KTM bets big on the Duke 200 to boost its marketshare and global sales!

2012 KTM Duke 200 Streetbike

KTM, on the back of its latest streetbikes, the Duke 125 and the Duke 200 is all set to improve its marketshare by a big leap. The KTM Duke 125 has been a big success for the Austrian brand in the international market, as the 125cc four stroke single cylinder motorcycle is positioned as an entry level learner motorcycle, a mandatory step that in many European countries, and one that young motorcyclists have to fulfill before seeking a license to ride larger displacement motorcycles.

The KTM Duke 125′s brisk sales have been instrumental in KTM’s marketshare in Europe growing by a whopping 30%, from 4.9% to 6.3%. The Austrian motorcycle maker is betting big on the just launched Duke 200, which will be sold both in the Indian as well as the global market. KTM is planning to export the first batch of the KTM Duke 200sto the European market. The Duke 200, like the Duke 125, will be built by Bajaj Auto, at the latter’s plant in Chakan, India.

2012 KTM Duke 200 Streetbike

Both the Duke 125 and the 200 will have heavy Indian-ization with majority of the parts sourced from India, giving KTM attractive gains in terms of costs incurred during manufacturing as India is a low cost-high quality manufacturing hub. Bajaj Auto, the second largest motorcycle maker in India holds a 40% stake in KTM will build many of KTM’s high volume future products like the Duke 350 and the fully faired 350cc KTM sports bike. Very soon, the Duke 200 will be exported to many Asian markets and Brazil.

India will become one of the biggest for KTM in the future as the brand plans to sell 20,000 KTM Duke 200s in India during 2013, a number that will contribute to 20% of the brand’s global sales. That said, the cost of the Duke 200 in India, being much lesser than in other International markets means that the Duke 200 might not be the biggest profit spinner for the firm. That said, future launches like the Duke 350 and the fully faired 350cc sports motorcycle, through the sheer volumes generated in the Indian market, could more than make up for that.

Via KTM

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