Finally after nine months of dancing with each other around the negotiations table, Germany’s BMW Motorrad and India’s TVS (one of the country’s largest motorcycle manufacturers) have inked an agreement that will see the companies develop sub-500cc motorcycles together.
The announcement is another move that sees Western brands collaborating with Indian companies to develop models suited for India and other developing nations that have high riding populations.
Decisively light in the loafers when it comes to small-displacement motorcycles, the move is a boon for BMW Motorrad, which just recently saw rival KTM surpass it in total volume of sales — a move that was spurred largely by the Austrian company’s partnership with Bajaj and their joint work on the small-displacement Duke series.
Like the KTM/Bajaj collaboration, BMW and TVS say that they will leverage the strengths of both companies to build the sub-500cc machines, which will then be sold under both brands throughout the various global markets. We read this to mean that TVS will sell the bikes within India and Asia as a whole, while BMW will likely make the models available in Europe and North America.
“In view of changing motorcycle markets, demographic developments and increasing environmental demands we are expanding our product range so as to tap into fresh growth potential. We have a highly expert and experienced partner in the TVS Motor Company,” said Stephan Schaller, President BMW Motorrad.
“This means that in future we will be able to offer vehicles in smaller capacity classes in addition to the BMW Motorrad core segments,” he continued. “Various types of motorcycle are conceivable. They will meet the expectations of a BMW motorcycle in terms of riding fun as well as setting a new benchmark when it comes to stability, agility and performance figures. I regard this long-term cooperation as an important step along the road to profitable, sustainable growth.”
“With BMW Motorrad, we see an ideal long-term strategic partner who shares our core values: focus on quality, engineering prowess, innovation and customer satisfaction,” added Venu Srinivasan, Chairman TVS Motor Company. “We intend to leverage each other’s strengths to deliver a new series of products offering cutting edge technology for our customers.”
Already a top-seller of large-displacement machines, BMW’s partnership with TVS is a venerable sea change for the German company, which could now rival brands like Honda and Yamaha for outright domination in the global motorcycle market. Seeing what KTM has been able to do with its 125cc, 200cc, and 350cc Duke motorcycles, we are excited to see what zie Germans can bring to the table.
Source: BMW Group
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