Triumph and Bajaj join forces

Here's an announcement that caught many people by surprise: a new partnership between Triumph and massive Indian manufacturer Bajaj to produce a new range of mid-capacity motorcycles.

The non-equity partnership will enable Triumph to significantly expand its global reach by entering new higher volume market segments, especially in emerging markets – where Bajaj already has a strong presence. Meanwhile, Bajaj will gain access to the Triumph brand and enable it to offer a wider range of motorcycles within its domestic market.

Bajaj is the world’s third largest motorcycle manufacturer, and number two in India behind Hero.

The communique announcing the tie-up between the two companies didn't go into further details, but we're unlikely to see the real fruits of the collaboration for at least a couple of years. 'Baby' Tigers and Bonnies may be a good place to start…

This isn’t the first time that Triumph has taken a serious look at manufacturing mid-capacity motorcycles. In fact, there were well advanced plans to go to market with two Indian-made single-cylinder 250cc roadbikes – one naked and one faired – a few years ago before the project was shelved for "strategic reasons".