ACI brings new Yamaha bikes
The high quality motorbikes—FZS FI V-3.0 and FZ V-3.0—are equipped with additional gears to ensure safety of the bikers while riding fast, said officials of Yamaha and ACI Motors.
ACI Motors launched the vehicles for the Bangladesh market at a programme at Le Meridien Dhaka Hotel in presence of around 800 young bike-lovers on April 28.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Excitement, style and sporty attitude embedded in the DNA of Yamaha have made the brand unique, Motofumi Shitara, chairman of Yamaha Motor India, told The Daily Star.
Young people like to experience agile handling, torque and acceleration in motorcycles that is very well suited to the Yamaha brand, he said.
“However, Yamaha has something for every segment of customers and for every age category.”
Comfort driving has been ensured in the two motorcycles with the help of technology, which made the vehicles different than other models, said FH Ansarey, managing director of ACI Motors.
“We are introducing the latest models along with ensuring the availability of original spare parts and high quality fastest services.”
Pre-booking for the two motorcycles started on April 10 and orders have already been placed for 1,000 units, said Subrata Ranjan Das, executive director of ACI Motors.
“I believe we will be able to hand over the pre-booked bikes—which is called ‘Lord of the streets’—to the owners within a couple of weeks.”
The price of FZS FI V-3.0, which will be available in three colours, is Tk 295,000.
People will have to spend Tk 290,000 to buy an FZ V-3.0, which will be made available in two colours.
Besides, the LED headlight and a muscular body have given an attractive look to both the models, Das said.
Bangladesh is a very good market for motorbikes, which has seen a 26 percent year-on-year rise in sales last year while the growth hit as high as 30 percent for the premium segment, where Yamaha is a strong player, Shitara said.
Ansarey expects the market to increase at same rate for the next eight years.
Yamaha has seen a significant growth in sales since the beginning of its journey with ACI Motors in September 2016, Shitara said.
The sales of Yamaha motorbikes rose 25.76 percent year-on-year to 20,387 units in 2018 and the company expects to post a 20 percent growth in 2019, where 150cc bikes will play the major role, he said.
ACI Motors had tried to build a motorbike riding culture in Bangladesh with the launch of different kinds of activities since its partnership with Yamaha, he said.
The Bangladeshi company organised Dhaka Bike Carnival and Yamaha Riding Fiesta along with its attempt to set a Guinness World Record by forming the largest motorcycle logo.
ACI Motors has already established a Tk 100 crore plant for completely knocked down (CKD) operations with support from Yamaha Motors Company (YMC) and Yamaha Motor India Sales (YMIS), Ansarey said.
The plant for the CKD operations will help customers get their desired Yamaha motorcycle within their price range, Shitara said.
The economy of Bangladesh is growing very fast, which is giving a huge boost to the thriving motorcycle market here, he said.
The friendly policies formed by the government have helped the manufacturers cut motorbike prices, he said.
The number of the two-wheelers will increase with the rising income of the general masses in the future, he said.
Yamaha always tries to attract young people with its attractive design, superior performance and quality, said Ansarey.
He said Yamaha was introducing the best-in-class high tech bikes, which perfectly matches with the demands of the young bikers of the country.
“You will be very happy to know that we have set up a Yamaha motorcycle manufacturing plant in Bangladesh with close supervision from Yamaha Japan and Yamaha India Team.”
This team consists of engineers, designers, quality control and safety experts to ensure that there is no difference in the quality of bikes produced in Bangladesh, Japan and India, he said.
According to Ansarey, the growing economy and the young generation are the main drivers for the soaring market of motorcycles in Bangladesh.
With the rising purchasing power, every youth wants to buy the products, which are the best available ones in the market and can make him different from others, he said.
“Yamaha motorbike makes him different as it enables him to go for a sporty drive but ensures the highest possible safety.”
He said the motorcycle market size reached approximately Tk 4,000 crore in 2018.
Last year, around 4 lakh units of motorcycles were sold and the annual sales figure will cross 15 lakh units by 2025, he said.
“It is happening due to the government policy support which encourages globally renowned bike manufacturers to set up plants individually or jointly with the local investors.”
ACI Motors is hopeful to bring locally assembled bikes to the market by next July, he said.
Last year, Bangladesh has been one of the economies with the highest growth in the world, he said.
“Our aspiration is also growing. Our people want to grow and they dream to move faster. The ACI is continuously working to support people’s aspirations.”
“ACI Motors has a group of bike lovers from Yamaha Riding Club who are also part of our journey.”
The price of Yamaha bikes will come down when the locally assembled ones hit the market within a couple of months, he said.
The prices of the two bikes are a bit high due to the existing 152 percent import duty on vehicles of 150cc and over, he said.
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