Team-BHP > Motorbikes > Superbikes & Imports


Reply
  Search this Thread
47,955 views
Old 27th April 2018, 09:50   #1
Senior - BHPian
 
TusharK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Pune
Posts: 6,181
Thanked: 55,011 Times
Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

According to a media report, Kawasaki is planning to start local assembly of the ZX-10R superbike. The bike will be imported as a semi-knocked down unit (SKD) and assembled at Kawasaki's Chakan plant near Pune.

Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs-16zx10r_styling02_op_r.jpg

Currently, the Kawasaki ZX-10R is imported as a completely built unit (CBU) and is priced at Rs. 18.80 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). SKD production is expected to bring down the price of the bike.

The ZX-10R is based around a twin spar cast aluminium chassis featuring 43 mm upside down forks in the front and a monoshock in the rear. It is powered by a 998 cc, in-line 4-cylinder engine that delivers a peak output of 207 BHP @ 13,000 rpm thanks to a RAM air intake system and 113.5 Nm of torque @ 11,500 rpm. Braking duties are handled by twin 330 mm semi-floating discs with dual radial 4-piston calipers in the front and a single 220 mm disc in the rear.

The Kawasaki ZX-10R competes with the Yamaha R1, Honda CBR1000RR and the likes.

Source: Autocar India

Link to Team-BHP News
TusharK is offline   (7) Thanks
Old 27th April 2018, 11:23   #2
Team-BHP Support
 
CrAzY dRiVeR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Bangalore / TVM
Posts: 17,129
Thanked: 73,299 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

The first proper litre class superbike to be assembled in India. Welcome.

Ninja 1000 has been a big success story for Kawasaki, especially so due to the pricing strategy. They can repeat the same story with the ZX10R if the CKD pricing comes in effect. Here are the current prices for reference -

Ninja ZX 10R - 18,80,000
Ninja ZX10 RR - 21,90,000

With the new price of around 14L as expected, the onroad price could turn out to just a little more than half that of some popular European competition.

PS - And the same company does pricing blunders in the opposite end of the market. Ninja 400, Versys X300 being prime examples.
CrAzY dRiVeR is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 27th April 2018, 12:52   #3
Distinguished - BHPian
 
neil.jericho's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Cochin
Posts: 3,796
Thanked: 19,202 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Excellent news and soon enough Kawasaki wont have enough 10R bikes to deliver across their showrooms. For reference, the 2017 ZX10R is currently being sold at an ex showroom price of Rs 16,65,000 and the Honda Fireblade is being sold at an ex showroom price of Rs 17,64,261. The Blade is widely reported as being the cheapest litre class bike on sale in India but unfortunately Honda hasnt invested in a single test ride bike. With an ex showroom pricing of Rs 14 L for the 10R, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha will be forced to at least have one test ride bike that can be moved between showrooms. In the end, its us customers who benefit.
neil.jericho is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 27th April 2018, 13:31   #4
Team-BHP Support
 
CrAzY dRiVeR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Bangalore / TVM
Posts: 17,129
Thanked: 73,299 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by neil.jericho View Post
With an ex showroom pricing of Rs 14 L for the 10R, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha will be forced to at least have one test ride bike that can be moved between showrooms. In the end, its us customers who benefit.
One good part about Kawasaki, though even they might not have all the test ride bikes in all of their dealerships. Bangalore has one which they use for their Cochin dealership too, I believe. Surpisingly, don't think even the common Busa is available for test rides in Bangalore.

Was lucky to get a chance to test ride the 10R last year, though not a proper ride as I was clearly overwhelmed by the first litre class experience. Wife dragged a nervous me to the TD instead of me dragging her as usual - she fell that much for the looks of this machine.

Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs-img_20171105_112710.jpg

Someday perhaps, though only if i can afford to maintain multiple bikes by then. Can't live with one as the only big bike in Indian conditions.

Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 27th April 2018 at 13:33.
CrAzY dRiVeR is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 27th April 2018, 14:31   #5
BHPian
 
AbhisheKulkarni's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Pune
Posts: 156
Thanked: 311 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Kawasaki's sales numbers of following CBU models for the month of March look like this:

Z900: 48
N1000: 40
ZX-10R: 0

Considering that Kawasaki is experiencing success with the Z900 and the N1000, would it not make more sense for them to produce them as CKD rather than the ZX-10R which is not exactly setting the sales charts on fire?

One of the reasons could be that the Suzuki-Hayabusa being CKD is priced much lower than the ZX-10R, but I really wonder if people buy the Hayabusa because of it's (affordable?) price. Also, are people going to buy a 200+ bhp bike just because it now costs ~14 lacs and is 'within-the-budget'?

I'm not sure I see the strategy in this move. The ZX-10R is kind of a halo product (besides the Ninja H2 of-course) and should remain just so.

Buying such a powerful machine is about being able to handle/ride one and not about it's price.

Last edited by AbhisheKulkarni : 27th April 2018 at 14:35.
AbhisheKulkarni is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 27th April 2018, 14:38   #6
Team-BHP Support
 
CrAzY dRiVeR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Bangalore / TVM
Posts: 17,129
Thanked: 73,299 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by AbhisheKulkarni View Post

Z900: 48
N1000: 40
ZX-10R: 0

would it not make more sense to produce them as CKD rather than the ZX-10R
Ninja 1000 is already a CKD.
Z900 is a CBU via Thailand, and is almost as cheap as a CKD with the trade agreements.

One bike i would have loved to see as a CKD though is the Z900RS. Sigh!

Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 27th April 2018 at 14:40.
CrAzY dRiVeR is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 27th April 2018, 14:46   #7
BHPian
 
AbhisheKulkarni's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Pune
Posts: 156
Thanked: 311 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
Z900 is a CBU via Thailand, and is almost as cheap as a CKD with the trade agreements.
The road tax for a CBU proves to be very expensive in MH, even though the ex-showroom may be reasonable.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
One bike i would have loved to see as a CKD though is the Z900RS. Sigh!
So, this would make the ZX-10R less expensive than the Z900RS!
AbhisheKulkarni is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 28th April 2018, 15:14   #8
BHPian
 
Turbo Head's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 322
Thanked: 215 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by AbhisheKulkarni View Post
Kawasaki's sales numbers of following CBU models for the month of March look like this:

Z900: 48
N1000: 40
ZX-10R: 0

Considering that Kawasaki is experiencing success with the Z900 and the N1000, would it not make more sense for them to produce them as CKD rather than the ZX-10R which is not exactly setting the sales charts on fire?

One of the reasons could be that the Suzuki-Hayabusa being CKD is priced much lower than the ZX-10R, but I really wonder if people buy the Hayabusa because of it's (affordable?) price. Also, are people going to buy a 200+ bhp bike just because it now costs ~14 lacs and is 'within-the-budget'?

I'm not sure I see the strategy in this move. The ZX-10R is kind of a halo product (besides the Ninja H2 of-course) and should remain just so.

Buying such a powerful machine is about being able to handle/ride one and not about it's price.
Reason for Zero sales for ZX10R is because they sold off the entire inventory on discount, I was myself haggling to get one (post discount), however nothing was available anywhere.

As for Hayabusa, it remains at numero uno spot, being a cult of superbikes, an eye candy for everyone who inspire to buy a superbike, the dhoom effect
Turbo Head is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 30th April 2018, 12:38   #9
Senior - BHPian
 
quickdraw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 1,284
Thanked: 2,691 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

This is fantastic news, hope market responds positively to this move and we start seeing sub 10 lakh Race Replicas (not talking about litres specifically). There is a huge gap to be filled for track nuts and the cheapest option they have is Daytona which is just a few lakh shy of the litres so people end up buying the bigger one because why-a-not.

