Yamaha India has launched an all-new street fighter bike in India - the Yamaha FZ25 at Rs. 1.19 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Early this month the first teaser for the Yamaha FZ25 was leaked and now with the launch the bike will mark Yamaha's entry into the highly popular quarter litre segment in India.
While now we know everything about the bike, previously Yamaha India was extremely tight-lipped about any details. Even Yamaha dealers we reached out to, seems to have no information about a new motorcycle launch. In all likelihood, we knew that the new bike will be a 200-250cc motorcycle, more likely to be a 250cc bike with styling similar to the existing FZ-15 series.
Earlier it was rumoured to be called the Yamaha FZ 250 and that the new Yamaha quarter-litre motorcycle is likely to be based on the Yamaha Fazer 250, sold in Brazil. The Brazilian-spec Fazer 250 is powered by a 249.45cc single-cylinder engine making around 20bhp power and 20Nm of torque, with a five-speed transmission. The bike will come equipped with front and rear disc brakes and on the India-spec model, get more premium components. From the spy pic, the engine looks similar to the Fazer 250, but the one to be launched in India, the Yamaha FZ 250, will have a more stylish design - with all-new bodywork, new headlight, instrument console, and split seats. We tell you why the FZ 250 will be an important motorcycle for Yamaha in India.
(Yamaha FZ 250 spy shot)
The 200-250cc motorcycle segment seems to be on a roll and now Yamaha India wants to join the bandwagon. It's a segment which has seen tremendous action, growing at a rate of over 40 per cent over the past one year, according to data published by the Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Bajaj is the market leader in this segment with established products like the Avenger 220 and the Pulsar RS200 making up bulk of the 1.3 lakh unit sales numbers in the segment.
TVS already has a presence with NDTV's Motorcycle of the Year 2017 Up to 250cc winner the Apache RTR 200 4V and Bajaj is also planning to re-introduce the Pulsar 200 NS in this segment. Hero MotoCorp is also expected to launch the 200cc Xtreme 200S later this year, and with so many models and options available, this segment is poised to be one of the hottest motorcycle segments in the Indian two wheeler space.
With the 323cc Yamaha YZF-R3 not making any significant impact on the sales charts, it was only a matter of time before Yamaha went back to the drawing board to formulate a new strategy and bring a product that is expected to replicate the success of the Yamaha FZ-15 series to some extent. Pricing though will be key, with the Bajaj Dominar 400 completely changing the price dynamics of the entry-level performance bike segment, even though it's placed a segment above.
(Spy pic courtesy: Rushlane.com)
