News about Triumph Motorcycles and Bajaj Auto's joint venture has been circling since 2017. Early in 2020, this partnership has formally commenced, with Bajaj Auto distributing Triumph Motorcycles in India, as well as building small displacement motorcycles for the UK motorcycle maker.
Unfortunately, the global pandemic has sidelined the project. It has only commenced recently now that some countries are opening up again.
Triumph’s head of Brand Management, Miles Perkins, has confirmed during one interview that the project is now right on track and that prototypes of small displacement motorcycles bearing the Triumph badge have already been created.
“That’s going great guns, I have seen the development motorcycles and the prototype for those, it’s all on track. We haven’t yet confirmed exactly what the bikes are and exactly when we will launch them but [the] news is forthcoming soon.”
It is no secret that Bajaj manufactures KTM’s entry-level motorcycles and that those bikes share the same engine and most of their components with some of Bajaj’s very own branded motorcycles. Here in the Philippines, many of Bajaj’s bikes are rebranded as Kawasaki motorcycles.
“They have similar leadership family principles and values. The working relationship is strong, the design development is completely Triumph, these are Triumphs and the partnership is building it and selling them around the world. What Bajaj brings is phenomenal in terms of the ability to develop quality in this volume, especially in the lower capacity range,” added Perkins.
Though these small-capacity Triumph motorcycles will likely target Asian markets, the Hinckley-based manufacturer says that the partnership will also export these to the rest of the world.
