Due to a successful Year on Year growth, Kawasaki is planning on making the Ninja 300 even more affordable. The bike registered 613 % of YoY sales growth in India due to localisation. The bike has surpassed the expected sales figure and as a result, it is being considered for a price reduction by the company. This year Ninja 300 received a huge price upgrade. The 2018 version was equipped with ABS and a slipper clutch as standard equipment. Despite the additional equipment, the new Ninja 300 had a price tag of Rs. 2.99 lakh ex-showroom. It was Rs. 40,000 less from the original ex-showroom price. As a result, the bike started registering increased sales figures and once again became popular among the fans.
The Kawasaki Ninja 300 isn’t the only bike from Kawasaki to achieve huge popularity. The Ninja ZX-10R also became surprisingly popular, a few months ago. The bike’s ex-showroom price was brought down to Rs. 12.80 lakhs, making it extremely desirable. The updated price tag resulted in massive sales for the bike and it was sold out in a matter of weeks. Ninja 1000, another big capacity motorcycle from Kawasaki, enjoyed the same popularity recently. The bike sold 49 units, which is amazing for a 1000cc motorcycle that costs Rs. 10 lakh ex-showroom.
All of the above was made possible by promoting localisation. Kawasaki has some really great products like the ZX-6R and the Versys X 300, but the former isn’t available in India and the latter is brought in via CKD. As a result, the 'market changing potential' of these products remain unused. The new Ninja 400, is another great example. It is an awesome bike which can very easily fill the gap between 300-600cc segment, but it is held down by import taxes and duties.
Kawasaki, of all people, should localise production. They can start from smaller bikes like Ninja 400 and Versys X 300 and go all the up to ZX-14R. We are pretty sure that after doing this, the capabilities of the Indian market can surprise them.
By: Yetnesh Dubey