duke 200 products.

Yamaha hopes to sell 4,000-5,000 units of the FZ25 per month. The annual target for the entire range of two-wheelers has been set at 10 lakh units, said Roy Kurian, Vice-President-Marketing and Sales of Yamaha Motor India.

The manufacturer is presently working on improving its outreach in terms of dealer outlets across the country, said Kurian, adding that he expects scooters to aid Yamaha Motor’s despatches in the rural pockets of the country.