Top 5: Two-wheeler manufacturers of India

Who is ruling the booming two-wheeler market in India? Read on to find out more!

The Indian two-wheeler market is booming. Be it the segment of automatic scooters or motorbikes, new products are emerging every other day, bringing advanced technologies, better comforts and exciting features to the table, and taking competition levels to all new heights.

From this aggressive marketplace, which has grabbed the attention of even foreign manufacturers, we bring you those Indian companies that have succeeded in carving out a distinct niche for themselves.

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Hero MotoCorp

Ranked at the 108th position in the Forbes 200 Most Respected companies list in the year 2006, Hero MotoCorp Ltd. is the largest manufacturer of two-wheelers in India today.

With its headquarters located in the National Capital, New Delhi, the company owns a total of three production units situated in Dharuhera and Gurgaon in Haryana, and in Haridwar in Uttarakhand, all of which together possess an annual production capacity of 3 million.

Beginning its journey in the world of motorised two-wheelers in association with Japan's famous automaker, Honda, in 1984 under the brand of Hero Honda, Hero MotoCorp walked out of the joint venture in 2010 to continue on its own.

However, both during the lifetime of the celebrated JV and after its conclusion, the company has provided some of the best vehicles to the country, including the Splendor series, CBZ, Hunk, the Karizma range, Maestro and Pleasure.

Having established a fabulous market reputation for itself in India, the company now plans to expand its footprint in other parts of the world also and is focusing increasingly on its exports these days.

Bajaj Auto

Bajaj Auto Limited -- makers of the sensational Pulsar series. Now could there be a better introduction for any bike manufacturer in India than this? I think not!

Still, I guess it's worth a mention that the company stands at No. 2 in motorcycle production in India while, on the global scale, it ranks third with footprints in over 50 countries of the world.

At present, the company stands at an impressive 10 per cent EBITDA, but in future it plans on stretching its legs further, targeting a rise to the level of 20 per cent in the international market.

Featured in the Forbes Global 2000 list for the year 2011 at 1639, this Indian brand owns an R&D centre at Akurdi (Pune) besides three production facilities located in Chakan, Waluj and Pantnagar.

As far as its product portfolio is concerned, Bajaj Auto prides in its stunning Pulsar series, Discover range, Avenger, Platina and the likes.

Apart from these, the company is also responsible for bringing dashing motorbikes like the Kawasaki Ninjas and the KTM Duke to India, acting as a distributor for them in the country.

TVS

Headquartered in Chennai, TVS Motor Company Limited is the leading member company of the elite TVS Group, which is a family owned-business house of India, comprising of a total of 33 companies.

It was way back in 1978 when the first production plant of this auto-company was set up in Hosur for the manufacture of mopeds. Today that plant is one of four sites, two of which are situated in India, in Mysore and Nalagarh, while the third one is in Karawang in Indonesia.

A number of awards and titles have been presented to the TVS Motor Company over its long journey for its incredible creations, some of which are the Scooty range, Wego, the Apache series, Phoenix, Star City and the Flame series.

And over the coming days, this fascinating fleet is just going to get better as the auto-major will soon be launching India's first hybrid automatic scooter, Qube Hybrid, in the market along with another automatic scooter and, of course, the comeback version of the iconic TVS Victor.  

Royal Enfield

Made like a gun, goes like a bullet -- that's how the world recognises the mighty beasts that Royal Enfield has been breathing life into for over a century now. Founded in 1893, the original Redditch based company turned into a completely Indian organisation in 1995 with its headquarters located in Chennai.

At present, the fleet of this legendary clan in India comprises of the Thunderbird, the Bullet range, the Electra series and the Classic siblings.

Thunderbird 500, the second generation of Thunderbird in the country, has already joined the crew a few months ago, and now the dashing Royal Enfield Cafe Racer 500 is on the cards, preparing to hit the countrywide dealerships quite soon.

Having established itself quite strongly as a cult brand over these years, Royal Enfield is greatly involved in racing events and rallies like the Himalayan Odyssey, the tour of the Rann of Kutch and the tour of Rajasthan besides several others, aimed at keeping riders bonded like a tightly knit clan.

LML

Lohia Machinery Limited, or, like it is universally called, LML, is the brand that, in coordination with the Italian camp of Piaggio, popularised the concept of scooters in India, with their legendary Vespa doing exceptionally well in the country's scooter market.

Although this JV ended in 1999, and the company stopped sales in India in 2006, it seems like the time has arrived when the marque makes a comeback in its original battleground.

A range of scooters were unveiled by the company at the 2012 EICMA, including the 4-stroke Star4 and the 2-stroke Star2, for the international markets, where LML scooters have always been hot favourites.

And these are the very rides that are now being speculated to be introduced in India as well, marking the return of the manufacturer.