Full steam ahead for first Triumph-Bajaj model to launch in 2022

Triumph and Bajaj remain on track to introduce the first of several new models to be developed in collaboration despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Having originally announced a proposal to work together back in 2017, Triumph and Bajaj formally ratified a non-equity global partnership to manufacture a range of new models that would sit in the 200-700cc displacement segment. 

Though there remains no official word on which models – which will be manufactured by Bajaj in India but sold only as Triumphs both locally and globally - are on the drawing board, the timeline for the first creation to be launched in 2022 remains on schedule.

“A couple of months delay should not delay the timeline the partnership is looking at, which is sometime in 2022,” Triumph India business head Shoeb Farooq told carandbike. “Because, during the press conference during the contract launch also, I understood that everybody is pretty happy with the progress that the partnership is making on the product side. 

“So they are already moving closely on product development, which is positive. A couple of months here and there due to the pandemic, will of course, put some strain but I don't see the timelines shifting too much."

Though Triumph has long been looking for a cost-effective way to expand its range to include smaller motorcycles in order to give them a bigger foothold in the crucial Asian market, February’s deal has taken on more resonance in the past few weeks.

Indeed, while Triumph is one of several manufacturers feeling the pinch from the slump in demand as a result of the coronavirus-initiated lockdowns, it has hit the more powerful, premium sector harder than others at a time when sales should be at their annual peak heading into the European summer.

As such, Triumph has announced it is slimming its 2,500-strong global workforce down by 400 staff members, making this Bajaj deal a potentially critical part of the firm’s recovery plans.

“We are super excited and we are really looking forward to this whole partnership taking shape as soon as possible. We are looking at this huge opportunity that is going to get created. Look at the two big giants in their own sphere of things coming together and creating products. 

“The aspiration of the partnership is to get into the 200-700 cc. That's a huge space we are talking about and is one of the most relevant spaces in the industry going forward. The aspiration with the partnership is also pretty large."

What new Bajaj-built Triumph models can we expect?

Triumph is staying very tight-lipped as to which will be the first models to emerge from this new agreement. 

Though one key aspect of the move is to develop models that will sell well in Asia, many of them will be primed for European markets too.

Models that have been suggested include new smaller versions of the Tiger ADV bike – dubbed the Cub - potentially a more affordable Bonneville to go head-to-head with Indian powerhouse Royal Enfield and maybe even a new featherweight Daytona sportsbike.