Suzuki looking at India as a two-wheeler export hub

Kolkata, May 15 (IANS) Japanese two-wheeler major Suzuki Motor Corporation Tuesday said it is looking at the possibility of making India an export hub.

"We have recently started exports (of two-wheelers) from India to Nepal and Columbia...we will definitely take it forward," Anu Anamika, Suzuki Motorcycle India national head (Marketing), told reporters here.

Suzuki Motorcycle India is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation.

"We have started in a small way end of last year to export products to Nepal and Columbia, and possibly we will add on more countries to take it forward. There can be a possibility of looking India as a hub for two-wheeler export," she said.

Anamika declined to divulge any details. "The plan is not detailed out as of now."

She was in the city to launch 'Hayate', the company's first motorcycle in the mass segment.

The company, which has an objective to have a product in possibly every target segment in the Indian two-wheeler market by end of fiscal year 2014-15, is planning to add two more models into its current product portfolio of five.

"We are looking at taking this portfolio to maybe seven by 2014," she said.

Suzuki, which stated its operation in India in 2006, has two 125 cc scooters - Access and Swish.

Asked whether the company will have more products in the mass segment, she said: "It will depend on how things go. As of now we have one product in the category and we are looking at 10,000 per month numbers at the starting. As we move on we need to launch more...we are looking at this segment seriously."

The mass segment is 62 percent of India's two-wheeler market.

Currently, the company enjoys 22 percent market share in scooters segment and 2 percent in the motorbike segment. It is eyeing 8 percent and 10 percent cumulative market share by 2014 and 2015.