TVS Victor to be reintroduced on January 20; Apache 200 to be launched

TVS is gearing up to bring back the Victor motorcycle brand to showrooms in India. The brand will make a comeback with a new motorcycle on January 20, 2016. It has been understood that like the first version, which was first launched in 2001, the new one will have a 110cc engine with contemporary technology. The Victor is special for the company, as it was the first motorcycle to be built by TVS Motor on its own.

The Victor will fall in the highly competitive commuter segment (75cc-110cc) of the Indian motorcycle segment. During the April-November 2015 period, the size of this segment was 4,614,850 units, down 5.21 percent over the same period the previous year. TVS Motor currently has a market share of 17 percent in the segment with three models – Max 4R, Jive and Star City 110.

TVS Motor will also launch a new model in the Apache series, along with the Victor. The Apache 200 will the biggest motorcycle the OEM has launched yet. It will also be the first TVS motorcycle to have an oil-cooled engine. The 200cc bike will boost the Apache brand to race against Bajaj Auto's Pulsar. There's also a buzz that the Apache 200 will be followed by a TVS version of the BMW G310R, which is manufactured by TVS for its German partner, BMW Motorrad. The Apache RTR 180 will now cede position to the Apache 200 as TVS' most powerful motorcycle.

The TVS Apache (in 160cc and 180cc guise) falls in SIAM’s category B5 (engine capacity more than 150cc, but less than 200cc). This motorcycle segment has seen handsome growth in this fiscal with sales growing 107 percent to 4,45,010 units in April-November 2015 as against 2,14,193 units in April-November 2014. Between April-November 2015, the Apache has seen its sales grow 38.5 percent to 174,490 units from 125,960 in April-November 2014.

The Apache’s rivals comprise the KTM 200 Duke, Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTS-i and 180 DTS-i, Honda CB Unicorn 160 and the Suzuki Gixxer. While the KTM and Pulsars together sold a cumulative 93,112 units in the first eight months of 2015-16, the CB Unicorn 160 has seen handsome sales of 1,19,149 units. Meanwhile, the Gixxer saw sales of 58,259 units during this period.