Premium mid-size motorcycles have become the hot topic when it comes to the future of the Indian two-wheeler market. Today, we’re at a place where mid-capacity motorcycles are increasingly being lapped up and almost all the big Indian players have expressed interest in the 250-750cc space; Royal Enfield will soon have a large-capacity, twin-cylinder motorcycle on offer, Bajaj has announced a tie-up with Triumph for mid-capacity machines and TVS has their own tie-up with BMW that will soon bear fruit in the form of the Apache RR310S (based on the Akula concept).
Showing just how serious TVS is about the future of premium motorcycles, sources inform us that the company has recently undertaken major internal restructuring that sees the creation of a new department that will deal with premium category motorcycles and international business. The focus here will be on overseas sales as well as all current and future premium motorcycles from TVS, which includes the current Apache brand and the upcoming production version of the Akula concept that we believe will be called the Apache RR310S.
Arun Siddharth has taken over the responsibility of Vice President - Marketing, Premium Two Wheelers, International Business and TVS Racing for TVS Motor Company. In his new role he will drive the premium category motorcycles and also the international business. He will define the brand strategy, product definition and management for the premium segment motorcycle business. Arun Siddharth will also continue to head TVS Racing initiatives.
Aniruddha Haldar, as the Vice President (Marketing) Scooters, Commuter Motorcycles and Corporate Branding, continues to head the scooter segment. In addition to this, however, he will now take over the commuter motorcycle segment which includes models like the Sport, Star City+ and Victor. He has been at the helm of the scooter business for the last few years and has been responsible for the successful growth of its brand across the country.
With a development as big as this one, it’s clear that we can expect exciting new products from TVS in the future. For now, the company is nearly ready to launch the Apache RR310S and is in the process of scaling up production before the launch. We expect the highly anticipated motorcycle to finally to go on sale by mid-to-late November, barring any further delays.