Yamaha to launch scooter in India next year

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NEW DELHI, April 5 (PTI): Japanese two-wheeler major Yamaha plans to foray into the Indian scooter market by next year and will set up a separate body assembly line at its Surajpur plant in Uttar Pradesh for this purpose. The firm's wholly-owned subsidiary, India Yamaha Motor Pvt Ltd, is investing Rs 100 million to set up the body assembly line at the plant. "The scooter market in India is huge and we want to have a strong presence. Now we are preparing to launch a scooter here within 2012," India Yamaha Motor Pvt Ltd CEO and Managing Director Hiroyuki Suzuki told the news agency. Asked what kind of scooter it will be, he declined to specify details, but said: "It will be focused more on personal commuting, with stylish and smart design like Yamaha's motorcycles that are sold here." Suzuki, who was heading Yamaha's Indonesian operations before taking over the charge in India last year, said he would aim to repeat Yamaha's success in the scooter market in Indonesia here. "In Indonesia, Yamaha has a market share of around 46 per cent, which is very close to that of Honda. I want to replicate that here in India as well," he said.