Triumph Partners with Bajaj Auto of India

Triumph Motorcycles and Bajaj Auto have formed a global partnership to, according to the Indian motor giant, deliver a range of outstanding mid-capacity motorcycles benefiting from the collective strengths of both companies.

The joint effort – reported this week in the Times of India – is characterized as a strategic non-equity partnership, meaning that, at this point, Triumph is not investing money in the enterprise. Industry observers think that Bajaj seeks to fill a gap in its current roster for a cruiser in the sub-700cc category. The current Bajaj lineup ranges from the 100cc Platina and Discover to popular Pulsar models, to the KTM-powered 373cc Dominar and Duke.

For Truiumph, the partnership gives access to emerging, high-volume markets in India and elsewhere. Bajaj, meanwhile, gains a broadened product line and the prestige of the Triumph imprimatur. Bajaj allied itself with KTM about 10 years ago, and now holds a 47-percent share in the Austrian company. While Bajaj Auto currently holds no economic interest in Triumph, the company apparently will be building some Triumph models in the future.

"This new global partnership will enable Triumph to significantly expand its global reach by entering new higher volume market segments, especially within the emerging markets across the world," Bajaj said in a recent press release. "Bajaj will gain access to the iconic Triumph brand, and its great motorcycles, enabling it to offer a wider range of motorcycles within its domestic market and other international markets."

Triumph, by comparison, lacks a line of small-displacement machines on its menu, and is expected to offer some India-built entries in the future. It appears that Bajaj was the suitor in this relationship, based on its need to offer machines in the increasingly popular cruiser/bagger/bobber category that continues to draw customers in European and Asian markets to motorcycles built by Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle.