India assembled Suzuki Hayabusa launched at Rs 13.57 lakh

The cat is out of the bag. Suzuki Motorcycle India has started assembling its hyper-sportsbike, the Hayabusa at its Manesar plant near Gurgaon. The same was being speculated for a while now though the Japanese manufacturer has denied them in the past. The locally assembled Suzuki Hayabusa has been priced at Rs 13.57 lakh ex-showroom Delhi. This makes the CKD Hayabusa almost 15 per cent cheaper than the CBU model that was priced at almost Rs 16 lakh ex-showroom Delhi. 

Unsurprisingly, a new assembly line has been setup for the Hayabusa, especially since a high performance machine like it demands precision of the highest order. Many would have expected the assembly line used for the Inazuma earlier to be pressed into service but the manufacturer has chosen to invest in a new line to ensure quality standards are not compromised. We know for the certain that knocked-down kits of the Hayabusa were imported into the country and that assembly operation commenced a couple of months ago. In fact, pilot batches of the Hayabusa assembled at the Manesar plant are ready to be shipped to dealers. 

The assembly of a motorcycle as powerful and as respected like the Hayabusa is a huge leap forward for Suzuki Motorcycle India. Suzuki was among the first manufacturers to launch its high performance motorcycles via the CBU route in 2008, following the change in regulations a year prior to that which allowed motorcycles displacing over 800cc to be sold in India via the CBU route. The Hayabusa is powered by a 1340cc, liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine that produces a lofty 196PS at the crank, making it one of the most powerful motorcycles in the world, and is hugely respected for its immense tuning potential as a sportsbike and a drag racing machine for quarter mile races. 

The assembly of the Hayabusa in India has resulted in a significant drop in the price of the bike. The CKD Hayabusa currently retails at Rs 13.57 lakh ex-showroom, New Delhi. In comparison, the Hayabusa’s direct rival, the Kawasaki ZX-14R retails at a much higher 17.90 lakh rupees ex-showroom, as it comes in via the CBU route. 

The Hayabusa’s assembly could also possibly pave the way for Suzuki’s other CBU models like the GSX-S1000 and GSX-S1000F to be assembled here. It is highly unlikely that Suzuki India will consider assembling its flagship GSX-R1000 in India if and when it expands assembly operations. What’s more, it wouldn’t be surprising if Suzuki India decides to launch the V-Strom 650 in India via the CKD route in the near future, given the positive response to Kawasaki’s Versys 650 and considering the fact that adventure touring motorcycles are getting increasingly popular in the country.  On the whole, the local assembly of the Suzuki Hayabusa in India could only mean a win-win situation for bikers in India, since this will effectively have other manufacturers try and take the CKD route to price their products lower.