2011 Hyosung GT650R
Come April 2011, Garware Motors will start assembling the Hyosung GT650 Sportsbike and Hyosung ST7 Cruiser from CKD(completely knocked down) kits from Hyosung Korea at their Pune plant. This apart, the Garware-Hyosung combine is also planning to expand it’s portfolio in the coming year with a naked version of the Hyosung GT650, which may be priced slightly lower than the GT650R sportsbike. Along with this, the collaboration, in the future might also bring in 250cc and 125cc motorcycles from the Hyosung portfolio in 2012 or later.
2011 Hyosung ST7
This, as the 250cc motorcycle segment is witnessing a massive push by leading motorcycle manufacturers like Bajaj and Honda. Those following Hyosung closely might remember that 125cc and 250cc Hyosungs used to be sold by the ertswhile Kinetic Engineering in the form of the Kinetic GF125, the Kinetic GF170, the Hyosung Aquila and the Hyosung Comet 250 in the past as well. For it’s day and age, the sporty Hyosung GF125 and GF170 were technology packed motorcycles, replete with 4 valve heads, which was a first for the Indian market, apart from the 3 valved LML Adreno-Energy twins and the CBU Hero Funduro F650.
2011 Hyosung GT650
So, Hyosung does have many good products in it’s portfolio that could enable Garware to expand rapidly if needed. But before all that, the relatively new Garware-Hyosung combine faces the tough prospect of assembling the GT650 and ST7 motorcycles keeping high quality as it’s first priority. Also, the limited number of Garware-Hyosung dealerships is another hurdle that this Indian-Korean alliance will have to surpass if it hopes to become a major player in the highly competitive Indian motorcycle market dominated by many established brands.
