Yamaha eyes scooter market: CNBC
21 Sep 2006
Are scooters about to make a comeback? Possibly, if manufacturers' plans are anything to go by. And Yamaha, which is struggling to revive its image in the motorcycle market, sees a future for its scooters in India.
"Definitely. The scooter market is on. It's a history of the motorcycle industry. Finally they built easy ones, that's automatic. Today scooters may be for women, but it's going to grow," said Tomotaka Ishikawa, CEO and MD, Yamaha Motor India.
It will be about four years before Yamaha cashes in on that growth. By then Suzuki would also have introduced its scooters. Scooters comprise 12 per cent of the two-wheeler industry.
The segment grew 4 per cent between April and August while motorcycles grew 17 per cent. Annual scooter sales stand at about nine lakh units now and some manufacturers see 50 per cent to 60 per cent growth in three to five years. Sounds like a big comeback.
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