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Moto blog

Vespa Arrives in India

Piaggio has launched its Vespa brand in India, introducing the iconic scooter to the world’s second-largest two-wheeler market. When we think of motorcycle in India, we tend to think of low-cost small displacement motorcycles and scooters. That’s beginning to change with the influx of larger displacement models commonly found in other markets.

New Delhi Auto Expo 2012 – Motorcycle Manufacturers Draw Battle Lines for World’s Second Largest Market

In past years, the biennial Auto Expo in India slipped under the radar while the industry was focused more on shows such as EICMA in Italy and Intermot in Germany. But with India’s middle class starting to flex its financial muscle while other markets continue to struggle, the New Delhi show is becoming much more prominent, with major OEMs positioning themselves to claim a piece of the India’s 13 million vehicles-a-year market. We’ve already looked at India-produced Royal Enfield’s new Thunderbird 500 and Hero Moto’s hybrid scooter concept which debuted at the Auto Expo, and today we’ll look at what the major international OEMs presented.

Polaris Reports Q1 2012 Results

Polaris Industries reported a 44% increase in on-road vehicle sales revenue and a 40% increase in North American Victory Motorcycle unit sales over the first quarter of 2012. According to Polaris’ first quarter report, its on-road vehicle division (which consists of the Victory and Indian motorcycle brands as well as electric vehicle brands GEM and Goupil) generated $64.7 million in sales revenue, compared to $44.9 million reported in the same quarter of 2011. Of course, the Polaris didn’t yet own Indian, GEM or Goupil during that quarter last year, so the figures are a bit misleading.