Yamaha finally has its finger in the scooter segment pie and we must say they couldn’t have put together a better package. We first saw the Yamaha Ray at the Auto Expo earlier this year and the transition from Expo to the production ready model has taken quite some time. The launch ceremony was held at the Novotel in Hyderabad. The Yamaha Ray is priced competitively at Rs. 46,000(ex-showrooms Delhi) and will lock horns with the likes of the Maestro, Activa, Wego and the Dio.
The Yamaha Ray in its flashy Burgundy decals makes for a visual treat and neatly packs in a 113cc 4 stroke motor mated to its CVT gear box. The engine puts out 7.1 PS@ 7500 rpm(which we think is comparatively low but also very mileage conscious) and 8.1 Nm @ 5000 rpm. The company also offers a 2 years/ 24 months warranty. However we should be warned of the asterisked evils!
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO & MD India Yamaha Motors said, “I am positive that we can get a strong presence soon in the Indian scooter market. Our dealers in India are dedicated to improving their facilities and services for scooter sales. We have expanded our dealer network and specially improved customer care and quality for female customers by appointing more female staff at customer contact points and introducing female customer care programs.”
Yamaha has put, if not all, many eggs into the Ray basket and it should definitely pay off. The Yamaha Ray has already clocked over 5000 bookings and the company’s massive expansion plans will definitely help in tending to these increasing demands. In the recent past we have seen new players like Suzuki Swish, Hero Meastro, Mahindra Rodeo and TVS Wego entering the market which dominated by Honda Activa and Honda Dio. But will Yamaha India continue to gather bookings consistently..? We need to wait and see..
