UM International to start selling its bikes in India

Miami-based American bike maker, UM International (UM) plans to start retailing its bikes in India. It will roll out its Cruiser model from its new 56 acres manufacturing plant at Kashipur in Uttarakhand.

The latest to enter the Indian two wheeler market, it plans to sell bikes in the lucrative 200cc to 600cc segment, targeting the leisure riding market and make India its hub for other global markets.

Rajeev Mishra, Director at UM India, sharing the broader plans with the media, said that the company has already activated 50 dealers in 34 cities across India. "We have set up the broad infrastructure to tap the fast growing leisure biking segment. To develop India-specific product design, innovation and engineering, we have set up a local R&D centre in India with a strong team of 22 engineers to complement the work of our Miami based global R&D and Design centre that carries American DNA."

There has been an initial investment of Rs 100 crore into a JV with Lohia Auto, leading to the formation of UM Lohia Two-Wheelers Pvt. Ltd. (UML). The company is creating some new concepts to provide an exceptional ride to its customers and has already taken bookings of around 4,200 units.

It competes with the likes of Royal Enfield and Piaggio in the Indian biking space and, as part of its expansion strategy in sales and marketing, will be launching new bikes with sports and racing pedigree.  "We have studied through our surveys that there is a huge liking for cruisers kind of bikes in India, yet many are not available in the price range of Rs 1 to 2 lakh. With our locally developed bikes, we aim to offer customers premium bikes customised especially for the Indian roads at extremely affordable prices," Mr Mishra added.

The company had taken extensive feedback from its customers. It has made improvements in the wheel base, switches, plastic, braking and improved the ground clearance, along with a better fit and finish during the six-month long trial phase.

It is ready to sell the 'Renegade' model that has 50-60 per cent localisation. The engine is currently imported from China and eventually UM Bikes aims to have 100 per cent localisation. Its current focus shall be on cruisers (bikes)and,  going forward, the company also plans to have scooters in its portfolio with the segment growing constantly in excess of 20 per cent for the past five years.

UM sells 200,000 units globally and has more than 1,500 stores worldwide. It has presence in more than 35 countries. It also has new manufacturing facilities coming up through JV alliances in the Philippines and Bangladesh to meet the domestic demand in these two markets and expand into the wider ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) markets including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.