Mahindra introduces new Gusto scooter in Sri Lanka

Tuesday, 25 November 2014 00:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Mahindra Two Wheelers Ltd., a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group, introduced its latest brand of scooter – Gusto, to the Sri Lankan market last week. The new scooter, developed entirely at its R&D facility in Pune, was unveiled at a launch event held at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo where representatives of the Mahindra Group and its local partners Ideal Motors were present.

The design of the Gusto has its origins in Italy while Mahindra has introduced a series of unique features to set it apart from its competition. The scooter features a height-adjustable seat which allows the bike to be used comfortably by multiple riders of varying heights. The Gusto also includes first-time innovations such as the remote flip key, find-me lamps, guide lamps and an easy front kick system. It comes with a refined 110cc M-Tec engine, 12-inch wheels, tubeless tyres, high ground clearance, front telescopic suspension with air springs as well as long stroke hydraulic rear suspension. The scooter will also be available in red, white, black and purple. The Gusto will be introduced to the Sri Lankan market at Rs. 205,500 and will be available island wide. Speaking at the launch event, Ideal Motors and Ideal Two Wheelers CEO Chaminda Perera stated that Ideal Two Wheelers operations began in 2013 while the company has managed to grow at an increasing rate over the last one and a half years. He also stressed the need to focus on after-sales services when introducing a new product like the Gusto to the market.

“The real challenge here is with after sales service. We are rapidly increasing the amount of sales outlets around the island and we have trained staff at every outlet. Some of them have been trained in India as well,” he said. Ideal Group Chairman Nalin Welgama said that Mahindra had put a lot of thought and efforts into developing innovative technology which could be seen in some of the brand new features displayed by the Gusto scooter. “Through the number of motorcycle registrations being made, we have determined that motorcycles sales hold a very large segment in the Sri Lankan market. We currently sell around 300 units every month and we hope that this would increase to over 500 in the near future,” he said. Explaining some of the key features of the new scooter, International Business Mahindra Two Wheelers Head Sandeep Singh stated that Mahindra has put a lot of effort into creating a functional product that would benefit every customer in a unique way. “There was a lot of research and a robust testing process implemented when developing the scooter. The product was road tested for 30,000km across India on different terrains and in varying climates,” he said. The scooter will also come with a five-year warranty and Singh claimed that this was due to the trust they had in their product’s durability and performance. He added that under standard conditions, the scooter was able to go 63km per litre of fuel while guaranteeing around 50km per litre. Pix by Sameera Wijesinghe