2014 Auto Expo: Yamaha showcases the R25 concept
As we had hoped Yamaha did show the R25 concept here at the Auto Expo today. The motorcycle stood proud right at the mouth of the Yamaha stand in roughly the same shape we saw at the Tokyo Motor Show. As you know, the R25 is a motorcycle that Yamaha will put into production globally around the middle of 2014 but a plan for India has not yet been revealed.
The concept wears a parallel twin engine and is pretty close to production form if you disregard the full-on racing details like the gaping intake in the fairing and stuff. However, we had earlier carried a story featuring a leaked image of what the finished product might look like.
On the other side of the world, we have also heard that Yamaha have registered a new name, the YZF-R3 which is speculated to be the name for a triple cylinder sportsbike that sits above the R6 in displacement. However, we had earlier estimated that we may actually see Yamaha bring the R25 (named R3?) to India has a 250cc or 300cc single to make the motorcycle more amenable to the Indian market in terms of pricing and positioning.
But the depressing new is that Yamaha has confirmed to OVERDRIVE that the R25 production motorcycle is not slotted for Indian launch within this calendar year and other rumours say that it isn't even in the plan through most of 2015. This is obviously speculation but it ties neatly in with the notion of Yamaha being hard at work on an India-specific (with applications in other emerging and cost-sensitive markets) engine for the R3.
In either case, Yamaha is going to go full tilt at shoring up volumes with scooters - they launched the Alpha scooter here at the Auto Expo today. In the meantime, Yamaha fans who value the brand's performance machines will just have to wait a while longer
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