SOON YOURS FOR 2 LAKHS… KAWASAKI NINJA 250R
Yes you have read it correct. If words from Bajaj officials are anything to go by, you will soon be riding one of these machines for 2 Lakhs or thereabouts. Some of you might say 2 lakhs… isnt it too much? No sir, you would be horribly wrong if you think so. With the present duty structure, this bike if imported, would cost anywhere between 3.5 - 4 lakh rupees. So how, you would ask Bajaj would manage to sell it at 2 lakhs? The answer is CKD (Completely Knocked Down kit).
For more on CKD you can go through here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_knock_down
In a nutshell, it means that some parts would be made locally while major components like engine and gearbox would be imported.
Bringing a product via the CKD route attracts the least duty, close 30-40 percent, but it also means that an assembly line is needed and some parts would also have to be sourced locally.
Conversly, the Yamaha R1 is being brought into India as a CBU and hence more than 100% duty and therefore a product which costs around 5 lakhs in US, costs 10.5 lakhs by the time its here.
In a first again for the 2 wheeler market in India, Bajaj will import the Ninja 250R as CKD to avoid high import duties and hence would be able to price the bike at a very competitive 2 lakh rupees. This move yet again shows the commitment Bajaj has towards the Indian 2 wheeler market and how it wants to give the customer the best possible product at most competitive prices. We just hope that other companies also follow suit.
Infact we had such an announcement from Suzuki. We will post once we have further updates on this.
Kawasaki Ninja 250R at the Delhi Auto Expo:
Tell us what do you think of this move by Bajaj.
23 People have left comments on this post
thats a good move but it isnt a first.
kinetic was the first to bring aquila and comet, both 250cc as CKD and price it well
cmon guys we gotta give credit were its due.
bajaj loves to take false credit and pass off me-too ideas as innovative? copied ideas as novel?
Brian,
I have had first hand experience with the Comet and I must tell you the quality of cycle parts was horrbile with ugly weld marks everywhere. Kawasaki 250 R for around 2 lakhs is an infinitely better deal than Comet which sold at 1.75 lakhs. Firstly the kwacker makes more power around 40 bhp compared to 27 bhp of Comet. Secondly the quality of parts becomes critical when you have a machine which can cross 120 kph easily, which was not the case with Comet.
Also, Kinetic brought the Comet in limited numbers, purely as an image building excercize, while Bajaj doesnt need any of this image building at all. They could have also taken the easy way out by bringing the bike as CBU and pricing it at 3.5 lakhs and believe there are buyers for it even at that price. But they chose not to do it, for they wanted to make it as affordable as they can in the Indian market.
If this isnt commitment then what is?
CC Team.
i greatly appreciate this move by bajaj.. they set benchmarks.. i hope they stop at 220 level and bring these bikes for indians.. this will surely help bajaj’s image..
Just another piece of info. This bike will be imported from Thailand. The FTA with Thailand will greatly reduce the duties. Kawasaki Heavy Industries will be partnering in the import.
Abhay,
Thanks for writing in and providing this vital bit of information.
We will update as soon as we get any other information.
CC Team
I think Bajaj should keep the price below 1.8 Lakhs. This price surely attract more customers to bajaj… People here in india will surely say no to bike if they see 2lakh or near 2lakh figures.
1.8 will be a good price for the bike… i know Bajaj people can do it.
Its really a great move by Bajaj I really appreciate that as in when there are gr8 cars coming in then why can’t the bikes. But I hope they maintain the same look and feel of the bike and donot modify as what Yamaha did with the gladiator or else it will be a great disappointment for the bike lovers.
its a good bike..but the price should be around 1.5 lakh.not mre than that..otherwise no one will buy mre than that..u can check comet??being such a good bike then also it was not a sucess…i think it shld not increase mre than 1.5 lakh.
Please check your facts before YOU post them misleading the public.
The Yamaha R1 does not cost 5 lakhs in the U.S. and there no 100% duty.