Make no mistake though, these bikes are not meant for Indian streets, they have an obscene amount of power and under the most capable and calm minded rider it's still a huge risk to ride these things on the road, their geometry is designed for optimal road surface and traction. I would love to see more people riding on the track and more motorsports thanks to the reduced pricing, but likely most of them will be ridden on the road or will grace garages like my bike.
quickdraw is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 1st May 2018, 12:04   #10
BHPian
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: KL-7/ KL-8
Posts: 362
Thanked: 712 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

It is indeed great to see the manufacturers bringing these iconic bikes to India and pricing it well. People do have the money to get these bikes, it is the roads and traffic that lets it down. These bikes are not meant to be driven on normal Indian roads. What they need are track days. It is on the track that these will come to life and one will be able to experience the power, agility, handling and truly enjoy the bike.

Having said that I am sure a fair number of purchases of these bikes will be for the sheer feeling of riding a litre class bike and of course the show factor and snob value.

Hey ho!, whatever does it for people. It seems to be raining high end bikes in India and I suppose that is a good thing for enthusiast to be spoilt for choice.

Cheerio!
alphadog is offline  
Old 1st May 2018, 18:48   #11
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Red Liner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 5,209
Thanked: 18,031 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

This news is no longer a rumour. I personally met a senior executive at kawasaki india who confirmed this news and also hopes that pricing will now be under 14 lakhs.
Red Liner is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 1st May 2018, 19:02   #12
Team-BHP Support
 
CrAzY dRiVeR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Bangalore / TVM
Posts: 17,129
Thanked: 73,299 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Liner View Post
This news is no longer a rumour. I personally met a senior executive at kawasaki india who confirmed this news and also hopes that pricing will now be under 14 lakhs.
Great news.

A rough trend seems to be one launch per month from Kawasaki - as per their recent show. A new variant of the Vulcan is announced for May, so hope the updated 10R might hit the market sometime in June.
CrAzY dRiVeR is offline  
Old 3rd May 2018, 14:49   #13
BHPian
 
narula123's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Mumbai / D.dun
Posts: 543
Thanked: 1,112 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Wondering if I should crib about the price cut (considering it will also affect my resale value of CBU down the line) and the fact that I paid much more for the CBU bike OR should I feel happy that now being CKD spares will become cheaper and better available for the bike.

Mixed feelings but somewhere I feel discontent about the fact that I paid much more for my bike :P
narula123 is offline  
Old 3rd May 2018, 15:31   #14
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: mumbai
Posts: 2,232
Thanked: 720 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by narula123 View Post
Wondering if I should crib about the price cut (considering it will also affect my resale value of CBU down the line) and the fact that I paid much more for the CBU bike OR should I feel happy that now being CKD spares will become cheaper and better available for the bike.

Mixed feelings but somewhere I feel discontent about the fact that I paid much more for my bike :P
I don't think spares will be cheaper. The tax reduction will be on the final product due to taxation difference between CBU and CKD. The spares were imported earlier and that will continue. I don't see any significant parts being manufactured locally.

Regarding the price drop, lets say you enjoyed the exclusivity while it was priced premium. There are not too many ZX10Rs in India even from the previous generations.
dipen is offline  
Old 4th May 2018, 10:29   #15
BHPian
 
narula123's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Mumbai / D.dun
Posts: 543
Thanked: 1,112 Times
re: Kawasaki ZX-10R to be locally assembled. EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.80 lakhs

Quote:
Originally Posted by dipen View Post
I don't think spares will be cheaper. The tax reduction will be on the final product due to taxation difference between CBU and CKD. The spares were imported earlier and that will continue. I don't see any significant parts being manufactured locally.
.
The assumption was that now with lower price the bike volumes will go up which will ensure greater scale of parts availability. They may/may not pass the benefit of increased scale and consequently lower overhead costs to the end consumer. I doubt any parts will be manufactured locally.
narula123 is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks