Following flak received for some of its heavily overpriced entry level products, Kawasaki is on the path to redemption. The first salvo fired in this direction is the new Kawasaki Ninja 300 ABS. While the inclusion of dual channel ABS as standard fitment is big news in itself, the major price drop is the talking point here. The new bike is priced at Rs 2.98 lakh (ex-Delhi), a massive Rs 62,000 price drop from its previous Rs 3.6 lakh (ex-Delhi) for the CKD model. This has been made possible due to heavy localisation of parts.
The Ninja 300’s motor and chassis will continue to be imported from Thailand while parts like the body panels, wheels and tyres have been localised. The Thai-made IRC tyres have been replaced with MRF Zappers, the same ones seen on the pre-update Yamaha R3. We would have liked stickier premium tyres, at least as optional extras.
The new pricing makes the Kawasaki Ninja 300 the most affordable 300cc twin-cylinder bike you can currently lay your hands on in the country. While Kawasaki is tight-lipped on what other products can be localised, their talks of pushing forward with the ‘Make in India’ campaign has us hoping for more entry-level localised bikes like the Z250 and Ninja 400.
Press Release
The all new Ninja 300 with ABS launched in India
India Kawasaki announces a launch of the all new Ninja 300 in the Indian market. The all new Ninja 300 comes with front and rear Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) along with new colours and graphics. As a part of India Kawasaki’s expansion plan the all new Ninja 300 also gets locally produced parts.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Yutaka Yamashita, Managing Director of India Kawasaki Motors, said “As per Kawasaki’s product portfolio Ninja 300 is entry level sports bike. We have observed that customers start with Ninja 300 and then upgrade to the next class. Therefore, Ninja 300 happens to be our bestselling product in India because of affordable price.”
The all new Ninja 300 is equipped with a liquid-cooled strong parallel twin cylinder, DOHC and 8 valves engine like other models of Ninja series. The new high-tensile steel frame adds to the chassis stability and the assist & slipper clutch, based on racing technology, acts as both a back-torque limiter and self-servo mechanism that enables a lighter clutch lever pull.
On the interior front apart from aggressive styling, the dual headlights like Ninja ZX-10R and wheel design like Ninja ZX-14R indicates styling package is directly related to bigger Ninja supersport models.
Further states Mr. Yutaka Yamashita, “We just started localizing for Ninja 300 ABS as a part of our expansion plan. Initiatives like “Make In India” have also been encouraging factors in increasing localization. The localization gives us a benefit to set a very competitive price, because of which we can offer many new customers an opportunity to enjoy our product and also start experiencing fun of supersports riding.”
Now the all new Ninja 300 ABS is available in two colour options namely lime green/ebony and candy plasma blue. The price of the all new Ninja 300 with ABS is INR 298,000 ex-showroom Delhi. Customers doing pre-booking will be given “3 years of unlimited mileage warranty offer” on the all new Ninja 300 ABS. This offer will be discontinued without any prior intimation in order to give a worthy benefit to early birds. The bookings are open and customers can visit their nearest showroom for booking.
About India Kawasaki Motors: India Kawasaki Motors Pvt. Ltd. (IKM) is a complete subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Japan. IKM opened its production facility in Chakan – Pune, Maharashtra in July 2017. In the plant, currently Ninja 300, Ninja 650, Z250, Z650, Versys-X 300, Versys 650 & Vulcan S, Ninja 1000, ZX-10R and ZX-10RR are assembled. At present, India Kawasaki Motors has currently 30 dealerships across India and offers 27 products which includes super-sports, naked, sports-tourer and off-road variants.
Source: zigwheels.com
