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Hero Motors to launch step-through variants

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI FEB. 19. Hero Motors will soon be launching a series of new variants of two-wheelers. It has introduced Hero Smart in Chennai today. Its 75cc engine has been developed in association with Briggs and Stratton, Milwaukee of the U.S., and designed by I.D.E.A Institute of Italy. The latter were the designer for Palio cars. The four-stroke step-through would conform to the fuel efficiency norms. The vehicle is priced at Rs. 20,900 and will be on sale from the first week of March.

The company has designed the engine in the `modular engine concept', which is considered for developing series of engines at low cost.

Addressing a press conference here today, Pankaj Munjal, Managing Director, said Hero Motors was planning to penetrate into the southern market. As a step towards this it had announced a partnership with the DRS Group for the Chennai region. The objective was not just to sell a vehicle but also to try and upgrade the customer's standard of living. The idea was to make Smart a way of life for the middle class segment.

Sensing the potential for growth in the step-through segment, the company was going all out to introduce new variants. It was planning to introduce Cyclomoto, a 25cc engine fitted into a cycle.

The company had just made a pilot launch of this product and hoped to launch it commercially soon. It would be priced between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 6,000. The company would soon introduce Thai (project name) by June this year, which would be priced at Rs. 28,646. By June next year, it would launch UTV (project name) and would be priced at Rs. 29,335. The two variants would come under the step-through segment. Mr. Munjal said the company hoped to produce nearly two lakh vehicles, out of which 1.7 lakhs would be for the domestic market and the balance for exports. To develop these products the company had invested nearly Rs. 50 crores in R & D.

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