Polaris, Harley-Davidson make news in India
Polaris India and Harley-Davidson have both been in the headlines in India as the 2012 Auto Expo wraps up.
Polaris on Friday released its Sportsman 90 and Ranger RZR in India. The two will join the range of ATVs, side-by-sides and snowmobiles Polaris sells in the country, according to The Hindu.
“There is a great potential in the under-18 [age] category and that is the reason we have introduced these vehicles today. We are exporting these vehicles as completely built up units from the U.S.,” Polaris India managing director Pankaj Dubey told reporters at the Auto Expo.
Polaris’ India subsidiary launched its first units in the country about four months ago. It has 10 dealers and looks to add about 15 more by the end of this year. Polaris India plans to create a turnover of $100 million by 2016, Dubey said.
Polaris also created buzz at the Auto Expo by introducing its first Victory in the country. A Vision model appeared at the ZigWheels booth, according to a report from ZigWheels.com. Polaris has announced it’s bringing the Victory line to India, but has not indicated which models will be delivered there.
Harley-Davidson India was also recently in the headlines in India, as a company official told Firstpost that it plans to add three dealerships in smaller towns in the country to grow the Harley culture.
“There is a latent demand for our bikes in smaller towns across India apart from metros. So we will be going there,” Harley-Davidson India director-marketing Sanjay Tripathi said.
Harley currently has seven dealerships in India. It plans to add one in the town of Kolkata in the first quarter of 2012, and one each in Jaipur and Kochi by the fourth quarter.
Harley-Davidson India assembles five models at its plant in India, and it imports another 10 models. Since formally entering India in July 2010, Harley-Davidson has sold more than 1,000 bikes in the country, Tripathi told Firstpost. Its India venture is part of Harley-Davidson’s goal to have 40 percent of its sales come from outside the U.S. by 2014; Tripathi said Harley has reached about 37.5 percent in outer-U.S. sales so far.
To read the full story about Harley-Davidson India, click here.
