TRIUMPH'S position in the global market for bikes is on the verge of being transformed as it could soon be making over 500,000 bikes per year.
At the moment, around 50,000 bikes per year roll out of the firm's factories in Hinckley and Thailand, but once the new Indian manufacturing facility is up and running there could be an extra zero on that figure.
The numbers come from information released by the local government of the Karnataka region of India, which says the firm is looking for a 30-acre site in Narasapur.
Initially, plans are to make 250,000 bikes per year at the new plant, while a second phase of investment will double that figure. In total, according to Indian news site Business Standard, Triumph will invest Rs 850 Crore – that's around £100 million – in the Indian venture.
The new factory is planned to be operational by 2015, and to meet the proposed figures won't be turning out Bonnevilles and Daytonas but a new, small-capacity single-cylinder machine aimed specifically at the Indian market, where 150cc and 200cc bikes are the norm. Such bikes have been spotted testing at Triumph's facilities in Spain and the UK in the past.
However, even if a small single-cylinder machine (surely it's got to be called the Triumph Cub?) isn't much use for the UK market, other than as a learner bike if a 125cc version is made, the potential profit to Triumph has got to be good news.
