Suzuki Access 125 and Burgman Street get Bluetooth connectivity

Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMIL), the fully-owned subsidiary of Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corporation, today announced introduction of two new variants of its Access and Burgman Street 125cc scooters.

The company has equipped the two scooters with its fully-digital speedometer cluster christened ‘rider connect console’, which offers Bluetooth-enabled connectivity features such as turn-by-turn navigation, calls, SMS and ETA updates, as well as overspeed warning. Owners will also be able to locate their scooters with the Android-based mobile phone app.

The new variants on the Suzuki Access will come priced at Rs 77,700, ex-showroom, Delhi for the drum-brake, alloy version and Rs 78,600 for the disc-brake variant. The Burgman Street with connectivity features, on the other hand, is priced at Rs 84,600, ex-showroom, Delhi.

The scooters will also get new colour options in the form of Metallic Royal Bronze and Matte Blue on the Access and Matte Blue on the Burgman Street. The company has also equipped the Access 125 with LED position lamps.

According to Koichiro Hirao, managing director, SMIL, “We are committed to introduce innovative next-generation technology to add value to the overall riding experience of the consumers.”

Devashish Handa, vice president, Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, SMIL, said, “Our research shows that there is a growing trend among youth towards connectivity features and we have brought the Bluetooth-enabled console to cater to that demand especially when our scooters are performance oriented. Even though there are rival products with similar functionality, the connectivity solution we have offered is the best in class.”

SMIL sold 71,661 vehicles in September 2020, registering a 3 percent year-on-year growth and the Access and Burgman comprise up to 86 percent of the company’s total volumes. According to Handa, “As the unlocking phase has begun across India, a major factor for demand revival has been the growing need for personalised mobility. We have surpassed last year September’s sales numbers and in line with the trend and the market demand being experienced, we are optimistic about the festive season.”

While the company is aiming to complete the execution of its secondary network policy and open exclusive motorcycle retail showrooms to offer a premium buying experience to customers, its pre-owned business – Suzuki Best Value – is also entering its third phase after getting launched in 2018 and will scale to more cities after adding Bangalore, Calicut, Surat, Ahmedabad and Aizawl last year.

The company is also bullish about capitalising demand from online channels, wherein it has seen substantial traction through its Suzuki-at-your-Doorstep initiative launched in June 2020 during the initial months of the Covid-19 outbreak.

According to Hirao, “Suzuki-at-your-doorstep is a good example of an alternative way of driving sales and this online sales programme has been emulated by other industry players as well. The programme is currently operational at 358 dealerships across India to allow customers to buy the product as per their convenience.”

No plans to enter mass 100cc market
Even though it lags far behind the two-wheeler industry leaders and rivals Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Hero MotoCorp with a nominal 2.66 percent market share between April and August 2020, the company has still no plans to enter the mass-market 100cc motorcycle or scooter segment which could give it a volume boost.

“Currently, our development policy aims to concentrate on the 125cc scooter and over 150cc motorcycle market in India. So, we don’t have any plans to enter the commuter segment. Yes, there is a big scope of motorisation as India is a large country with a huge population and we have a plan to develop and introduce new products for this market,” concluded Hirao.

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