The government recently exempted duty from bikes that were above 800cc thats why Yamaha brought the R1 to India. The cost of the bike is around 9 lakhs. Road tax + Insurance and other stuff totals 11 lakhs.
Also the Kawasaki Ninja is available for 3.2 lakhs right now but no official figure has been quoted as 2 lakhs.
Also the Comet was a wonderful bike and certainly did its job of a steetfighter well.
The kawasaki Ninja we are getting is the detuned 27 b.h.p. easily taken care of with a Yoshimura exhaust and Power commander kit already available for it.
@Pratap…. I would appreciate you do a little through over before you shoot off one of these messages to us.
Yamaha R1 costs close to 12000$ + in US which if converted into Indian currency @ a conversion rate of 40 Rs/$ will amout to 5 lakh rupees. Yamaha R1 is priced at 10.5 lakhs Ex-Showroom in India and not 9 lakh as you say.
3.2 lakhs will be the cost if its brought into India as a CBU and the article above clearly explains whats the difference b/w a CBU and CKD and how if effects the import duties.
Bajaj will be able to price Ninja competitively because they will import the bike as a CKD resulting in much lower duties.
Comet was a good bike but the quality of cycle parts was poor considering the price tag. The quality is not even close to any of the Japanese 250cc’s. Just one look at the welding joints and the golden finish on the upside down forks was enough to tell me a hell lot abt the quality of parts used in the bike. It was poor.
waiting for The Yamaha R15… Ninja is good but Still the Yamaha has Some distinct appeal for it’s bike….
Excuse me all the people;)……… is it gonna be launched in jammu and kashmir
Thank you for your kind reply, I should have read through the entire article before I posted.
My apologies for being rash and immature.
P.S.: I cannot wait for the ninja myself. It will be bye bye for my karizma if its launched here for around 2 lakhs. This baby ninja has already received rave reviews all over the world and everyone felt that it was quitte pricey.
Thank you for your kind reply, I should have read through the entire article before I posted.
My apologies for being rash and immature.
P.S.: I cannot wait for the ninja myself. It will be bye bye for my karizma if its launched here for around 2 lakhs. This baby ninja has already received rave reviews all over the world and everyone felt that it was quite pricey.
hi bikers..i think the price of ninja 250 R should not cross 1.5 lak..if it does then there wont be much buyers for this bike and it will be a failure for bajaj…so not more than 1.5 lak.
Yes thats a good move by bajaj against yamaha r15,but should truly make it affordable and not give false promises like yamaha .They should not detune too much like yamaha bcz guys they r launching for performance.They should not compromise the power for India and its better if they keep the price tag as low as possible..
Lets face it, this bike will not come any lesser than 1.7 lacs ex-showroom. Its a premium segment bike and Bajaj for sure is not expecting its sales to boost up with this. This bike will be manufactured and delivered in short numbers. May be we can say Bajaj wants to be the 1st one the in the market to have brought a 250cc. And 1.7 lacs for something which might go beyond 3 lacs if brought under CBU is really a great deal. So lets please stop cribbing about the price factor.
What sort of mileage it is giving, yes?
Its a mature beginners’ performance bike. 2L is quite a reasonable price. The R125(Europe etc), a very pretty bike, will cost you 3000 pounds UK(Rs 2.58L at today’s rates) if I remember correctly which would make Rs 2L very reasonable indeed.
I wonder if Bajaj will even be able to turn a profit at those prices. We’ll find out come September, I guess.
P.S. It cant just be a coincidence that my bday is in September, can it? ;”)
Hi!
would like to thank BAJAJ for making its best efforts to bring in KAWASAKI 25OR to the indian market….its really a great news for d bikers with a different taste for QUALITY MACHINES at an affordable price
would like to request bajaj to inform abt the DEBUT date for d bike…as i m really curious to know….please inform abt d BAJAJ STORES wher the bike will be available
THANKING U
pawan negi
(email:negi_pawan22@rediffmail.com)
3 Trackback(s)