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any details about these two new scooters..??

Bajaj seems to be the only company right now who is focused completely on Bikes, everyone else seems to be moving on to the scooter business, now lets see who is forecasting the market right

Nearly every household needs a scooter, especially favoured by Female members. Considering this there is huge market open which currently by and far is led by Honda (Read Activa/Dio/Aviator).
So it gotta be explored by manufacturers. Bajaj in this regard havent been really successful despite their multiple attempts in the segments. There have been news of Bajaj targetting the segment in near future.
But the way i see it, Honda makes the best and sturdiest product currently to suit Indian market.

I know I am being too naive, but I feel the geared scooter segment is unfortunately not catered to after the exit of Eterno more than three years back. For a start TVS can introduce one geared scooter that is simple and reliable.

TVS to launch a new motorcycle along with two scooters this year

The three launches are expected over the next three quarters.

The Pheonix which was launched in October did not cause a stir in the market. TVS is now hoping that the two new scooters and one motorcycle will help reverse its fortunes, which have been on a decline since the last few years. In October 2011, TVS was overtaken by Honda to be the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India.

TVS has come out with many innovative motorcycles which were different from the competition at the time. But models like the Jive, Max4R, Pheonix etc. have just not been able to grasp market sentiments.

The company which is in talks with BMW, will be hoping that something productive comes of it, as both other Indian Manufacturers - Bajaj and Hero have tied up with foreign firms.

The only segment which TVS is doing well is in the Moped segment, because they do not have any competition!

With TVS Motor already under tremendous pressure from its competitors, the slowdown in the industry has come as a double whammy. TVS better get a feel of the market pulse, or else an aggressive competition from Bajaj, Honda and soon Yamaha might make this company insignificant.

The TVS Victor has been the most popular model of the companies lineup, but the brand was not strengthened, as it took three years to get an upgrade for the bike.

TVS' scooter sales have been badly hit, going down by 23% in the second quarter of FY 2012-13. This is even though the scooter segment is the fastest growing segment currently in the country. The Scooty brand is not as fresh as it once was, while the Wego has not generated the expected response.

Will the company wake up and smell the coffee, bringing in new launches in the scooter and commuter segment of motorcycles, or revive the premium segment of motorcycles with a bigger version of the successful Apache series. Or will this company disappear into insignificance with tepid launches?

Source: TVS Motor bets on new launches to regain market share - Livemint

The problem with TVS is they're to naive to admit what's happening. Their brand presence is diminishing and their flagship isn't what it was a couple of years back. Get those engineers working on a better flagship, revive their aging scooty fleet. I see no inspiration in the design of some of their recent launches, especially the Phoenix. They need to be able to differentiate their own products from one another, forget other companies. I don't know what's cooking inside but it has been too damn slow

Repeating the same mstakes again and again..... I guess, they can get back their market share, by firing their stupid designing team. Get designers from the BMW partnership, half of the problem solved.
"jo dikhta hai wohi bikta hai. jo bina dikhe bik jaye, wo sirf Hero/Honda hi ho sakti hai"

The only manufacturers who are keeping us interested are Bajaj and Honda.TVS have disappointed big time to the RTR fans, the last launch being in 2009 (except the 180 ABS), which means nothing in the last 4 years.And i don't see any launch in the next one year atleast.

P.S- Recently i went for servicing my RTR, an engineer from TVS was there and when asked about any launches he said nothing has been finalised but it might be a 220cc with air cooled engine :P

Focus: The problem with TVS as I see is that of Focus (or rather the lack of it). TVS seems to be trying to do everything at the same time.

From Mopeds, Step Thru (Indonesia), automatic scooters, motorcycles, Auto Rickshaws to hybrid / electric scooters... No wonder why their stretched R&D haven't been able to focus on upgrading their Flagship.



Styling: And yes, styling is something which TVS has a lot of catching up to do. The RTR series was all ok till the Hyderedge avatar.. the current "Beast Eye" themed Apache is aesthetically disappointing.

The Phoenix 125 cc appears a well built and well finished model from near and when the details are looked at, but in terms of overall design appeal (something which a normal customer would look at), the Phoenix 125 doesn't cut any special ice... in fact the Discover 100T with its Big & Bulky looks appears more "Premiumn" than the so called tagged by the TVS marketing team, "India's First Premium 125 cc bike".



Marketing: Even the marketing team is losing focus.

With the RTR TVS had brilliantly tried to leverage its Racing Roots with the "Racing DNA" theme (at least with those who were looking something else but a Pulsar, pre 2008 i.e). But before it could educate/establish with the "common man" (who is still clueless about TVS and Racing) about its Racing Heritage, the advent of the Yamaha R15 with its "Full Fairing" has been the nemesis of the "Racing DNA" Image of the RTR..

..the current "Scarily Fast" campaign is only helping undo all the good work / money spent on trying to establish a Racing Heritage.



BMW(??): I don't know what synergies can TVS and BMW find with each other.. I mean one is a small engined vehicle maker and the other is one who is specialized at making Big and Bulky machines for Big and Bulky Europeans.

TVS keeps letting down its loyal customers and fans.. I just can't understand why they won't launch a higher capacity bike.. The 2012 Beast model was a big disappointment for everyone. We were all looking forward to engine changes and upgrades but all we got were cosmetic changes. TVS should do something soon otherwise it will lose all its customers and loyal fans.

The market for geared scooters is dead. There are a few, who would buy a geared scooter just for Nostalgia (yes, I have spent almost a decade on a Vespa!), but practically, it's of little use. The reason for gearless scoots being so popular is their ease in bumper-to-bumper traffic and simplicity for ladies. Again, a four-stroke geared scooter just won't have that punch of torque which was present in 2-strokes, whcih made them an easy putter-around for everyone. That was the prime reason why scooters like Legend, Saffire, Eterno bit the dust.

What do they expect? A clutchless geared bike? HH Street, anyone? I frankly test-rode the Jive, and found it far too inconvenient compared to a geared bike - it was as bad as having no control at all. And the Max4R with 4 shocks at the rear!!!! What is it supposed to be, a truck or something? The only market the 4R gained was with pizza delivery boys!!
Innovative products? Yes. Practical Products? I'm sorry, No!

Everything is a speculation until announced.
TVS already hit the right notes with the Wego, and it's going the right way with Wego Disc. I personally would love to see TVS launching something inspired by BMW's C600 or C650GT. A big-scooter feel with touring capabilities and a punchy 150cc+ engine, discs and the works. (Yes, I do remember the last 'big scoot' launched in India - the Kinetic-Italjet Blaze which was a megaflop!)

Just take a look at their stock, it will show how they are faring as an automotive company in last couple of years. Down in the dumps to put it shortly.

I think you said it yourself. Most guys around or above 6ft height hate TVS bikes because they are midget-sized with aggressive seating positions and rear-set footpegs and feel extremely cramped as they are made for malnourished pygmy racers who go on weight-loss regimes and orange-juice diets to minimize vehicle kerb weight during drag races. Compare this to the average BMW bike which is HUGE and has enough space to accommodate the large butt of a 7-footer dutchman comfortably. I hope this partnership, along with the fact that their newest full-time director Mr. Sudarshan Venu is a proud member of the fraternity of the larger peoples of India results in bikes from TVS (across all segments including the mainstream 150cc to 180cc) which can cater to a "larger" market than the one it currently covers.



PS: While the message in my post stands, I request people to take it with a pinch of salt